By BRONWYN SELL
An alleged neo-Nazi who pulled out of a Waikato University course after protests about him on campus has spoken for the first time about why he withdrew.
German-born Hans-Joachim Kupka pulled out of his doctorate course last month after demands from staff, students and Jewish people that he be
kicked out of the university.
The university said it had no right to expel Mr Kupka, who was researching a thesis on the German language in New Zealand.
Mr Kupka, who is in Europe, told the Herald yesterday that he withdrew because he did not want to damage the reputation of the university and its staff.
The controversy had damaged his reputation and could end his academic career, he said.
Mr Kupka was accused by students and Jewish people of being anti-Semitic.
Statements on the internet attributed to him said Jews were using Germany as a "goldmine and a whipping boy," and suggested that reports of the Holocaust were as credible as UFO sightings.
However, Mr Kupka said yesterday: "I am certainly not a Holocaust denier nor an anti-Semite. I have several times in public newsgroups of the internet written about those atrocities."
He said to be anti-Semitic he would have to dislike all or most Jews because of their ethnicity, "not to dislike one or two or five people because of various other reasons, who happen to be Jews."
"I have never, nowhere and at no time, in public or in private, verbally or in writing mentioned to dislike all or most Jews."
The Waikato Jewish Association wants an independent inquiry into the university's handling of the issue.
