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Attila Hildmann

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Attila Hildmann
Hildmann at a protest in 2020
Born
Attila Klaus-Peter Hildmann

(1981-04-22) 22 April 1981 (age 43)
West Berlin, West Germany
CitizenshipGermany[1]
Alma materFree University of Berlin (dropped out)
OccupationCookbook author
Known for
  • Vegan cookbooks
  • Conspiracy theories
  • Anti-Semitic statements

Attila Klaus-Peter Hildmann (born 22 April 1981) is a German vegan cookbook author and far-right conspiracy theorist.[2][3] He wrote his first cookbook in 2009, and his book Vegan for Fun was named cookbook of the year by the Vegetarierbund Deutschland in 2012. He subsequently featured in numerous television programs and talk shows.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hildmann emerged as a disseminator of conspiracy ideologies surrounding the virus. He has described himself as "ultra right-wing" and as a German nationalist.[4] He has been repeatedly characterized as antisemitic[5][6] and has been on the run since 2021, when German prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant for his arrest.[7]

Biography

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Hildmann cooking at Veggie Street Day in Dortmund, 2010

Early life and career

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Born in West Berlin, Hildmann is of Turkish descent and was raised by German adoptive parents.[8] He studied for a diploma in physics at the Free University of Berlin but failed to graduate.[9][8]

Hildmann became vegetarian after witnessing his adoptive father die of a heart attack whilst on a ski trip in 2000.[10] He attributed the death to excessive meat consumption resulting in hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). Fearing the same fate and being heavily overweight, he renounced meat and fish products, and began to exercise regularly, losing 35 kg in weight. Over time, he abstained from consuming almost all animal products and became primarily vegan.[11]

In 2009, Hildmann wrote his first vegan cookbook. In 2012, his Vegan for Fun was named cookbook of the year by Vegetarierbund Deutschland, the German branch of the International Vegetarian Union.[12]

Hildmann appears in YouTube videos and has been featured in numerous television programs and talk shows, including Maischberger, TV total, ZDF's Volle Kanne, SWR's Nachtcafé, and Westdeutscher Rundfunk's daheim + unterwegs. In March 2016, he was a contestant in the TV show Let's Dance.[13]

In April 2017, Hildmann participated in the TV show Schlag den Star against Luke Mockridge.

Controversies and conspiracy theories

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In 2015, Hildmann commented on the European migrant crisis, stating: "Integration in Germany is a sensitive issue because of the German past, resulting in a current self-mutilation of German values and culture." This remark was criticized by Bayerischer Rundfunk as a "symbiosis of right-wing extremism with boundless love for animals".[14]

Hildmann spread conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[15] In June 2020, Hildmann shared antisemitic conspiracy theories, calling himself a German nationalist and saying that Jews wanted 'to exterminate the German race'.[5] His public sharing of these views have resulted in German police pursuing criminal charges against him and loss of revenue; brands he served as spokesman for have severed ties with him.[16] He has denied the Holocaust.[17]

Hildmann claimed in August 2020 during the closure of the Pergamon Altar in Berlin, caused by COVID-19, that satanic rituals were performed at night and that the altar was a "centre of global satanists and Corona criminals". BBC noted that several German media sources connected these claims to cases of vandalism against the museum that occurred later, on 3 October, the national holiday.[18]

He has also accused the German government of working in the service of Bill Gates to promote forced COVID-19 vaccinations and a surveillance state.[19] After being banned from mainstream social media, Hildmann built a network of cross-posting accounts on Telegram, and uploads antisemitic videos on "wtube", a hate speech platform hidden by Cloudflare and evading German judicial authorities.[20]

On 29 August 2020, Hildmann was arrested at a COVID-19 conspiracy protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin after protestors assaulted seven police officers and threw rocks and glass at the embassy and police.[21]

Criminal persecution and escape to Turkey

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In November 2020 Berlin police searched his home and confiscated six computers as well as several cellphones, after taking over investigations from Brandenburg authorities. An arrest warrant for slander, harassment and incitement to racial hatred (German: Beleidigung, Bedrohung und Volksverhetzung) was finally issued in February 2021, but Hildmann had been absent from his home for several weeks at this time. A betrayal of state secrets by an unidentified sympathizer in the judiciary was suspected because of this.[22] Hildmann moved to Turkey in early 2021, evading prosecution in Germany.[1]

His Telegram channel was blocked in June 2021 by unknown means, leaving Hildemann unable to communicate with his c. 100,000 followers on that platform.[23] In July 2021 WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Berlin authorities were investigating a total of 80 alleged criminal acts of Hildmann. An extradition was considered unlikely at the time due to his alleged dual (German and Turkish) citizenship.[22] In the fall of 2022 media reported that this was in fact incorrect and that public persecutors had known this fact for more than half a year by that point: Hildmann only has German citizenship.[24]

In April 2023 it was reported that the Turkish government had refused a request for extradition by German authorities on grounds of Hildmann's supposed Turkish citizenship. German public persecutors did not know the reason for the conflicting statements issued by Turkish authorities.[25]

Books

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  • Attila Hildmann (2009), Vegan-Kochbuch. Cholesterinbewusst, laktosefrei und klimafreundlich kochen (in German), vol. 1, Aachen: Shaker Media, ISBN 978-3-86858-217-8
  • Attila Hildmann (2009), Vegan-Kochbuch. Cholesterinbewusst, laktosefrei und klimafreundlich kochen (in German), vol. 2, Aachen: Shaker Media, ISBN 978-3-86858-502-5
  • Attila Hildmann (2010), Vegan-Kochbuch. Cholesterinbewusst, laktosefrei und klimafreundlich kochen (in German), vol. 3 Norderstedt: Books on Demand, ISBN 978-3-8423-3835-7.
  • Attila Hildmann (2011), Vegan for Fun. Vegane Küche die Spaß macht (in German), Hilden{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-938100-71-4.
  • Attila Hildmann (2012), Vegan for Fit. Attila Hildmanns 30-Tage-Challenge. Vegetarisch und cholesterinfrei zu einem neuen Körpergefühl (in German), Hilden: Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-938100-81-3
  • Attila Hildmann (2013), Vegan for Youth. Die Attila Hildmann Triät. Schlanker, gesünder und messbar jünger in 60 Tagen (in German), Hilden: Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-938100-91-2
  • Attila Hildmann (2014), Vegan to Go. Schnell, einfach, lecker (in German), Hilden: Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-95453-101-1
  • Attila Hildmann (2015) (in German), Vegan for Starters. Die einfachsten und beliebtesten Rezepte aus vier Kochbüchern, Hilden, Beck Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-954530-93-9
  • Attila Hildmann (2015) (in German), Vegan Italian Style. Moderne italienische Küche, Hilden, Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-95453-111-0.
  • Attila Hildmann (2016) (in German), Vegan Smoothies, Shakes, and Ice Cream - Green Smoothies und Superfoods in ihrer leckersten Form aus der Bestsellerküche von Attila Hildmann, Hilden, Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-95453-121-9.
  • Attila Hildmann (2016) (in German), Vegan for Fit Gipfelstürmer - Die 7-Tage-Detox-Diät, Hilden, Becker Joest Volk Verlag, ISBN 978-3-95453-131-8.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Attila Hildmann hält sich in der Türkei auf" [Attila Hildman is staying in Turkey]. Welt (in German). 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Berlin bans rally by vegan chef and conspiracy theorist Attila Hildmann". DW. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. ^ Vegan – Kochkurs mit Attila. TV Total (TV show segment) (in German). ProSieben. 9 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Germany coronavirus: Hundreds arrested in German 'anti-corona' protests". BBC. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Leber, Sebastian (19 June 2020). "Attila Hildmann gibt Juden die Schuld - und verteidigt Hitler" [Attila Hildman blames Jews - and defends Hitler] (in German). Tagesspiegel. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Gegen Attila Hildmann wird wegen Volksverhetzung ermittelt" [Investigation against Attila Hildman for antisemitic agitation] (in German). RBB. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Staatsanwaltschaft wertet neue Informationen zu Hildmann aus". www.rbb24.de (in German). Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b Kühn, Alexander (21 May 2020). "Wutkoch Attila Hildmann – Auf der Suche nach dem Sinn falsch abgebogen" [Angry cook Attila Hildmann – Wrong turn in the search for sense] (in German). Spiegel. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. ^ Giesela Gross (18 April 2013). "Student und Starkoch" (in German). Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  10. ^ Joung, Frank (27 September 2012). "Vegan for fit: Interview mit Attila Hildmann" (in German). Spiegel Online. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  11. ^ Schneeberger, Ruth. "Vegane Ernährung ist das Beste für den Planeten – Interview mit Vegan-Koch Attila Hildmann" [Vegan nutrition is best for the planet – Interview with vegan cook Attila Hildmann]. sueddeutsche.de (in German). Süddeutsche.
  12. ^ "Vegan for Fun gewinnt Auszeichnung zum Kochbuch des Jahres 2012" [Vegan for Fun wins Best cooking book of 2012]. vebu.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Let's Dance 2016: Kochbuchautor Attila Hildmann muss in Show drei das Tanzparkett räumen" [Let's Dance 2016: Cooking book author Attila Hildman has to leave the dance floor in show three]. rtl.de (in German). RTL. 31 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Rechts und vegan – Wieso Neonazis Welpen mögen… Und Hitler" [Right-wing and vegan – Why neo-nazis love puppies... And Hitler] (in German). BR. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016.
  15. ^ "More than 130 detained after protests against coronavirus restrictions in Germany". Euronews. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  16. ^ "German Celebrity Chef Facing Potential Criminal Charges Over Antisemitic Rants on Social Media". Algemeiner. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  17. ^ Schmidt, Mirko (26 March 2021). "Attila Hildmann flieht aus Deutschland und schickt "sonnige Grüße aus der Türkei"" [Attila Hildman flees from Germany and sends "Sunny greetings from Turkey"]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Berlin mystery attack targets 70 museum artefacts". BBC. 21 October 2020.
  19. ^ Morris, Loveday; Glucroft, William. "Prospect of a coronavirus vaccine unites anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists and hippie moms in Germany". Washington Post – via washingtonpost.com.
  20. ^ "Kai Enderes, der mit dem Wolf tanzt – Attilas Netzwerk und "Hacker" entblößt" [Kai Enderes dances with wolves – Attila's network and "hackers" laid bare]. AnonLeaks (in German). 17 March 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Polizei führt Attila Hildmann ab" [Police arrests Attila Hildmann]. ntv (in German). 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  22. ^ a b Flade, Florian (11 July 2021). "Antisemitische Hetze: Neue Vorwürfe gegen Attila Hildmann" [Antisemitic agitation: New accusations against Attila Hildmann]. tagesschau.de (in German). Tagesschau. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021.
  23. ^ Gensing, Patrick (9 June 2021). "Maßnahme gegen Hetze: Hildmanns Reichweite stark begrenzt" [Steps against agitation: Hildmann's reach limited]. tagesschau.de (in German). Tagesschau. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Attila Hildmann könnte ausgeliefert werden – Berliner Staatsanwaltschaft muss peinlichen Fehler zugeben". stern.de (in German). 18 October 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  25. ^ tagesschau.de. "Staatsanwaltschaft: Türkei liefert Hildmann nicht aus". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 14 November 2023.
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