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Noël Martin

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Noël Martin (1959 – 14 July 2020) was a Jamaican-born British man, victim of a neo-Nazi attack in 1996. On 16 June 1996 in Brandenburg, Germany, he was attacked because of his dark skin by neo-Nazis. A block of concrete was thrown through the windshield of his car and his car veered off the road and struck a tree.[1]

Martin became a quadriplegic as a result of the attack, and required 24-hour care. Having outlived his wife, he announced his intention to seek assisted suicide, to take place in Berlin, as a result.[2] His first announcement, in 2006, set 23 June 2007 as the date of his suicide.[3] As of December 2007 he had made arrangements with a doctor through the Swiss organization Dignitas.[4][needs update]

A documentary film about Martin, The Finishing Line,[5] directed and produced by Estephan Wagner, was due to be shown on Channel 4 in August 2009. However, Martin objected to the inclusion of two scenes (referred to in court as the "hoisting" and "song" scenes), and sought an injunction against Channel 4 preventing them from broadcasting it. In November 2009, Mr Justice Eady rejected Martin's application.[6]

Martin died on 14 July 2020, at the age of 60.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Noel Martin meets Liz Carr". BBC News. BBC. 16 November 2008.
  2. ^ Kate Connolly (22 April 2007). "Why I just can't go on living, by victim of neo-Nazis". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  3. ^ Roman Heflik (29 September 2006). "Noel Martin's Final Struggle: Neo-Nazi Victim Battling to the Death". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  4. ^ "Neo-Nazi victim plans to kill himself in Berlin: report5". Agence France-Presse. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  5. ^ Simon, Jane (14 August 2009). "The Finishing Line". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  6. ^ Martin v Channel Four [2009] EWHC 2788 (QB) (6 November 2009)
  7. ^ Kögel, Annette (14 July 2020). "Neonazi-Opfer Noël Martin gestorben". Der Tagesspiegel (in German).
  8. ^ Knight,Ben (15 July 2020). "Neo-Nazi attack victim Noel Martin dies after dedicating life to ending racist hatred". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
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