Implausible Deniability
I’ve always been uncomfortable with Holocaust Denial laws. It seems to me that the evidence for it is so irrefutable that there’s no need to make denying it a criminal offense. The presence of these laws on the books allows cranks to get mileage about asking why they’re there. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tries this tack in ...
I’ve always been uncomfortable with Holocaust Denial laws. It seems to me that the evidence for it is so irrefutable that there’s no need to make denying it a criminal offense. The presence of these laws on the books allows cranks to get mileage about asking why they’re there. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tries this tack in his interview with Der Spiegel:
I’ve always been uncomfortable with Holocaust Denial laws. It seems to me that the evidence for it is so irrefutable that there’s no need to make denying it a criminal offense. The presence of these laws on the books allows cranks to get mileage about asking why they’re there. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tries this tack in his interview with Der Spiegel:
SPIEGEL: Even though no Western scholars harbor any doubt about the Holocaust?
Ahmadinejad: But there are two opinions on this in Europe. One group of scholars or persons, most of them politically motivated, say the Holocaust occurred. Then there is the group of scholars who represent the opposite position and have therefore been imprisoned for the most part. Hence, an impartial group has to come together to investigate and to render an opinion on this very important subject, because the clarification of this issue will contribute to the solution of global problems. Under the pretext of the Holocaust, a very strong polarization has taken place in the world and fronts have been formed. It would therefore be very good if an international and impartial group looked into the matter in order to clarify it once and for all. Normally, governments promote and support the work of researchers on historical events and do not put them in prison.
SPIEGEL: Who is that supposed to be? Which researchers do you mean?
Ahmadinejad: You would know this better than I; you have the list. There are people from England, from Germany, France and from Australia.
Now, it is unlikely that anyone twisted enough to agree with the David Irvings of this world changes their mind because Irving was arrested. Indeed, I expect the fact he’s been banged-up strengthens the convictions of his loony followers. It also allows Ahmadinejad to make absurd claims like this.
Is it scarier that Ahmadinejad is deluded enough to believe that the Holocaust didn’t take place, or that he thinks stoking doubts about it is a winning political strategy? All in all, not the kind of man you want within a hundred miles of a nuke let alone with his finger anywhere near the trigger.
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