Ahenakew on "Canadian Holocaust"

The hate-speech trial of David Ahenakew (link requires Yahoo login) has turned into a series of accusations against non-aboriginal Canadians:

David Ahenakew says aboriginal people have been the victims of a holocaust that has lasted 500 years and Canadians should be put on trial for their treatment of them.

The 71-year-old former head of the Assembly of First Nations and member of the order of Canada is charged under a section of the Criminal Code that prevents the wilful promotion of hatred. The charges were laid after he called the Jews a "disease" and suggested the Holocaust was justified in an interview more than two years ago.

"I'm a holocaust victim," Ahenakew shouted Thursday under cross-examination on the final day of his trial.

"We lost over 100 million people over the last 500 years."

You'd think, if Ahenakew felt so strongly that Canada is a totalitarian state, that he'd have been less willing to accept Canada's highest civilian honour. Instead, he clearly feels that many Canadians are to be hated:

"Thousands and thousands of Canadian people — they should be here answering questions about hatred toward the Indians," Ahenakew said.