Irving v Lipstadt - 25 years on

Truth on trial in the age of disinformation: 25 years on, the legacy of Irving v Deborah Lipstadt
Mishcon de Reya

 

I remember way back, shortly after the failed libel action, an articulate and unrepentant Holocaust Denier told me very brazenly that "the Irving libel action had nothing to do with the Holocaust",
This guy was from the greater Dublin area, he ran a business and had previously served in the Irish Armed Forces. ( I have no idea in what capacity).
I have no idea how he managed form this opinion as Holocaust Denial was very front and centre in Irving's libel case, along with the allegation that Irving was anti-Semitic.
Irving lost his action and later withdrew his appeal; the basis for his appeal was the presentation of new evidence; for Irving, this was "The Rudolf Report." a nonsense " report" that Holocaust Deniers deemed to be unimpeachable proof that the gassing could not have happened, Irving faced with a rebuttal of his "new evidence" chose to go to court and at the last minute pulled his appeal.
Sadly, Holocaust Denial has not gone away, and you still find it being pushed on "Social Media" platforms that seem not to be able to recognise it for what it is. "Facebook," in particular, seems content to ignore it.
This historical dishonesty remains a central belief of many neo nazis types and "White Nationalists".
Disinformation and misinformation have been coined as "alternative facts"; now, something is either factual or it is not factual; there can be no " alternative facts." just as there is no such thing as "the Fake News."
Sir Richard Evans when he retired, felt that he had to write a book on Conspiracy Theory and WW2 as what he rightly regarded as "Bad History" was being accepted by many as the history that the "mainstream doesn't want you to read", of course you can read it but it is much " cooler" to be an advocate for a suppressed history, a denied to you history rather than be seen to be someone who promotes nonsense.
The "Hunting Hitler" TV series - awful to watch and devoid of any serious evidence, " alternative fact" at its very best.
Being seen as "mainstream" is tantamount to being viewed by some as being dishonest, again, utter nonsense. The right to promote " alternatives" is seen as "freedom of speech." This is fine, but this comes with a responsibility to what is factual and what is evidenced, distorting evidence, misquoting it, and altering or ignoring what does not support your view lacks integrity and it can't be reasonably supported.

 

David irving is to cut to the chase, is a very unwell man requiring 24/7 care, his grandson now manages Irving's book sales and his " Archive".
The plan was/ is to publish the last part of the biography of Winston Churchill and to give access to his grandfather's archive to historians; they will of course, be charged for this. Just who might be interested in this opportunity remains to be seen. I can't imagine that the queue would be a long one.
Anyway, Irving's Grandson was interviewed on a Belfast-based blog "The Belfast Bap", I listened to it and Irving's work was never seriously challenged in the interview and David Irving was portrayed as a man seeking for the truth, outside of the " establishment", junk but the sort of misinformation that does not "tell it as it was", more how we would like it to be.
The interviewer was poorly read in history and the Grandson , was not much better to be honest.

Just to give fair warning that the link below will bring up quite a bit of racist views of WW2 history , if you don't want to see it please don't click, it is total junk but just to warn folks in advance.
@belfastbreakfastbaps on Instagram: "️ The Belfast Bapcast Exclusive ADAM IRVING – Grandson of Controversial Historian David Irving The Bapcast doesn’t tiptoe. In a landmark in-person interview, we sit down with Adam Irving, grandson of the infamous historian David Irving – a man whose name still sparks debate across the globe. Adam opens up about: • His grandfather’s work and historical legacy • What it means to carry the Irving name • ⚖️ The public fallout and private struggles faced by the Irving family • Free speech, historical revisionism, and the dangers of censorship Whether you agree, disagree, or don’t know where you stand – this is one of the most important conversations we’ve ever hosted. We’re not here to sanitise. We’re here to dig deep. ️ Prepare for honesty, controversy, and the uncomfortable truths no one else will touch. Subscribe as this is not one to be missed. coming in the next week to The Belfast Bapcast https://youtube.com/@thebelfastbapcast?si=mtz8AgWwWcj5f9RE #TheBelfastBapcast #DavidIrving #FreeSpeech #HistoricalControversy #PodcastInterview #BelfastPodcasts #AdamIrving #Uncensored #LegacyAndTruth #TheBelfastBapcast #DavidIrving #FreeSpeech #HistoricalControversy #PodcastInterview #BelfastPodcasts #AdamIrving #Uncensored #LegacyAndTruth"