If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all. ~Noam Chomsky
The Holocaust denying views of an Italian academic at the University ofRome ‘La Sapienza’, Antonio Caracciolo, has sparked calls for him toresign. The 59-year-old philosophy of law researcher’s blogs havedescribed the World War II Nazi Holocaust – or extermination of sixmillion Jews – as “a legend” and claim the gas chambers “are one ofmany ‘truths’ which need to be verified.”
The head of Rome’s Jewish community, Riccardo Pacifici, said it will take legal action against the academic.
In 2007, Italy’s previous centre-left government, headed by Romano Prodi, passed a law making Holocaust denial a crime.
“We are waiting for the university to take measures to protectstudents and will certainly be taking action against Caracciolo,”Pacifici said. (Protect students from what? — Ed.)
“We are confident the university won’t be the only institution to act and that the whole of civil society will react.”The rector of ‘La Sapienza’, Luigi Frati has announced the university”will consider taking disciplinary action” against Caracciolo, withoutgiving any further details.
“He would do well to visit Dachau, which I visited when I was 16, or if he can’t manage that, the Ardeatine Caves,” said Frati.
He was referring to the former Nazi concentration camp in southernGermany and to the notorious World War II massacre of 333 Italiancivilians in Rome by Nazi troops.
Rome’s mayor Gianni Alemanno has stated his opposition touniversity lecturers with such views. “I don’t think a professor whoholds Holocaust-denying views can teach at ‘La Sapienza,” he stated.
The president of the Lazio region surrounding Rome, Piero Marazzo,and of the Province of Rome, Nicola Zingaretti condemned Caracciolo’sviews.
‘La Sapienza’ professors and students also expressed shock and dismay at the content of Caracciolo’s blogs.
The head of the Political Science Faculty, where Caraccioloteaches, Gianluigi Rossi, said it was “a very bad day”. Social sciencesundergraduate Massimo, from Florence, described Caracciolo’sHolocaust-denying views as “extremely serious.”
Caracciolo has denied he is a “historical revisionist” and says hebelieves in freedom of thought and expression which are guaranteedunder the Italian constitution.
It is not the first time that an Italian academic has expressedsuch views. In November last year, Roberto Valvo, a high-school historyteacher was suspended after he claimed there was “no proof” of theHolocaust.
In May 2007, authorities barred a visit to Italy by the FrenchHolocaust denying historian Robert Faurisson, on the invitation ofClaudio Moffa, a lecturer at the Univerity of Teramo in Italy’s centralAbruzzo region.
The move came after heated protests from Italy’s Jewish community. Caracciolo had defended the planned debate.