From: Richard Baker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: EU thought crimes Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 17:20:21 +0000Andy said: > Holocaust denial SHOULD be a crime. Why should it? Should denying the horrors of the Ukrainian terror-famine be a crime? Or the mass killings by the Khmer Rouge? How about the genocide of the Armenians? Or the Amritsar massacre? Where do you want to draw a line and why?
History isn't always pretty and rarely presents a pleasant image of humanity. But teaching vicious lies and portraying them as historical truth is wrong. Holocaust deniers' claims:
a) call the families of 18 million victims liars
b) accuse those families of perpetuating such a lie for material or emotional gain
c) are intended to intimidate Jews
and
d) are outright antisemitism
and *should* be considered completely offensive. It should be a crime to publish such books and call them fact, if for no other reason than such books are used as fuel for the fires of hatred, hate-violence and antisemitism. They belittle or dismiss a historical horror that should never, ever be repeated by anyone or to anyone.
I think that historical revisionism in general is wrong. When intended to justify acts of horror, racism and hatred, it should be criminal. In addition to the examples you mentioned I would add the Serbs at the turn of this century. I would also add American slavery to the list. These examples of our past should serve as warnings to the future.
Where do you draw the line? You fight injustice, hatred, violence and oppression until they are stamped out. *That's* where the line should be drawn.
Jon
GSV Of Course That's Just My Opinion
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