Archive/File: orgs/canadian/canadian-jewish-congress/marches-to-modems/mtm-002-04
Last-Modified: 1997/03/30

2.4 George Burdi
by Bernie M. Farber

George Burdi seems an unlikely individual to have become one
of the more successful leaders and recruiters of the neo-
Nazi movement in Canada. Born in June 1970 to an upper-
middle income family from Woodbridge Ontario, Burdi was a
bright and articulate youngster. He was enrolled in the
Roman Catholic Separate School system in Mississauga and in
the summer of 1985 graduated to DeLaSalle College School, a
Catholic boy's school in Toronto. Interestingly during his
high school days, George Burdi is said to have not paid much
attention to skin colour, ethnicity or religion.

It was in high school however that his inquisitive mind,
looking for more sophisticated reading material, happened
upon the writings of Frederick Nietzche. Nietzche was a
German philosopher who wrote on numerous issues dealing with
Aryan philosophy, the strength of humankind and posed
philosophical issues and questions that without context have
been perceived as racist, and antisemitic. According to
Warren Kinsella's Web of Hate, Nietzche had a significant
effect on Burdi's thinking, priming him for his role as a
racist propagandist. It was such thinking, for example, that
led George Burdi to demand "equal time" following his
school's celebration of "black pride month". According to a
New York Times Magazine article, The Method of a Neo-Nazi
Mogul, George Burdi is quoted as saying in response to the
"black pride month" issue:

     "I said, 'how can we have a black pride month and not a
     white pride month'?". Burdi went on to note "....and
     there was an element of the population that started
     calling me a Nazi, and I really didn't understand the
     connection to what I was saying".

The connection, however, became more clear for George Burdi
when in 1986 a young woman that he dated introduced him to a
number of white supremacists and their supporters in the
Toronto area. This included individuals such as John Ross
Taylor, Paul Fromm and probably the most important and
significant figure that would have a tremendous impact on
George's young life - Ernst Zundel. Stated Burdi in relation
to his work with Zundel in the mid 1980's:

     "I started to work with Zundel and I started to learn
     about Holocaust revisionism. I worked on his computer a
     lot. I typed his newsletters and I went to his house as
     often as I could.."

In fact, thanks to Ernst Zundel, Burdi became not only a
rabid Holocaust denier, but a true and devoted follower of
the philosophy of national socialism.

While continuing his work with Ernst Zundel and flirting
with the stars of Toronto's neo-Nazi scene, George Burdi
entered the University of Guelph majoring in Political
Science in 1989. While the structure of university was not
to his liking, it did give him the opportunity to spread his
wings and learn about organizing for the extremist right. It
was while in university that George Burdi was given his
first copy of a magazine entitled 'Racial Loyalty.' An
openly and unrelentingly racist newsletter, 'Racial Loyalty'
was the propaganda arm of an antisemitic and violent para-
military organization known as the Church of the Creator
(COTC). Although it was then U.S.-based, the group's founder
was also a Canadian, Ben Klassen. Klassen grew up on the
prairies, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and
eventually moved to the United States. Klassen's creed,
summarized in The White Man's Bible, played a central role
in the transformation of George Burdi from a white suburban
kid into the white racist skinhead he is today.

The 'White Man's Bible' is a violent racist tome which is
banned in Canada. For example, among its 16 commandments can
be found the following:

     Remember that the inferior coloured races are our
     deadly enemies, and the most dangerous of all is the
     Jewish race. It is our immediate objective to
     relentlessly expand the white race and keep shrinking
     our enemies.
     
     Show preferential treatment and business dealings with
     members of our own race, phase out all dealings with
     Jews as soon as possible. Do not employ niggers or
     other coloureds. Have social contacts with members of
     your own racial family.
     
     Destroy and banish all Jewish thought from society.
     Work hard to bring about another world as soon as
     possible.

Understanding full well the needs of young people and how to
attract them, Burdi was one of the first hatemongers in
Canada to recognize the seductive power of music. Out of
this realization was born one of Canada's first "hate rock"
bands, RaHoWa (an acronym for Racial Holy War). The band has
provided the "musical entertainment" at a number of Heritage
Front functions, offering their skinhead followers lyrics
that are more ugly than lyrical:

     "These boots are made for stompin; and that's just what
     they'll do and one of these days these boots are going
     to stomp all over Jews."

or other musical numbers that included lyrics such as

     ...."nigger nigger nigger, out out out."

Along with his musical career, George Burdi became a
prolific contributor to the COTC's Racial Loyalty. Writing
under the pseudonym of "Revered Eric Hawthorne", George
Burdi had this to say in March 1993:

     "Our confidence comes from the calculated certainty
     that history will repeat itself once again. As before,
     when the jew [sic] reeking (sic) havoc upon the host
     population and when his meddling and diabolical
     scheming became apparent to them the people rose up
     against him and cast him from their land. Each time the
     jew [sic] thought that he had victory seized, each time
     that he was certain that his reign would last forever,
     the white man arose in a frenzied  rage!! Once again
     our eternal foe is playing with fire! Once again he is
     swaying too close to the abyss! Once again he is
     foolish enough to bellow arrogantly in the house of the
     sleeping giant! When the white race awakens, it will be
     with unprecedented fury and passion that he will strike
     hard at the throat of the hooked nose beast! This time
     we will not show mercy. "[emphasis in original]<'Racial
     Loyalty' article, "White Man This is Your Final Call,"
     March 1993>
     
While the COTC destroyed itself in late 1994 following the
suicide of its leader Ben Klassen, George Burdi was not to
be deterred in his struggle to create a white super human
race. Turning to hate rock music, George Burdi and his
friend and former COTC leader, Mark Wilson, put together the
Detroit-based Resistance Records Inc. which includes a
record label, a magazine 'Resistance,' (which Burdi edits)
and an internet home page. To some extent Burdi has been
successful in this endeavor. According to Burdi and others
in the hate rock music scene the circulation of Resistance
is estimated at approximately 19,000. And, according to both
Wilson and Burdi, Resistance's 12 bands under their label
have sold about 50,000 Cd's in their first 18 months of
operation.

In May, 1993, Burdi and RaHoWa played at and helped organize
a hate rock concert designed to kick off a Heritage Front
recruiting drive in Ottawa. That night, following the
concert, Burdi led his followers into a near not on
Parliament Hill and led himself into his most serious
problems yet.

Burdi was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily
harm for kicking a young woman (anti racist Alicia Reckzin)
in the face with his steel toed boots during the bloody
street-fighting that followed the RaHoWa concert. Burdi
elected trial by jury. On April 10, 1995 after deliberating
for about five hours, a seven men five women jury found
Burdi guilty, much to his apparent surprise. One month
later, putting aside the more lenient recommendations from
both the crown and defense, Ottawa Judge Charles Doyle
sentenced George Burdi to one year in prison, noting that
"...other judges may have erred in law in lenient sentences
for similar crimes"

In regards to previous sentences (of 45 and 90 days) handed
down to other skinheads who participated in the Ottawa riot,
Judge Doyle added:

     "I would say those sentences were in error. I don't
     want to perpetuate such an error in an attack which had
     racial overtones."

In prison for one month and released on bail pending appeal,
George Burdi's public activities have since taken a sharp
decline. Nonetheless it has not stopped his budding hate
rock producing career. Most recently, George Burdi has moved
to Windsor so he can be closer to Resistance Records
operations. Concerts promoted by Resistance have been held
in several American venues and several times in London, Ont.
and just outside of Metro Toronto. Although Burdi is keeping
a lower profile these days, everything about this ambitious
and egotistical young hatemonger suggests that once his
legal problems are behind him, he will reclaim his public
leadership role within the white racist movement.

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