Outrage As Irving Given Platform In 'Free Speech' Film

by Erica Morris - Thursday 11th December 2008


A "proudly Jewish" filmmaker who has won a number of awards for documentaries about anti-semitism and the Holocaust, yesterday defended his decision to give David Irving a platform in his latest programme, to spout his controversial opinions about the Shoah.

An Independent Mind, which was broadcast on More 4 on Tuesday night, saw the historian - who was branded a Holocaust denier by a High Court judge and imprisoned in Austria for his writings - voice his "scepticism about what happened in Auschwitz, what happened in the other so-called 'gassing centres', because there is forensic evidence, eyewitness problems and that kind of thing".

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Irving also said that in all the evidence he'd studied for his first book, there was "not a single document linking Hitler with decisions on the Holocaust, except negative decisions - 'This mustn't happen'; 'That's not to be done'; 'Spare that man' - where I say he's putting out his hand to protect Jews or individual Jews".

And having reflected on his childhood interest in this "clever man", he added: "Adolf Hitler, I still maintain, knew virtually nothing of what was happening to the Western European Jews."

The film, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in particular Article 19 which states 'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression', was directed by Rex Bloomstein, whose previous offerings include The Longest Hatred: The History of Anti-Semitism and KZ about Mauthausen concentration camp.

Speaking to TJ yesterday, the 66-year-old said he "thought long and hard" about including Irving in the film, but said: "In the end, I thought it was right to include him and I would have to accept that the decision would be met with some controversy."

He added: "Irving is someone who reflects the limits of freedom of expression. He epitomises repellent views which make us aware of the limits of freedom of expression. It would be derelict not to include someone who challenges how we look at that freedom."

The film drew complaints even before its release, with Unite Against Fascism organising two protests early in the week and calling for the cancellation of the documentary's airing.

Meanwhil, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies Jon Benjamin said: "Whatever airtime David Irving gets is too much. Here he once again seems to be casting himself in the role of victim.

"Holocaust denial is no crime in this country, nor are we suggesting that it should be. The likes of Irving say they should be free to peddle their views, but by the same token, he should expect to be exposed by others as he was so comprehensively in the High Court."

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