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Lipstadt's Witness Farber is Revealed as Torture Apologist

LONDON, England -- IT IS is learned today that one of Professor Deborah Lipstadt's principal witnesses, a Canadian who has often voiced trenchant criticism of David Irving, revealed himself in an unguarded moment in 1998 as an outspoken supporter of torturing prisoners.

Mr Farber, whose witness statement was removed from Mr Irving's website under a High Court order made at Lipstadt's own application by Mr Justice Moses two days ago, became embroiled in a heated Internet debate with a rightwing Canadian on the alt-revisionism discussion group. The language on these groups is often heated.

After the rightwinger quoted a 1985 Globe and Mail article on the manner in which the Ernst Zündel trial had exposed deep divisions in the Canadian Jewish community, Mr Farber was stung to surmise that his critic was either a Jew or an antisemite. "I wonder which category you fall into?" he wrote.

"Wonder no more," came the sardonic response, "as a I am a lay preacher in the Church of What's Happening Now."

"That's funny!" exclaimed Farber. But his tormentor now added: "Torture!"

Necessary

Challenging Farber to comment on the torture of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces -- he even referred to them as "kosher Klaus Barbies," in a reference to the Vichy French war criminal, the Canadian provocatively asked outright: "Are you for or against your Jewish co-religionists (being) given a big green light to inflict their hideous tortures over there in the Holy Land?"

[ In fairness to Farber, we remark that although all of the civilized nations, only Israel sanctions, as a matter of law, the use of torture, it has the approval of the Israeli Supreme Court which calls it "moderate physical persuasion." The United Nations take a different view, having repeatedly condemned the Shin Beth and Israeli security forces of violating international law in their actions against Palestinian detainees. Amnesty International stated as recently as Jan 12, 1999: "Israel is the only country in the world to have effectively legalised torture . . . "]

Typing out his response in his own hand, Bernie M Farber then responded: "Israel is a democratic nation that since its existence has faced the brutal reality that its neighbours want to eradicate it. Torture is a sad albeit at times necessary part of war." Israel, he added, wold prefer peace, but "until that day Israel will do what it must to protect itself and its people." Signing off, his Canadian critic sarcastically referred to the hypocritical Farber as "you big humanitarian lug," and a "personification of all that's tolerant and good and wise: "You vigorous champion of Canadian multiculturalism."

Apologist for torture

Drawing the attention of Professor Lipstadt's attorneys to this unwholesome apologia for torture, Mr Irving writes them today:

"There has been a good response to my posting of your clients’ witness statements, including evidence, which I shall put at the appropriate moment to the witness B Farber, that he stated in a public forum that he personally approves of the torture of prisoners (which is a crime of particular gravity).

"Should you refer this matter to the Court again I shall not hesitate to produce this crop of results as adequate justification for the use to which I put these materials. I regard the order which you sought as an improper attempt to hinder my gathering of evidence in this case."

The attorneys have warned him that he faces prison if he refers again to the content of the witness statements. Watch this space.

Confidential Report by Bernie Farber on a 1986 lecture tour by David Irving Farber named Acting Executive Director of Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) Farber reports on schoolteacher Paul Fromm, Jan 1997