A 33-year-old minor hockey coach from Langley, B.C. has been fired after posting a series of shocking Nazi propaganda images to his Facebook page.
Christopher Maximilian Sandau coached players in North Delta before league officials were alerted to his posts, some of which question the Holocaust death toll and suggest prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camps were well-cared for.
Another post features a swastika and reads, “If this flag offends you, you need a history lesson.”
The North Delta Minor Hockey Association issued a statement confirming Sandau was let go over the weekend and condemning the material he shared online.
“The posts contained extreme and objectionable material believed to be incompatible with an important purpose of our Minor Hockey Association: To promote and encourage good citizenship,” president Anita Cairney said in a statement.
“The NDMHA requires that our coaches present themselves as positive role models for our children athletes.”
The association said it won’t be commenting further on the advice of its legal counsel, but that alternative coaching arrangements have already been made.
On Wednesday, Sandau told CTV News he’s been treated unfairly.
The former coach said he was passionate about his job, and gave his players extra practice time every week free of charge.
“I was doing a good job and I wasn’t trying to impose my political beliefs or anything on anyone,” he said. “From the time I stepped onto the parking lot of the arena to the time I left, I was all about hockey and trying to help the kids get better.”
Sandau acknowledged his opinions are likely to offend people, but insisted he’s not a neo-Nazi, merely a “history buff” who believes German atrocities during World War II have been misconstrued, or fabricated altogether.
Apparent hostility toward Jewish people is a recurring theme in his posts, however.
One features the image of a World War II soldier, claiming he was killed “so the Jews could control your banks,” and “so foreigners could run your civil and public services.”
Asked about the post, Sandau conceded that “it does generalize a little too much, obviously,” and said he might consider taking that one down.
Sandau said he was given a chance to keep his job by changing his Facebook settings and making his posts private, but turned it down on principle.
Parents with children on either of the two North Delta minor hockey teams Sandau coached have been informed of his dismissal.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Roberts
