A British bishop doesn't believe in the Holocaust. Well, sort of:
A British bishop who has questioned the truth of the Holocaust has been removed from the seminary in Argentina that he had directed for the past five years.Richard Williamson caused outrage with his remarks, which surfaced shortly after the Vatican's recent decision to welcome him back into the Catholic church.
Williamson is reported to have claimed in a television interview last month that historical evidence suggested there "were no gas chambers" and that only 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps.
He has since declared himself ready to think again, and in a weekend interview with Der Spiegel the bishop reiterated that he was prepared to "review the historical evidence".
Most historians agree around 6 million Jews were killed under Hitler's regime.
"Historical evidence is at issue, not emotions. And if I find this evidence, I will correct myself. But that will take time," the disgraced bishop said.
He added that he would test his views not by travelling to Auschwitz but by reading a book on the camp by Jean-Claude Pressac, a former Holocaust denier who revised his views after a visit.
The Vatican has attempted to heal a rift with Williamson's Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) and mainstream Catholics. It demanded Williamson publicly recant his statements about the Holocaust.
Denis MacShane has much more on the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe.
My hunch: a combination of anti-Semitism denying any sympathy for Judaism combined with people failing to take on those who promote this crap early enough.
Plus, any viewpoint has a certain number of subscribers, now matter how ludicrous. Without having any idea of the relative numbers, I'd be interested in knowing if Holocaust denial is about as prevalent as the belief that we faked the moon landing.
Posted by: Paul Smith Jr at February 17, 2009 07:01 PMTo me, Holocaust deniers are on the same level as evolution deniers, flat-earthers, and moon hoaxers.
All are willing to dismiss mounds of supporting evidence in order to promote their lunacy.
Posted by: Joe M at February 18, 2009 02:51 PMI think "rise of anti-Semitism" is misleading. It never went anywhere in Europe. It's always been there. It's just that for a while, revealing it was unfashionable.