Swastika Gardens

[Whisper09]

Not sure if anyone knew this, but if you were looking at a satellite view or were flying over, there is a Swastika Garden-hedge thingy on someone's property off of Gainsborough. I remember seeing this a couple of years ago while flying over the area.




Yeah it's pretty random, but I was looking at random pictures off Google Maps stuff and remembered this. And to help my boredom, I am posting it

[someone123]

Isn't it backwards? You'd think an actual Nazi would be able to get it right.

[ssiguy]

I remember when I was kid in the mid seventies and we got caught in the snow on Gainsborough on the way back from London to my home in Strathroy.
There was a guy who flew the Nazi flag in front of his large house. He was very helpful but I remember my dad commenting if he would have helped us if we were black or Jewish.
It's very possible it's the same house and guy or his kids.

[MolsonExport]

Toronto Sun

Infamous Ontario neo-Nazi dies

A large backwards swastika - which drew international attention to London with the launch of Google Earth - remains cut into a field behind Martin Weiche's home.

"It's more like a Sanskrit swastika," Alan Weiche said. "He called it his peace symbol."

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/06...-neo-nazi-dies


What can be done to remove this disgusting display of hatred? There are times when I hate freedom of expression.

Weiche quit his building activities in 1980 and retired to his residence, known as "The Berghof", in Hyde Park, Ontario

Wikipedia

Berghof? There ain't no mountain in Hyde park...perhaps a pile of shit that is the swastika.

[JHikka]

It's still backwards

Generally, the backwards swastika is associated with Hinduism (or other ancients) as good luck or peace, so perhaps this is on purpose. His claims of it being a peace symbol aren't far off.

Either way dude was a Nazi. So whatever.

[MolsonExport]

Just came across this (2014 article in LFP)
NAZI LEGACY:
Martin Weiche kept Hitler's memory alive by styling his London estate after the Fuehrer’s Bavarian retreat

[ssiguy]

Funny I remember going by that place a lot when I was a kid. Being from Strathroy we would take #22 to Gainsborough if going to Sherwood Park/Oakridge Malls. I use to be frightened when I was a kid as he flew a swastika. Mom and Dad are both from the UK and mom who was from London England was evacuated during the war to the countryside.

Funny that I remember getting caught in a snowstorm on the way back to Strathroy and the car went into a snow bank. All 4 of us young kids were in the car as were M&D and he came out and helped push us out and we went on our way. He was very friendly but I can't help think what he would do if he came to the car and found out we were black or Jewish.

Funny things you remember as a kid.

[Simpseatles]

It's disgusting to think that there is someone like that right here in London. I guess that repulsive white supremicist mayoral candidate would be pleased.

[Underground100]

I remember one of my friends showing me that over a year ago. Apparently, the "Swastika Gardens" is on the property of Martin Weiche. He was a member of the Hitler Youth and fought for Nazi Germany in WWII. Since coming to Canada 60 years ago, he has ran in federal elections in which most of them he won less than 0.5% of the vote and influence neo-Nazi political organizations. He also tried to get the city of London to observe European Heritage Day.

[Simpseatles]

Originally Posted by Underground100

I remember one of my friends showing me that over a year ago. Apparently, the "Swastika Gardens" is on the property of Martin Weiche. He was a member of the Hitler Youth and fought for Nazi Germany in WWII. Since coming to Canada 60 years ago, he has ran in federal elections in which most of them he won less than 0.5% of the vote and influence neo-Nazi political organizations. He also tried to get the city of London to observe European Heritage Day.

My grandfather is German and was in the Hitler Youth for a brief period. His family was part of a group of Germans in the Baltic states who were fleeing towards Germany away from the Russians and they were very poor. After the war he immigrated here as a Displaced Person I believe. Unlike this asshole he realized that the stuff he was taught as a kid was all B.S. and left it behind him to start a new life. Obviously the things that his people did during the war were atrocious, and I think there is a general sentiment of shame among all of them. But then theres this guy who gives people like my grandfather a bad name.

[manny_santos]

May every bird that flies over London and every deer, coyote, bear, cow, and fox that wanders onto the property take a s*it on that swastika.

Other ideas for this property:

- Let Toronto dump its trash there instead of the Green Lane Landfill
- Shift the city's property tax, sewer tax, and water tax burdens onto him, to ensure no tax increases in 2011 while maintaining municipal services
- Expropriate the land and re-establish the railroad to Ilderton through his property
- Expropriate the land and build the ring road through it
- Establish a driving range next to the property, with no netting preventing golf balls from landing on the property

[Simpseatles]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

May every bird that flies over London and every deer, coyote, bear, cow, and fox that wanders onto the property take a s*it on that swastika.

Other ideas for this property:

- Let Toronto dump its trash there instead of the Green Lane Landfill
- Shift the city's property tax, sewer tax, and water tax burdens onto him, to ensure no tax increases in 2011 while maintaining municipal services
- Expropriate the land and re-establish the railroad to Ilderton through his property
- Expropriate the land and build the ring road through it
- Establish a driving range next to the property, with no netting preventing golf balls from landing on the property

^Great ideas! When I looked at a more zoomed out view of the area, I noticed it is right where I imagine the western ring road (if ever built) would go through.

[Snark]

It just goes to show how powerful that political/religious indoctrination can be.

I remember a documentary called "The Fatal Attraction OF Adolph Hitler". In it was an older gentleman describing as a kid being at a Hitler Youth rally only a few rows from the front as the Fuhrer himself was speaking to them. He acknowledged that the whole Nazi movement was a terrible thing, but still felt the excitement and pride when recalling the rally. It just goes to show how the programming is almost impossible to break in some people - even when it is demonstrated that the movement they still adore decades later was flawed, immoral, inhuman, and ultimately brought ruin to their own beloved Fatherland.

I wouldn't feel too amazed that such a fellow lives in London. Every community has its 0.01% extremists. The only difference is that this guy has a nice big piece of land to announce his loyalties to all who see it.

Extremism has always been around, and will continue to be into the future. The fact that it is alive today in various forms around the world sadly demonstrates that beneath the thin veneer of even a civilized society can still lurk the ability of people to do terrible things to each other.

[bolognium]

London-area neo-Nazi Martin Weiche has died.

The one-time leader of the extremist Canadian National Socialist Party died Friday night at 90 years old, his son Alan confirmed Sunday.

Weiche was a well-known and self-described racist who held KKK cross and Swastika-burning rallies outside his Hyde Park area home and once tried to get the city to declare a European Heritage Week, during which he planned to promote racism.

In the past decade or so, he has been less politically active, but his views have remained strong, said Alan Weiche — one of Martin Weiche's nine children.

"Up to a week ago, he was still feisty and talking politics," said Alan Weiche. "He was elaborating on his thesis of why (Moammar) Gadhafi was driven out of power.

"I wouldn't say he felt angry anymore, but he was still disturbed . . . about the system."

Though Alan Weiche insisted his dad was not truly a racist, because he rented apartments in his home to people with many racial backgrounds and once had a Chinese tenant for Christmas dinner, he agreed Martin Weiche spent a great deal of energy protesting multiculturalism.

A former luftwaffe pilot for Hitler during WWII, Martin Weiche immigrated to Canada in 1951, and became active in real estate in London. Within a few years, he started building apartment buildings in London and Sarnia.

He didn't become politically active until about 1965, after reading an autographed copy of Adolph Hitler's book Mein Kampf. When a London Free Press headline declared the local developer to be a Nazi, he decided to "stand up for his beliefs," said Alan Weiche.

In the 1968 federal election, he ran as a National Socialist.

Those white supremacist beliefs — were not well received in Canada It wasn't easy growing up a Weiche in London, where all the siblings attended Medway High School, said Alan Weiche.

"In school we were picked on a lot. As a young man, there were times in my early twenties, I could be pulled over 3 times a day. There was a lot of harassment and telephone calls . . ."

It was the phone calls that eventually broke up his parents' marriage, said Alan. His mom wanted her husband to stop being so outspoken, but he would not back down.

In all, Martin Weiche was married four times. Once in Germany before he divorced and married Alan Weiche's mom Lina, whom he shares seven children with. They divorced and he married and had one child with Christa Weiche before they divorced and Martin Weiche married his now-widow Jenette. They also have one child together.

He has 16 grandchildren and eight grandchildren.

"We're all coming to grips with (his death) now," said Alan Weiche, who is a tower crane operator, and said he and most of his siblings share their father's political views.

"When you lose an influence like that, you kind of realize that you're on your own."

jennifer.obrien@sunmedia.ca


London Free Press Link

[manny_santos]

I bet Martin Weiche is currently on his orientation tour in hell. Perhaps he has already met Adolf Hitler there.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

I bet Martin Weiche is currently on his orientation tour in hell. Perhaps he has already met Adolf Hitler there.

Not sure about that, the orientation session is rather brief:



I sincerely hope we don't wind up in hell for the rest of eternity, and in the spirit of his Hindu swastika, I hope they're right about the whole reincarnation thing. It would be more fitting for Weinche to simply come back to earth as a frog or a rat. Still kinda feel sorry for his kids though.