Critics Ask Manchester University To Remove Holocaust Denier Books From Library

Denying the Truth: British historian David Irving is the target of campaigners who object to his denial of the Holocaust Image by getty images

By Daniel J. Solomon August 10, 2017

Jewish students and faculty at Manchester University in Great Britain are demanding that the institution remove books by the Holocaust denier David Irving from its library — a request that the college has denied on free speech grounds.

“Leaving Irving’s books on open display is a threat to the safety of Jewish students and staff at a time when anti-Semitic hate crime is on the rise across Europe,” read a petition, now signed by 3,000 people, started by North West Friends of Israel.

Added Dr. Irene Lancaster, a lecturer in Jewish history at the university: “The signatories at least understand the pain that Manchester University is causing the Holocaust survivors and their families who live in the city.”

Several universities in Britain, at the request of Jewish groups, have put disclaimers inside his books or moved them to restricted areas of the library.

Irving came to prominence when he unsuccessfully sued American historian Deborah Lipstadt for libel over charge that he was a Holocaust denier.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO