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david irving by Alex Burns (alex@disinfo.com) - December 16, 2000 |
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| The picture of Irving which emerges from the evidence of his extra-curricular activities reveals him to be a right-wing pro-Nazi polemicist . . .I find myself unable to accept Irving's contention that his falsification of the historical record is the product of innocent error or misinterpretation or incompetence on his part . . .it appears to me that the correct and inevitable inference must be that for the most part the falsification of the historical record was deliberate and that Irving was motivated by a desire to present events in a manner consistent with his own ideological beliefs even if that involved distortion and manipulation of historical evidence. ~ ~ British High Court Justice Charles Gray, ruling, Tuesday 11th April, 2000. The controversies surrounding dissident historian David Irving highlight the antinomian nature of investigating secret and suppressed aspects of history. Irving is often referred to in the international press as the leading public figure who has questioned Hitler's knowledge of the Holocaust and the existence of gas chambers at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He has been banned from Australia, Canada Germany, Israel and New Zealand. His book 'The Destruction Of Dresden' (1963) was hailed worldwide for its indepth research and analysis. But it was the two-volume study 'Hitler's War' (1977), a psycho-biography of World War II attempted from Hitler's own mind, which generated controversy. Although Irving did not deny that the Holocaust had occurred, its graphic details were largely absent from the book. Irving's unorthodox approach again gained public prominence in 1983 when he exposed the 'Hitler Diaries' as a hoax. Irving's 1989 testimony for the Zundel trial and his late propagation of the controversial 'Leuchter Report' ignited a firestorm of debate. Irving was banned in 1993 from Germany's Federal Archives (to which he had contributed many historical documents). Attacks on Irving by the 'Anti-Defamation League' were in turn criticized by journalists like Christopher Hitchens. In 1996, the major publishing house St. Martins Press broke its contract agreement to publish Irving's book on Josef Goebbels, after the publisher received threats from political groups. Irving was forced to pursue self-publishing, but with the growth of the Internet, found a platform that transcended nation-state boundaries to promote his interpretations. In early 2000, Irving sued Penguin Books Ltd and Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt, whose book 'Denying The Holocaust: The Growing Assault On Truth And Memory' (Penguin Books, 1993) Irving claimed was central to allegations that he was a neo-nazi and involved with extremist fascist groups. In an historic move, the state of Israel released Adolf Eichmann's private papers which revealed that the Nazis had planned genocide on a vast scale. On April 11th, 2000, the British High Court announced its verdict: Lipstadt did not libel Irving when she described him as "one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial." Irving will be forced to pay the costs of the trial (estimated to be £2 million pounds), which will effectively bankrupt him. Lipstadt stated to a packed press conference: "There is no end to the fight against racism, anti-Semitism, against hatred." The debates surrounding Irving's interpretation of the German Nazi regime highlight a dangerous and controversial irrational phenomena whose para-political mechanisms and wider implications are not usually studied indepth by the general public. Discretion and a mature perspective are advised. |
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Out To Lunch: Meet The Real David Irving Hero: David Irving Radio Islam: David Irving Committee For Open Debate On The Holocaust ADL Backgrounder: Q&A On David Irving David Irving: Exposed Did Six Million Really Die? Holocaust Denial In England Vrij Historisch Onderzoek David Irving Vs. Penguin Books Ltd. & Deborah Lipstadt Focal Point: International Campaign For Real History Focal Point: Books By David Irving The Nizkor Project: David Irving The Holocaust History Project The Irving Libel Trial Setting The Record Straight Hitler's Apologist The Holocaust History Project Home-page Simon Wiesenthal Center Online Irving Vs. Penguin Books Ltd & Lipstadt: Justice Charles Gray's Judgement Irving's War Irving Branded A 'Holocaust Denier' |
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