The Holocaust Libel Trial
Some believe it will end the controversy; others believe it will legitimize Holocaust denial.
On Tuesday, January 11, 2000, one of the most important trials regarding the Holocaust began. In this landmark case, an alleged Holocaust denier, David Irving, is suing historian Deborah Lipstadt and her publisher, Penguin Books Ltd., for libel.
After years of research on a subject many of her colleagues didn't think should be taken seriously, Deborah Lipstadt published her book, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory in 1993 through Plume, a subsidiary of Penguin Books. In her book, Lipstadt detailed the history and growth of Holocaust denial from the end of World War II to the present and included information about the Institute for Historical Review, the gas chamber controversy, and the recent prevalence, via ads, of Holocaust denial on college campuses. Lipstadt also dealt with specific people, including David Irving, whom she called "Holocaust deniers" - an accusation that Irving denies.
