Reuters reports that Oxford University’s debating club has invited Holocaust denier David Irving and National Party leader Nick Griffin to speak at a free speech forum on Monday. Several MPs also invited to speak at the forum refused to share the same platform with Irving and Griffin and will be given time to speak before the actual debate as AP reports. Supporters of the invitation of Irving and Griffin argue that freedom of speech entailed that anybody was entitled to share their opinion while opponents asked the debating club to reconsider the invitation.
In other news, co-founder of Germany’s extremely left-wing RAF and later lawyer of the extremely right-wing NPD Horst Mahler has been sentenced to six months in prison without probation by a German court for doing the Hitler salute. Mahler previously served time in prison on grounds of denying the Holocaust and using of non-constitutional symbols.
Mahler also did time during the RAF days, back in the ’70’s, I think.
nice.
for anyone unaware, Irving initiated a suit against Deborah Lipstadt alleging that her documentation of the falsity of his Holocaust denial claims constituted libel – in a British court, no less – where the burden of proof for disproving claims of libel is exceedingly high on the defendant. he still lost, and not only once, but on appeal. there should be some searing indictments against him in the ruling available out there, if you like. but the verdict is clear. and for oxford to revisit this charade shows either a total lack of knowledge on their part of any worthy topics to consider or interesting characters to invite.
congrats to the Brits once again for elevating the despicable in the public square – and so soon after the fiasco of their boycott of Israeli academics. in the states we might have some intelligent design nuts and whatnot but at least our universities have the good sense – despite their other flaws – of not elevating their adherents to the status of what’s assumed by legitimate debate.
next up oxford will sponsor a debate with an individual from the flat earth society.