Udo Ulfkotte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Udo Ulfkotte
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Ulfkotte at a Pegida demonstration, p2015
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| Born | 20 January 1960 |
| Died | 13 January 2017 (aged 56) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Udo Ulfkotte (born January 20, 1960 – died January 13, 2017) was a German journalist. He was also known as a conspiracy theorist. This means he believed that powerful groups were secretly planning things.
Ulfkotte claimed that journalists and newspapers published stories given to them by groups like the CIA. The CIA is a spy agency of the United States. He said other Western spy and propaganda groups also did this. Some news groups said Ulfkotte's claims were not true.
He worked as a political journalist for a big German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), until 2003. Later, he wrote many popular books. He started to share ideas that were right-wing, against Islam, and based on conspiracy theories.
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Udo Ulfkotte's Career
Ulfkotte studied law and politics. He went to universities in Freiburg and London.
From 1986 to 1998, Ulfkotte lived in several countries. These included Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan.
He also worked for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, he won a special award called the civic prize of the Annette Barthelt Foundation.
Political Activities
Ulfkotte was involved with some far-right political groups. One group was the Pro Germany Citizens' Movement.
In 2007, he signed a statement against what they called the "creeping Islamisation" of Germany. This statement was from an anti-Islam group. Later, this group joined with Ulfkotte's own group, Pax Europa. They formed the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa (BPE). However, Ulfkotte left this group in 2008 after an argument.
Pax Europa was linked to another group called Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE). This group was also against Islam. They tried to plan a march in Brussels in 2007. The march was to mark the anniversary of 9/11. But the city mayor did not allow it, and it was cancelled. This led to Ulfkotte and SIOE splitting up.
Ulfkotte also spoke at events for the right-wing anti-Islam group Pegida. He also spoke for the right-wing political party AfD.
The Book Bought Journalists
In 2014, Ulfkotte published a book called Gekaufte Journalisten. In English, this means Bought Journalists: How Politicians, Intelligence Agencies and High Finance Control Germany’s Mass Media.
In this book, he claimed that the CIA and other spy agencies paid journalists. He said they paid journalists to write stories in a certain way. Ulfkotte stated that the CIA and German intelligence (BND) paid journalists in Germany. He claimed they did this to make them write articles that supported NATO. He also said that journalists could lose their jobs if they did not follow this pro-Western plan. He believed this was a big problem in the media.
An English version of the book was later released. It was called Presstitutes. Many news groups said that Ulfkotte's claims were not serious.
The magazine Der Spiegel noted that Ulfkotte's book was published by Kopp. Kopp is a publisher known for books by conspiracy theorists. These include authors who believe in UFOs or that the US government destroyed the World Trade Center towers itself. Ulfkotte's book was very popular for months. Der Spiegel called it "the bible" for people who no longer trusted German media. Critics of Ulfkotte saw the book as a way for him to get back at the FAZ newspaper. He had left the FAZ on bad terms.
Death of Udo Ulfkotte
Ulfkotte died on January 13, 2017. He was 56 years old. He passed away from a heart attack. He had suffered from heart problems before.
Ulfkotte's Books
Here are some of the books Udo Ulfkotte wrote:
- Presstitutes Embedded in the Pay of the CIA: A Confession from the Profession Progressive Press (October 18, 2019), ISBN: 1-61577-017-8, ISBN: 978-1-61577-017-5. (This one is in English.)
The following books were all written in German. Their English titles are given here:
- Journalists for Hire: How the CIA Buys the News Next Revelation Press (May 15, 2017), ISBN: 1-944505-45-8, ISBN: 978-1-944505-45-5
- Holy War in Europe. Eichborn, Frankfurt/Main, 2007, ISBN: 3-8218-5577-0
- The War in the Dark. The True Power of the Secret Services. Eichborn, Frankfurt/Main, 2006, ISBN: 3-8218-5578-9
- The War in our Cities. As Radical Islamics Infiltrate Germany. Eichborn, Frankfurt/Main 2003, ISBN: 3-596-16340-4
- Restaurant economics. Goldmann, Munich 2001, ISBN: 3-442-15125-2
- Classified Material Federal Intelligence Service. Koehler und Amelang, Munich, Berlin 1997, ISBN: 3-7338-0214-4
- Over work and Expenditure for Paperback. Heyne, Munich updated 1998, ISBN: 3-453-14143-1
- Prophets of the Terror. The Secret Network of the Islamics. Goldmann, Munich 2001, ISBN: 3-442-15196-1
- Journalists Lie in Such a Way. The Fight for Ratios and Editions. Bertelsmann, Munich 2001, ISBN: 3-570-00199-7
- Gene Code J. Novel, Eichborn, Frankfurt/Main, 2001, ISBN: 3-8218-0860-8
- Market Place of the Thieves. Bertelsmann, Munich, 1999, ISBN: 3-570-00198-9
- Boundless Criminality. What politics and mass media keep silent about the crimes committed by migrants. Bertelsmann, Munich 2004, ISBN: 3-570-00200-4
