SWC urges Germany to reopen inquiry into student's death

European Jewish Press/November 18, 2006

The Paris branch of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre has urged the German government to reopen an inquiry into the death of a British Jewish student who died three years ago whilst attending a controversial seminar in the German town of Wiesbaden.

Jeremiah Duggan, 22, was recruited by the Larouche Movement while studying in Paris in 2003. He died in mysterious circumstances in the middle of the night of March 27, 2003 close to the organisation’s seminar.

In a letter to German Justice Minister, Brigitte Zypries, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels repeated claims that the conference appeared to be discussing the Iraq war, but really focused on anti-Semitism.

“Ostensibly, this was a seminar on the Iraq war but Jeremiah’s lecture-notes, found in his bag after his death, apparently point to stereotyping and antisemitic conspiracy theories to explain the background to that war and other global problems," Samuels wrote, noting that "Jeremiah was Jewish, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, who would have on 10 November, have celebrated his 26th birthday."

Suicide suggestions

According to the SWC, a British Coroner’s inquiry into Duggan’s death rejected suggestions that Duggan was attempting to commit suicide when he was hit by a passing car.

“Despite Jeremiah’s panic-stricken phone-call to his mother in London a few minutes before his violent death, the Coroner concluded that the student was in no way suicidal."

Emphasizing its "respect for the investigatory procedure of German democracy", the SWC called on Zyrpies to reopen the public investigation of this case “at the highest Federal level” "in view of new evidence and increasing parental fears for young people lured, whether to cults, political organizations or youth movements.”

Samuels also asked Zyrpies to hold an enquiry as to whether Jeremiah Duggan’s Jewish identity played any role in his death and impose the full application of German law to the supervision of the Larouche Youth Movement and its network of affiliates.