ГУЛаг Палестины

Гунин Лев

2. Michael Rothe

Michael Rothe is the owner of European Sound Imports, at

109 King Street W. in Kitchener. According to the K-W Record,

he is a native of southern Germany, who came to Canada

eight years ago. His stereo store might appear harmless on

the outside, but on the inside, one can obtain anti-Semitic

propaganda from a variety of sources. According to the

Record, in addition to the book by Fred Leuchter mentioned

above, one can also purchase a booklet on the court battles of

pro-Nazi publisher Ernst Zundel. Rothe also believes that the

Holocaust has been greatly exaggerated, and that there is a

world-wide Jewish conspiracy behind it. "They want money.

When they have money they have power," he has been

quoted as saying. Although Rothe has claimed, "I have not

seen a neo-Nazi before," according to the Record, he attended

a recent "victory party" for Ernst Zundel, and Zundel was

recently sighted at his store. When I asked Rothe if he knew

what Irving would speak on, he claimed, "Irving comes to

speak on Germany ... only Germany." When I pointed out that

this was false, that Irving actually spends a significant portion

of his speeches discussing how the Holocaust is a hoax, he

repeated, "No, that is wrong -- Irving only speaks about

Germany." However, the posters Rothe himself has put up

belie this claim--they list the Holocaust as a topic of Irving's

speech.

3. David Irving

David John Cawdell Irving is a British "historian", born in

1938.

According to David Cesarani of the Wiener Library in London,

England, he attended Imperial College at the University of

London, but never graduated. He holds no academic degree

and no academic position at any university or college.

He calls himself a "moderate fascist", and claims, among

other things that the gas chambers at Auschwitz (in which an

estimated 2-3 million people died) were "built by the Poles

after the war as a tourist attraction." (For this remark, he was

fined DM 10,000 by a Munich court in May 1992.

The judge was quoted as saying that the gas chambers of

Auschwitz were "an historically certain fact.")

Irving denies being a "Holocaust denier" or "Hitler apologist",

and seems willing to resort to legal action if necessary.

In a recent fax printed in the K-W Record, he is reported as

saying, "I have warned 22 British newspapers that I shall not

hesitate to commence libel action if they use smear phrases

such like 'Hitler apologist' or 'Holocaust denier' to embellish

their writings." But Bernard Levin, writing in The Times of

London in May of this year, quoted Irving as saying, "I hope

the court will fight a battle for the German people and put an

end to the blood lie of the Holocaust which has been told

against this country for 50 years." Irving first entered the

headlines in 1970.

In July of that year, he was forced to apologize in the High

Court of London for "making a wholly untrue and highly

damaging statement about a woman writer."--not an

auspicious start for someone who claims to be in pursuit of the

truth.

Later that year, Irving was back in the headlines, concerning

publication of his book, "The Destruction of Convoy PQ17".

Ostensibly an expose of an ill-fated 1942 Arctic convoy

headed for the Soviet Union during World War II, it eventually

resulted in Irving being fined 40,000 British pounds for libel.

Irving's book faulted Captain John Broome, commander of the

convoy at the time, saying he was guilty of "downright

disobedience" and "downright desertion of the convoy."

Broome brought suit against Irving for false statements, and

won a judgment in August of 1970.

Irving's lawyers appealed, and lost in March, 1971.

The case is revealing because of what it says about Irving's

abilities as a historian and his motives as an author.

According to the Times of London, Irving showed a copy of the

manuscript to Broome before publication. Broome objected to

the accuracy of some thirty passages in the book, and

threatened to sue for libel if Irving did not make changes.

At that point, William Kimbers Ltd., Irving's publisher, notified

him that they would not publish the book as it was then

written. Later, Irving published the book with another

publisher.

The court found that Irving "was warned from most

responsible quarters that his book contained libels on Captain

Broome ... To make [the book] a success he was ready to risk

libel actions ... Documentary evidence .... showed that [Irving]

had deliberately set out to attack Captain Broome and in spite

of the most explicit warnings persisted in his attack because it

would help sell the book." The court labeled Irving's conduct