...born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad

Holocaust denial vs. free speech:  If she has to choose between free speech and allowing people the freedom to freely deny the Holocaust, Melanie Phillips says, difficult thought it may be, she must opt for the former. A cri de coeur from a die-hard free-speecher, these words should (but won’t) be a wake-up call to Canada's Official Jews, who, to a man (and you'll notice, they're all men), have opted for the phony protection afforded by censorship:

…As a Jew, I am acutely alive to the vicious potential of denying the Nazis’ attempted extermination of the world’s Jews. Such lies are used to whip up hatred against the Jewish people by effectively accusing them of fabricating claims of genocide.

There is no question that this not only denies the historical evidence of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’, but also subjects Jews round the world to further hatred and persecution. Holocaust-denial is, indeed, a modern form of Jew-hatred.

But, through gritted teeth, I have to say that I am totally against the extradition of this man and appalled at the political and legal developments that have brought these moves about.

There are two fundamental issues at stake here. First is the threat to the principle of freedom of speech. Second is the erosion of Britain’s power to uphold its own historic commitment to that principle.

Freedom of speech is a bedrock of our society. Sure, it’s not absolute; but we limit it only in the most rare of circumstances where it poses a direct threat to individuals, such as inciting or encouraging people to violence.

For similar reasons, we also outlaw incitement to racial hatred. But we draw a distinction, for example, between inciting hatred of people for what they inescapably are, which we rightly treat as a crime, and inciting hatred of their views, which we see as part of the cut and thrust of a liberal democratic society. That’s why there was such uproar over the new crime of incitement to religious hatred.

It’s because of this respect for debate that this country has never criminalised Holocaust-denial. Odious as it is, it is an interpretation of history — and one which in any event defies easy categorisation.

True, it’s an interpretation that used to stir up hatred against Jewish people. But once you argue that it should therefore be made a crime, there’s no end to it.

After all, you could make exactly the same point that the current vilification of Israel and the denial that it is the victim of aggression in the Middle East has led to an upsurge in violence and prejudice against Jews worldwide…

Posted by: scaramouche at 20:20 | link | comments (2)

Comments:

#1  08 October 2008 - 11:21

 

Actually they are not ALL men, Anita Bromberg, B'nai Brith; Wendy Lampert CJC, Karen Mock formerly B'nai Brith, Ellen Cole CJC, I found these names easily with a simple google search. If your research is that sloppy what does it say about anything you post?

Anonymous

#2  08 October 2008 - 12:25

 

Fact is none of the chicks you mention head CIJA, the CJC, BB or Wiesenthal. All of those organizations are helmed by men.

scaramouche

Comments: