David Irving is just another idiot, but he shouldn’t be jailed for voicing what amounts to his opinion on the holocaust. He has made some outrageously inaccurate statements that should be factually challenged, reducing him to idiot status amongst the intelligentsia. That would be enough.
European countries that prosecute people who make “holocaust denial” statements in an effort to skew history are no better than the Chinese government who censors the truth about Tianamen Square.
When I was in Beijing a couple of years ago, I asked a young woman about Tianamen Square. Her response was, “Our government asks us not to speak about that.”
Free speech, regardless of how outrageous, should not be controlled even in the face of absurdity and cruelty.
Both cases are about modification of history. Historical accuracy should be something settled by the collective masses rather than by zealous governments.
{ 0 comments… add one now }