The truth will out, so let David Irving speak

This is what I had to say when Nazi apologist David Irving was jailed in Austria for denying the truth about the Holocaust:

It is difficult, even for me now, born in safety, free to bring up my sons as Jews, sitting at a desk typing my article in civilised Britain, it is difficult not to feel anger, rage at Irving. It is difficult not to wish him behind bars.

And I do feel rage. But I do not wish him behind bars, not for giving his opinion, not for delivering a lecture, however warped and horrible his opinion is. I still believe in the power of truth. And my belief in truth is what separates me from Irving.

And it is how I feel on his release. It should not be a criminal offence to deny the Holocaust.

Read the whole of my argument, here.

Comments

[Hip Gnosis]

It's a pity such arguments even need to be made in 21st-Century Western Europe. Freedom of speech is the essence of democracy. Making Holocaust denial illegal is the beginning of a very long road leading away from democracy. At the far end of that road lies the sort of totalitarianism that, as it happens, Jews don't tend to fare so well under. On the other hand, with New Labour now drafting legislation concerning what time everybody must set their alarm clocks in the morning, making Christianity illegal, and giving special rights and privileges to Muslims, I'm not sure how much there is left to lose.

[John Hirst]

What would convince David Irving of the truth? Perhaps, an audience with the Pope? A trip to Autwitz?

[Roffey]

There is an additional aspect to this story which has not been reported. Whilst Austria has burnished its anti Nazi credentials during the Irving case, it has failed to hold any trials of Holocaust murderers since 1970. There are several suspects, including a self confessed killer, living untouched in Austria. Irving was given 3 years for lies but murderers are exempt. Why ?

[Richard]

If David Irving were a lone figure crying in the wilderness, one could perhaps see your point. But he ain’t, anything but. One of one of the most prominent, revolting and vociferous anti-Semites of the Islamist MPAC (and thus naturally a regular on Newsnight) sent him money to pay for is his defence, and Irving represents the respectable ‘academic’ Western front of ‘Holocaust denial’, which the nut in Iran made the subject of a conference.

Irving makes ‘Holocaust denial’ respectable among a large section of the Islamic population (and not only them), who would like nothing better than a repeat performance. Not a few Muslims (and others) use Irving as an excuse to vilify Jews. It may have been better not to send him to prison, (though why?), but having landed there, it seems a sheer waste of time to shed tears and be indignant at his fate.

If he is fool enough, and arrogant enough, to set foot in a country which makes Holocaust denial a crime, then he got what he deserved. Perhaps if a few of his Muslim admirers were treated in the same way in the UK, they might be just a little more reticent about airing their disgusting opinions whenever they feel moved to do so.