Transcript Research Activities - University of Hull

Holocaust Denial in
Canada
Raphael Cohen-Almagor
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Ernst Zündel
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Definition
 Holocaust denial is propaganda that seeks to deny
the reality of the Holocaust, the systematic mass
murder of six million Jews and millions of others
deemed ‘inferior’ by the Nazi regime.
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Definition
 Hate speech is defined as a bias-motivated, hostile,
malicious speech aimed at a person or a group of
people because of some of their actual or perceived
innate characteristics.
 It expresses discriminatory, intimidating,
disapproving, antagonistic and/or prejudicial attitudes
toward those characteristics which include sex, race,
religion, ethnicity, colour, national origin, disability, or
sexual orientation.
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Aim of Hate Speech
 Hate speech is aimed to injure, dehumanize, harass,
intimidate, debase, degrade, and victimize the
targeted groups, and to foment insensitivity and
brutality against them.
 Hate site is defined as a site that carries hateful
message in any form of textual, visual, or audio-based
rhetoric.
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Zündel’s Trials – False News
 Did Six Million Really Die?
 Zündel was found guilty in this first trial.
 On appeal, the Canadian Supreme Court reversed the
judgment, declaring on August 27, 1992, that the
archaic "false news" law under which Zündel had been
convicted was a violation of the country's Charter of
Rights.
 The “false news” law was struck down as
unconstitutional
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Abusing the Internet
 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered that
Zündel, and any other individuals who act in the name
of, or in concert with him, cease the discriminatory
practise of communicating telephonically or causing to
be communicated telephonically by means of the
facilities of a telecommunication.
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Zündel and the Media
 Champion of free expression
 "Auschwitz was like a country club, expert said.”
 staged events
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The Zundelsite
 “Women Dined and Danced in Auschwitz”
 No gas chambers ever existed
 "Scientific evidence of Holocaust missing"
 People died in WWII, some were Germans, some Jews
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Citron v. Zündel
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Three ethical dilemmas
 Is there a room to ban Holocaust denial tracts such
as Did Six Million Really Died?;
 How should the media cover people like Zündel
who aim to manipulate their outlets?
 Was the CBC right in trying to be objective about
the issue at hand and in attempting to balance
between a Holocaust survivor and a Holocaust
denier?
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Conclusion
 Professionalism v. ratings
 Holocaust mixed with Holocaust denial
 Searching for the middle ground is false
 Media responsibility in exposing of hate
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Thank you
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