Did these selfless scholars stand in white lab smocks in Fifth Avenue with clipboards, blinking through their thick-lensed glasses and flagging down pedestrians?History News Network

Posted on Saturday, December 29, 2007 at 6:52 PM

Report: Holocaust-denial activity increased worldwide in 2007

David Irving comments:

THESE people are obsessed, and should seek help; I feel inclined to shout, Go get a Life! Except that they might misread that as Go Take a Life — “Kill Tryl!”    Of course, without “holocaust denial”, whatever that is, this Institute would have no raison d’être. Just as the security services of Europe have had their eyes fixed on the “extremist right” ever since Joseph Stalin died, and then the Berlin Wall came down, and their jobs were threatened. One almost feels sorry for them. Almost, but not quite. And what are we to make of this pricless piece of pseudo-scientific piffle: The report found that Holocaust-denial activity increased worldwide in 2007, following a lull in 2006 due to the imprisonment of leading denier David Irving, in Austria. How on earth did they prove that? “Due to” — did these selfless scholars stand in white lab smocks in Fifth Avenue with clipboards, blinking through their thick-lensed glasses and flagging down pedestrians? “Is your Holocaust Denial level Up or Down, Sir/Madam?” “Marginally up? Shocking. Why would that be?” “Oh, Mr Irving’s release from solitary confinement in a two-centuries old Viennese jail is to blame is it?” (Right, we’ll soon fix that). AS for the European Union urging “all its member-states to adopt legislation prohibiting Holocaust denial” – what would we think if the US Congress adopted legislation prohibiting historians from speculating about Pearl Harbor, or September 11, 2001? Perish the thought.

Source: Press Release: David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies (12-27-07)

HOLOCAUST-denial activity increased worldwide in 2007, following a temporary lull in 2006, according to this year’s annual report on Holocaust-denial activity around the world.

The year-end report, Holocaust Denial: A Global Survey – 2007, is published by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which is based in Washington, D.C. The report’s co-authors are Holocaust scholars Dr. Rafael Medoff, below, director of the Wyman Institute, and Dr. Alex Grobman, right, coauthor of the book Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?

The report found that Holocaust-denial activity increased worldwide in 2007, following a lull in 2006 due to the imprisonment of leading denier David Irving, in Austria. In 2007, Irving returned to the lecture circuit, and other deniers continued their efforts in various countries, including holding a conference in Italy to defend Holocaust-denial. At the same time, however, efforts by some European governments, especially Germany and Austria, to prosecute Holocaust-deniers helped curb the extent of denial activity.

The report also found that in the Middle East, some Arab and Muslim regimes continued to sponsor Holocaust denial and sought to impede UN resolutions opposing denial.” The government of Iran went so far as to organize a conference of Holocaust deniers in Teheran. In addition, a poll found a substantial level of Holocaust denial among Israeli Arabs.

At the same time, the report cited several hopeful developments: a prominent Muslim figure, the former prime minister of Indonesia, condemned Holocaust denial; the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO both passed resolutions opposing Holocaust denial; and the European Union urged all its member-states to adopt legislation prohibiting Holocaust denial.

 

 

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December 30, 2007Holocaust denial up since Irving released, report says

By Etgar Lefkovits

HOLOCAUST denial increased around the world during 2007, following a temporary lull last year, a report released this weekend found.

The annual report, “Holocaust Denial: A Global Survey – 2007,” published by the Washington-based David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, found that Holocaust-denial activity was up worldwide, following a drop in 2006 due to the imprisonment in Austria of leading denier David Irving.

Irving returned to the lecture circuit this year after his release, and other Holocaust deniers continued their activities in various countries, including holding a conference in Italy to defend Holocaust-denial, the report said.

In the Middle East, the report said, some Arab and Muslim regimes continued to sponsor Holocaust denial, with the government of Iran organizing an internationally-condemned conference of Holocaust deniers in Teheran.

At the same time, the report cited several hopeful developments: The former prime minister of Indonesia, a prominent Muslim figure, has condemned Holocaust denial; the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO have both passed resolutions opposing Holocaust denial; the European Union has urged all its member states to adopt legislation prohibiting Holocaust denial; and efforts by some European governments, especially Germany and Austria, to prosecute Holocaust-deniers have helped curb denial activity.

Dr. Rafael Medoff, right, the director of the Wyman Institute, said Sunday there was much the West could do to combat Holocaust-denial.

“When European governments prosecuted individual Holocaust-deniers, it led to a decrease in denial activity overall,” he said. “But when there was leniency, such as releasing David Irving from prison early, it had the opposite effect. In addition, American and European aid to Arab or Muslim regimes that sponsor Holocaust-denial could be used as leverage to persuade them to change.”

Medoff co-authored the year-end report with Holocaust scholar Dr. Alex Grobman.

 

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