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emies of Free Speech Hillel Colorado, September 14, 2004 University of Colorado [Jewish] Students Speak Out Against Holocaust Denier DAVID IRVING, a well-known Holocaust denier , spoke at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus
on Sept. 10 [ 2004 ] at the invitation of the student group Student Advocates for Free Expression. Students, faculty, staff and community members, both Jews and non-Jews, were extremely upset and outraged that Irving spoke on campus. With help from the Anti-Defamation League , [ photo left: ADL DIRECTOR ABE ” THE GRASP” FOXMAN ] Hillel staff put together a fact sheet with information about Irving’s virulent anti-Semitic attitude and past comments and his history of Holocaust denial.
Hillel students and Jewish community members passed out the information at the door to all attendees. Hillel students also wrote an editorial for local and campus newspapers, stating their outrage and condemnation of Irving and his beliefs. It was co-signed by more than 30 campus and community organizations. The following editorial was printed in the Denver Post, the Colorado Daily (campus paper), and the Daily Camera (Boulder paper). Free Expression: A Response to Holocaust Denial
ON Sept. 10, David Irving, a known Holocaust denier, spoke at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The very concept of Irving speaking at an institution devoted to academic integrity and higher learning is as appalling as his rhetoric is deceptive. David Irving is the author of several books, each of which has been repeatedly criticized by Richard J. Evans , Cambridge University, Professor David Cannadine, London University, and Dr.
Deborah Lipstadt , Emory University, for lack of factual basis, academic dishonesty, and, in some cases, outright fabrication. In several of them, he has irrefutably demonstrated his sympathies to the Nazi cause and premised that the Holocaust is a myth. In a landmark legal case in Britain, he sued Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books for libel, claiming that he was not a Holocaust denier but a historian whose work was the evidence of new research. He lost his case in spectacular fashion.
Canada , Germany , Australia , and Austria have banned Irving from entering their borders under their hate-crime legislation because of his “revisionist” viewpoint. His credentials as a historian are repeatedly under fire from noted mainstream historians who question his qualifications to speak on the subject with any degree of reliability. Irving himself admits that he failed elementary history and has no academic credentials (1988 Zündel Trial, Canada).
In his opening statement in the case of David Irving v. Penguin Books, Irving states that ” I have never claimed to be a Holocaust historian. I have written no book about the Holocaust. I have written no article about it. If I have spoken about it, it is usually because I have been questioned about it.
On such occasions, I have emphasized my lack of expertise, and I have expatiated only upon those areas with which I am familiar. ” [ Transcript ] And yet, despite his self-claimed “lack of expertise,” he has managed to produce thousands of pages of distorted facts, hateful lies, and disingenuous fabrication while simultaneously ignoring credible evidence, all the while voicing his sympathies for the Nazi cause and its leadership.
In light of this, it is inconceivable that he could in some way be able to offer a historically accurate, factual presentation to the CU Boulder community. While we support Mr. Irving’s First Amendment right to voice his opinions, we strongly condemn his dangerous message. Fifty-nine years after the last concentration camp was liberated, we must remain committed to Holocaust education. It is imperative that this education is accurate and genuine.
CU offers many opportunities for Holocaust education, including Holocaust courses in the German, anthropology, and history departments, as well as the events of CU’s annual Holocaust Awareness Week (February 21-25, 2005). Through education we hope to stand together as a community to combat intolerance and hate in all of its forms .
Jason Reid Representative at Large, University of Colorado Student Union Zach Gelman Student President Hillel Emily Cornell Co-chair, Holocaust Awareness Week ADL Denver smearleaders’ guest opinion: Holocaust denial is anti-Semitism | In Boulder talk Irving compares U.S.
actions to Nazi strategies during World War II | David Irving: A Radical’s Diary | Controversial speaker coming to Colorado University | “Holocaust denier gets help from Colorado University” | ADL smearleaders’ guest opinion: Holocaust denial is anti-Semitism David Irving: A Radical’s Diary , narrative of the Colorado events David Irving’s speaking tour Jewish attempts to stop him speaking in New Zealand Sept 2004 Origins of anti-Semitism (dossier)