In the past, I used to wonder why “Holocaust denial” was listed as a criminal offense by many European countries and considered such a moral outrage everywhere else. Clearly, the Holocaust occurred and the grizzly material evidence of its horrific extent is incontestable. Anyone who would deny it is clearly an ignorant fool, similar to anyone who still believes the earth to be flat, to be ridiculed and pitied. The issue is one of fact, case closed, and questions of criminality or morality over its acknowledgment shouldn’t matter.
Now, I think I understand the issue differently: Holocaust denial has nothing to do with proving or contesting facts of history. Rather, it is about the moral consequences for each of us in recognition of that horrendous reality; it is about the moral cowardice and depravity of denying uncontested facts and the moral imperative and costs of responding appropriately. ….more
