This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/05/ken-loach-i-give-no-legitimacy-to-holocaust-denial
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Ken Loach: I give no legitimacy to Holocaust denial | Ken Loach: I give no legitimacy to Holocaust denial |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| You recently published an attack on me and others by Jonathan Freedland (theguardian.com, 27 September) suggesting we were in part responsible for Labour’s “dark place”. In particular, it was alleged that I gave “spurious legitimacy” to Holocaust denial. Can I at least make one thing clear? In a BBC interview, where speech overlapped, my words have been twisted to suggest that I think it is acceptable to question the reality of the Holocaust. I do not. The Holocaust is as real a historical event as the second world war itself and not to be challenged. In Primo Levi’s words: “Those who deny Auschwitz would be ready to remake it.” The terrible pictures I first saw as a nine-year-old are ingrained on my memory, as they are for all my generation. Like readers of this paper, I know the history of Holocaust denial, its place in far right politics and the role of people like David Irving. To imply that I would have anything in common with them is contemptible. There are many, Jews and non-Jews alike, who challenge Freedland’s judgment on the allegations of antisemitism. The Jewish Socialists’ Group wrote “accusations of antisemitism are being weaponised to attack the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party”. My full response is available online at the website of Jewish Voice for Labour.Ken LoachLondon | You recently published an attack on me and others by Jonathan Freedland (theguardian.com, 27 September) suggesting we were in part responsible for Labour’s “dark place”. In particular, it was alleged that I gave “spurious legitimacy” to Holocaust denial. Can I at least make one thing clear? In a BBC interview, where speech overlapped, my words have been twisted to suggest that I think it is acceptable to question the reality of the Holocaust. I do not. The Holocaust is as real a historical event as the second world war itself and not to be challenged. In Primo Levi’s words: “Those who deny Auschwitz would be ready to remake it.” The terrible pictures I first saw as a nine-year-old are ingrained on my memory, as they are for all my generation. Like readers of this paper, I know the history of Holocaust denial, its place in far right politics and the role of people like David Irving. To imply that I would have anything in common with them is contemptible. There are many, Jews and non-Jews alike, who challenge Freedland’s judgment on the allegations of antisemitism. The Jewish Socialists’ Group wrote “accusations of antisemitism are being weaponised to attack the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party”. My full response is available online at the website of Jewish Voice for Labour.Ken LoachLondon |
| Holocaust | Holocaust |
| Ken Loach | Ken Loach |
| Second world war | Second world war |
| Labour | Labour |
| Jeremy Corbyn | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Judaism | Judaism |
| letters | letters |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |