Holocaust Denial

[Donald Trump]

Holocaust denial is the denial or suggesting that the holocaust did not happen as widely believed.
In 13 countries, most notably Germany and Austria, it is illegal to say that the holocaust never happened or didn't happen in the way everyone believes. Historians and other people have been fined and even imprisioned for expressing their beliefs.
So, do you think that it's right (legally or morally) for people to be arrested for denying the holocaust?

 

[Daenerys]

I don't think they should be arrested, that's a tad too far. Unless they were publically declaring that the holocaust never happened and trying to get attention for it, then yes, they should be arrested.

I find it hard to believe that people can deny it ever happened, there's far too much evidence to show that the holocaust did, tragically, happen. To deny it is to try and change history...and I think we need to remember the holocaust, to ensure something similar never happens again.

 

[Blitz]

I don't think you should be arrested for believing how you want to. No matter how retarded it sounds.

I think of it this way.

A person has the right to come up to me and tell me the Holocaust did not Happen.
And I have the right to look them in the eye and call them Fucking Stupid. Either way I probably won't change their mind and they probably won't think they are stupid.

I really don't know what to say to that.

But NO, I do not think you can arrest them or fine them for having their own thoughts.

 

[Undertaker]

Thats stupid to put someone in jail for that i mean jeez that was the most horrific time of world war 2 and people want to arrest someone for what they believed happened.I believe it had happened because they found the camps they found the survivors and they are still tell the story of how bad it was and people still dont believe it happened and that they are making it up well what i would do is tell them to go to one the camps back in the 1924 and they would know how they feel.

 

[Davey Gaga]

Holocaust denial is the denial or suggesting that the holocaust did not happen as widely believed.
In 13 countries, most notably Germany and Austria, it is illegal to say that the holocaust never happened or didn't happen in the way everyone believes. Historians and other people have been fined and even imprisioned for expressing their beliefs.
So, do you think that it's right (legally or morally) for people to be arrested for denying the holocaust?

I can't fathom why anyone would feel the compulsion to deny a blatant fact in the first place.

Regardless, saying anything shouldn't get you into trouble, in my view. I see it as a painfully obvious breach of simple human rights and unnecessary in cases such as this.

 

[Moogles]

Holocaust denial is the denial or suggesting that the holocaust did not happen as widely believed.
In 13 countries, most notably Germany and Austria, it is illegal to say that the holocaust never happened or didn't happen in the way everyone believes. Historians and other people have been fined and even imprisioned for expressing their beliefs.
So, do you think that it's right (legally or morally) for people to be arrested for denying the holocaust?

Is it right? Nah. I'd have a hard time defending myself if I was of the opinion that someone should be thrown in the slammer simply for denying the holocaust occured.

I believe it happened, but really...that's only because I've had teachers shoving those events down my throat in history class for the last decade or so. If there's a reasonable argument for why the holocaust didn't happen (it'd have to be a damn good one), then by all means, let 'em explore that possibility.

But again, I'm not buying into it. The holocaust isn't some myth.

 

[Sephiroth Crescent]

Holocaust denial is the denial or suggesting that the holocaust did not happen as widely believed.
In 13 countries, most notably Germany and Austria, it is illegal to say that the holocaust never happened or didn't happen in the way everyone believes. Historians and other people have been fined and even imprisioned for expressing their beliefs.
So, do you think that it's right (legally or morally) for people to be arrested for denying the holocaust?

Well,

No, I don't think its right for people to be arrested for expressing their opinions, on the basis that it doesn't interfere with keeping the peace.

If this expression causes riots, then I think people for the sake of maintaining the peace should keep their opinions to themselves, but to be arrested for denying it is a bit...extreme.

- Sephir8th

 

[Ancient]

i personally hate, and i do not use that word often, people who say the holocaust did not happen.
my great-grandfather was captured in Austria in 1943 and sent to one of the Death Camps on the Polish boarder, and was murdered there. thankfully my grandfather escaped with my great-grandmother to America shortly before he was captured.

back to topic:
the blatant denial of the holocaust is staggering. how any country or group of people could believe such a thing never happened gives me a migrain.

12 million people. 12 million people of different backgrounds were massacred by Germany and its allies in WWII. there are survivors, german soldiers from the holocaust era still alive, and telling what they did and were ordered to do. there are pictures, movies, diarys and documentaries about what took place, and what happened.

i do believe in freedom of speech, but not of ignorance.

 

[kazin12]

To be honest, it's up to the country.
We all know it happened so what's the point pretending it didn't?

 

[Ancient]

it might be up to the country, but that doesnt necessarily mean that they should deny it ever happened.
you are right on some level, buts its not an excuse.

 

[looneymoon]

Governments can't arrest people for simply making claims, no matter how outrageous they are. This is fairly simple. If it were, then it would be justifiable to arrest say... Chicken Little for claiming that the sky is falling. (lack of better example, sorry)

In the case of the European countries making Holocaust denial illegal all together, this is because their legal system categorizes it as an act that incites racial hatred, which is debatable. Thus, I believe the real question of this thread comes down to whether or not any of you believe that Holocaust denial fits into this category.

 

[Big Casino]

Im not sure whether or not they should be imprisoned, but the question is why in the hell would they deny it, i mean what evidence is there or could there possibly be for argueing that it never happened. I mean 6 million people dont just dissapear.
I know also in Austria its illegall to sell Hitlers book Mein Kampf. And after what happened in the camps, all the scientific experiments that were done on young children etc. To deny genocide on such a large scale is just disgusting, freedom of speech is all fair play, but to write articles or books etc disregarding the Holocaust would be a different story and they should have consequences.

 

[Nor-El]

I do now think they should go to the extreme of arresting them, but I do think that they should be educated in the fact that it did happen.

The real reason why people are even beginning to deny that it happened, is because every soldier and victim that lived through the whole ordeal are all dying off.

But my grandfather was alive durring that time, he was in the Marine Corp.

He is alive today and continuelly tells me about what he saw over there.

My grandfather doesn't lie. But that is besides the point.

I don't think that people should be arrested because they deny it.

 

[looneymoon]

They can, and do. All governments have done this and most continue to. You can find examples of it throughout history, even very recent history (for instance the salman rushdie debacle)

The term "political prisoner" might also be a useful one for you to google

Oh yes, I am aware. In the occurance of certain extreme claims posing possible political/social unrest, Governments may find it necessary to detain the people advocating them. Salman Rushdie is a very extreme example of this happening. My above statement meant in a very, very general sense - Freedom of Speech gives people freedom to express without persecution.

However, this is pretty much the direction I expected this thread to go.

What I'm more curious about is, rather than should they be arrested, on what grounds COULD they be arrested? Does Holocaust Denial advocate racial hatred? Is it politically threatening? Or is it just an outrageous claim, like a conspiracy theory of sorts?