19/02/2004

Nazi hunter Wiesenthal awarded knighthood

The renowned Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal has been awarded an honorary knighthood, it has been announced today.

According to the citation, the KBE was awarded in recognition of Mr Wiesenthal's lifetime of service to humanity, including the many members of the Austrian, German and Central European Jewish communities who have made their post war homes in Britain, "through his work to bring the Nazi perpetrators of the holocaust to justice".

Simon Wiesenthal, who turned 95 on New Year's Eve, founded the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in 1977, as an international Jewish human rights organisation dedicated to fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid tribute to Mr Wiesenthal's "untiring" service to the Jewish communities in the UK and elsewhere by "helping to right at least some of the awful wrongs of the Holocaust".

He added: "In making this award, we also have in mind the work of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in preserving the memory of the Holocaust and fostering tolerance and understanding, ideals that are more relevant than ever in the present day."

The British ambassador in Vienna will present the award at a later date.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

07 May 2010
Pushchair Firm Pays-Out Over Injuries
Pushchair manufactuer, Maclaren, has agreed to compensate 40 UK children who have seriously injured their fingers in the hinges of their prams. The children were aged between one and eight when they were hurt, with some cases dating back to 2003.
06 April 2004
Thames Trains fined £2m over Ladbrook Grove crash
Thames Trains have been fined a record £2 million for breaches of health and safety law arising out of the Ladbrooke Grove rail collision, in which 31 people died. The fine followed a one-day sentence hearing at the Old Bailey, where the judge also awarded costs of £75,000 in addition to the fine.
28 March 2014
Separating Couples Urged To Use Mediation
Thousands of separating couples are being urged to spurn confrontational courtroom battles and use mediation to sort out disputes over their property, finances and children, as new figures reveal the ten busiest divorce courts in England and Wales.
29 January 2013
Man Jailed For Life In 'Head-Severing' Case
A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his landlord. Former abattoir worker Karl Bestford stabbed and mutilated Simon Meech, 46, after inviting him round to his rented flat in Gateshead on 28 July. Bestford denied murder but was found guilty by a jury, at Newcastle Crown Court.
25 November 2011
Remains Found In Search For Murdered Wife
Human remains have been discovered by officers searching for Kate Prout, who was murdered by her husband in 2007. Gloucestershire police said on Thursday evening that Adrian Prout took police to Redhill Farm at Redmarley, in Gloucestershire at the end of last week to show them where he had buried his wife's body.