September 20, 2015
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has expressed its disappointment with the Jerusalem Post for giving Holocaust denier Irving a platform to express his abhorrent views and to claim that he is not an anti-Semite. During the interview, which centred on Irving’s a nine-day tour of former Nazi death camps in Latvia and Poland, the convicted Holocaust denier explained the purpose of his tour and described those who paid to join his tour as, “People confused by the conflicting versions of history, who want to ask questions: why the Jews were victims, and what is the truth”. When asked about the spike in anti-Semitism, Irving replied, “The Jews should ask, Why us? Maybe it’s how they have acted over the thousands of years. Maybe it is all our fault,”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“This was clearly poor judgement by The Jerusalem Post. Holocaust deniers such as David Irving should not be given exposure and publicity and should not be furnished with a respectable forum such as The Jerusalem Post to again insult the victims and survivors and to desecrate the memory of the Holocaust with his perverted and discredited lies. Perhaps the Jerusalem Post should be reminded of High Court Judge Charles Gray’s original finding that David Irving is an “active Holocaust denier”, “anti-Semitic and racist” and one “who associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism” as well as the statement of Justice Malcolm Pill during the Appeals Court decision that, “it was fair to describe Irving as one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial.” It would have been prudent for the Jerusalem Post to quote those findings in the body of the interview so as to alert readers of who David Irving really is. Editors should exercise greater care and responsibility, and should not provide an audience and the unwarranted credibility of an appearance in a noted publication for such a bigot and a falsifier of history.”
For more information, please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272-5677