Martin K. Weiche
Encyclopedia
Martin K. Weiche was a far-right neo-Nazi political figure and building contractor in Canada
.
as a pilot and soldier during World War II
.
Weiche entered Canada on November 13, 1951 at Halifax, arriving on the steamship SS Homeland
Coming to Canada after the war, he earned a living from the 1950s onwards by buying houses cheaply, renovating them and then selling them at a profit.
In 1957, Weiche started building apartment buildings in the cities of London and Sarnia. In London, he built a total of thirteen buildings, from a nine unit with a large penthouse suite to the complex known as "Skyview" with 234 units. In Sarnia, in 1965, Weiche built "Huron View Towers" with 74 units and a large penthouse suite, which was the largest apartment building in Sarnia at the time.
Weiche quit his building activities in 1980 and retired to his residence, known as "The Berghof", in Hyde Park, Ontario.
in Canada
, Weiche ran for election to the Canadian House of Commons
as a "National Socialist" candidate in the Ontario
riding
of London East
. Weiche won only 89 votes, 0.3% of the total cast in the riding.
He was identified as a leading figure in the "Canadian Nazi Party" which was led by William John Beattie
of Sarnia until 1978 and was later identified as president of the "Canadian National Socialist Party", which was likely the same organization. This party was inspired by the Nazi
ideology.
In 1971, he and Beattie disrupted the Social Credit Party of Canada
national convention when they refused to leave. Their memberships in the party had been revoked by the party's executive council because their presence was "inimical to the interests of the party". Yelling that the party would have to "bring in storm troopers" to get them out, they disrupted the party's public affairs workshop, and the whole convention. They were allowed to stay as non-voting observers.
Weiche also ran as an independent candidate endorsed by the breakaway Social Credit Association of Ontario and the Western Guard
in Trinity
riding in the 1974 federal election
. He won 64 votes, 0.3% of the total.
Until the 1970s, candidates were free to identify their political affiliation as they saw fit. As of the 1972 election, however, candidates who were not nominated by officially registered political parties could only identify themselves as "Independent" or "no party".
In 1980, Weiche was identified in the media as president of the Canadian National Socialist Party (an unregistered political party) when, in Sarnia, Weiche was invited to appear on radio station CHOK. The appearance was cancelled due to public complaints. Despite the cancellation, a clash broke out between followers of Weiche and members of the Conference Against Racist and Fascist Violence during a protest outside the station.
Later that year, a Ku Klux Klan
cross burning
and rally led by Alexander McQuirter was held on Weiche's 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) farm in southwestern Ontario. McQuirter described Weiche as "nothing more than a friend (who) doesn't necessarily agree with our principles."
A subsequent cross burning on his property in 1993 attended by approximately 40 people dressed in Klan regalia led the provincial government of Bob Rae
to consider amending the Ontario Human Rights Code
to ban the activity.
, a failed white supremacist plot to overthrow the government of Dominica. Don Andrews
described Weiche as "a National Socialist, or Nazi [with] money and vast real estate holdings" who was interested in Dominica
for business reasons. Weiche admitted he had been approached by ringleader Michale Purdue to invest in the scheme but denied any involvement saying "I wasn't interested in his revolution... Perdue is a liar about everything. Perdue is an infiltrator who had to stick it to some people." However, Weiche told a reporter that he would like to see a population transfer where Blacks from the Caribbean
are relocated to Canada and whites repopulate the islands and set up an ideal society on white supremacist principles. Though he denied contributing anything financially to the plot, he admitted in an interview that he was "involved with the idea of Dominica since the middle of '79," wanting to create a colony for "all pure whites - Aryan stock, physically as well as mentally."
's Don Andrews
in an attempt to have municipalities recognize "European Heritage Week" following up from a successful 1995 attempt to have London, Ontario
recognize "European Heritage Day". Weiche filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission
when the city rejected Weiche's proposal.
Weiche made his fortune as a developer and, in 2000, was reported by Now Magazine to be a major financial backer of far-right leader Paul Fromm
His property near London, Ontario, included a room designed to approximate Adolf Hitler
's Alpine retreat
. The room reportedly included "oil paintings and photographs of Hitler hang[ing] on walls inside, [along with] two faded swastika pennants. An autographed copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf sits on a study bookshelf. And there are photographs of former U.S. Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell and the Queen," according to a 1981 Globe and Mail
report.
His son, David Weiche, was a member of the Bandidos
biker gang and was described as the "right-hand man" of Wayne Kellestine, the leading perpetrator of the Shedden massacre
in which eight fellow members of the Bandidos were murdered. David Weiche moved to Winnipeg
three months before the massacre. When the murders came to light, Martin Weiche told the London Free Press
, "If I was David... I'd go and hide, I would quickly disappear for a few weeks. The murderers are still out there."
A large backward swastika cut into a field behind Weiche’s home drew international attention to London with the launch of Google Earth.
Weiche died of kidney failure on September 2, 2011, at the age of 90.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Background
Born in Germany, January 6, 1921. Weiche was a Nazi, but he never belonged to the Hitler Youth or the National Socialist Party.As a teenager, Weiche joined the NSKK (National Socialist Power Drivers Corps), an equivalent to some of the present day biker clubs. Weiche fought for Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
as a pilot and soldier during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Weiche entered Canada on November 13, 1951 at Halifax, arriving on the steamship SS Homeland
Coming to Canada after the war, he earned a living from the 1950s onwards by buying houses cheaply, renovating them and then selling them at a profit.
In 1957, Weiche started building apartment buildings in the cities of London and Sarnia. In London, he built a total of thirteen buildings, from a nine unit with a large penthouse suite to the complex known as "Skyview" with 234 units. In Sarnia, in 1965, Weiche built "Huron View Towers" with 74 units and a large penthouse suite, which was the largest apartment building in Sarnia at the time.
Weiche quit his building activities in 1980 and retired to his residence, known as "The Berghof", in Hyde Park, Ontario.
Political activity
In the 1968 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Weiche ran for election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a "National Socialist" candidate in the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of London East
London East
London East was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of London East and Middlesex ridings....
. Weiche won only 89 votes, 0.3% of the total cast in the riding.
He was identified as a leading figure in the "Canadian Nazi Party" which was led by William John Beattie
William John Beattie
William John Beattie was the founder and former leader of the Canadian Nazi Party. The establishment of the Canadian Nazi Party, re-named the National Socialist Party in 1967, marked a re-emergence of organized neo-Nazi activity in Canada that had been dormant since the days of Adrian Arcand...
of Sarnia until 1978 and was later identified as president of the "Canadian National Socialist Party", which was likely the same organization. This party was inspired by the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ideology.
In 1971, he and Beattie disrupted the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
national convention when they refused to leave. Their memberships in the party had been revoked by the party's executive council because their presence was "inimical to the interests of the party". Yelling that the party would have to "bring in storm troopers" to get them out, they disrupted the party's public affairs workshop, and the whole convention. They were allowed to stay as non-voting observers.
Weiche also ran as an independent candidate endorsed by the breakaway Social Credit Association of Ontario and the Western Guard
Western Guard Party
The Western Guard Party was a white supremacist group based in Toronto, Canada. It evolved out of the far-right anti-Communist Edmund Burke Society that had been founded in 1967 by Don Andrews, Paul Fromm, Leigh Smith and Al Overfield.Andrews became the dominant figure in the EBS, and relaunched...
in Trinity
Trinity (electoral district)
Trinity was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons 1935 to 1988. It covered a portion of the western Toronto. Its name comes from the Trinity-Bellwoods area that was once home to Trinity College....
riding in the 1974 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
. He won 64 votes, 0.3% of the total.
Until the 1970s, candidates were free to identify their political affiliation as they saw fit. As of the 1972 election, however, candidates who were not nominated by officially registered political parties could only identify themselves as "Independent" or "no party".
In 1980, Weiche was identified in the media as president of the Canadian National Socialist Party (an unregistered political party) when, in Sarnia, Weiche was invited to appear on radio station CHOK. The appearance was cancelled due to public complaints. Despite the cancellation, a clash broke out between followers of Weiche and members of the Conference Against Racist and Fascist Violence during a protest outside the station.
Later that year, a Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
cross burning
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
and rally led by Alexander McQuirter was held on Weiche's 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) farm in southwestern Ontario. McQuirter described Weiche as "nothing more than a friend (who) doesn't necessarily agree with our principles."
A subsequent cross burning on his property in 1993 attended by approximately 40 people dressed in Klan regalia led the provincial government of Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
to consider amending the Ontario Human Rights Code
Ontario Human Rights Code
The Human Rights Code of Ontario is a provincial law in the province of Ontario, Canada that gives all people equal rights and opportunities without discrimination in specific areas such as jobs, housing and services...
to ban the activity.
Operation Red Dog
In 1981, Weiche was named as one of the financial backers of Operation Red DogOperation Red Dog
Operation Red Dog was the code name of plan by Canadian and American mercenaries, largely affiliated with white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan groups, to overthrow the government of Dominica, where they planned to restore former Prime Minister Patrick John to power...
, a failed white supremacist plot to overthrow the government of Dominica. Don Andrews
Don Andrews
Donald Clarke Andrews is a Canadian white supremacist. He is also the leader of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Party of Canada and a perennial candidate for mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Early years:...
described Weiche as "a National Socialist, or Nazi [with] money and vast real estate holdings" who was interested in Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
for business reasons. Weiche admitted he had been approached by ringleader Michale Purdue to invest in the scheme but denied any involvement saying "I wasn't interested in his revolution... Perdue is a liar about everything. Perdue is an infiltrator who had to stick it to some people." However, Weiche told a reporter that he would like to see a population transfer where Blacks from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
are relocated to Canada and whites repopulate the islands and set up an ideal society on white supremacist principles. Though he denied contributing anything financially to the plot, he admitted in an interview that he was "involved with the idea of Dominica since the middle of '79," wanting to create a colony for "all pure whites - Aryan stock, physically as well as mentally."
Later activities
In the 1990s, Weiche worked with the Nationalist Party of CanadaNationalist Party of Canada
The Nationalist Party of Canada is an unregistered Canadian political party that was founded in 1977 by Don Andrews , who continues as leader of the party...
's Don Andrews
Don Andrews
Donald Clarke Andrews is a Canadian white supremacist. He is also the leader of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Party of Canada and a perennial candidate for mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Early years:...
in an attempt to have municipalities recognize "European Heritage Week" following up from a successful 1995 attempt to have London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
recognize "European Heritage Day". Weiche filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Human Rights Commission
The Canadian Human Rights Commission is a quasi-judicial body that was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the Canadian Human Rights Act to investigate and try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the provision of services within federal...
when the city rejected Weiche's proposal.
Weiche made his fortune as a developer and, in 2000, was reported by Now Magazine to be a major financial backer of far-right leader Paul Fromm
His property near London, Ontario, included a room designed to approximate Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Alpine retreat
Kehlsteinhaus
The Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
. The room reportedly included "oil paintings and photographs of Hitler hang[ing] on walls inside, [along with] two faded swastika pennants. An autographed copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf sits on a study bookshelf. And there are photographs of former U.S. Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell and the Queen," according to a 1981 Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
report.
His son, David Weiche, was a member of the Bandidos
Bandidos
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate with a worldwide membership. The club was formed in 1966 by Don Chambers in Texas. Its slogan is We are the people our parents warned us about. It is estimated to have...
biker gang and was described as the "right-hand man" of Wayne Kellestine, the leading perpetrator of the Shedden massacre
Shedden massacre
The Shedden Massacre involved the killing of eight men, whose bodies were found in a farmer's field five kilometres north of Shedden, a hamlet in the Canadian province of Ontario, on April 8, 2006. Four vehicles, with the bodies inside, were first discovered by a farmer...
in which eight fellow members of the Bandidos were murdered. David Weiche moved to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
three months before the massacre. When the murders came to light, Martin Weiche told the London Free Press
London Free Press
The London Free Press is a daily newspaper based in London, Ontario, Canada.The London Free Press began as the Canadian Free Press, founded by William Sutherland in 1847. It first began printing as a weekly newspaper in 1849. In 1852, it was purchased for $500 by Josiah Blackburn, who renamed it...
, "If I was David... I'd go and hide, I would quickly disappear for a few weeks. The murderers are still out there."
A large backward swastika cut into a field behind Weiche’s home drew international attention to London with the launch of Google Earth.
Weiche died of kidney failure on September 2, 2011, at the age of 90.