9 August, 2017
International
The Times, 6 August 2017
By Sian Griffiths
Manchester University has come under fire for refusing to move works by David Irving from open display on library shelves or to label them as “Holocaust denial” literature.
In recent months, growing numbers of British universities, including Cambridge and University College London (UCL), have reclassified works by the controversial writer. They either moved them to “closed access” areas, or inserted disclaimers inside the books, following a campaign led by Dr Irene Lancaster, formerly a teaching fellow in Jewish history at Manchester University, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, now master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Manchester University, however, has refused to move Irving’s books to an area where students would have to ask to read them.
Last week, it also refused a request from the Campaign against Antisemitism to insert a disclaimer into the books describing them as Holocaust denial literature.
Lancaster, whose grandmother died at the Treblinka concentration camp, said leaving Irving’s books on open display was a threat to the safety of Jewish students and staff at a time when anti-semitic hate crime was on the rise across Europe. She said: “Leaving this literature on open shelving with inadequate labelling poses a physical threat to the Jewish student and staff body and constitutes a deep insult to the lives of all those who were exterminated in the Nazi Holocaust.”
Manchester defended its position on the grounds of freedom of speech and said it had surveyed more than 20 university libraries and that its “approach was consistent with theirs”.
It added: “However, we do recognise that these works are controversial, so that the context in which they are placed is significant. With this in mind we have taken the decision to reclassify them from ‘history’ to ‘historical studies’.”
UCL said it had decided to move some of the books to an off-site store; and to move others “from their regular place alongside works of serious scholarship to the historiography section”. It is also going to add the label “Holocaust denial literature” to catalogue records for all copies of Irving’s books “where appropriate”.
In 2000 Irving lost a libel battle against a book by the American historian Deborah Lipstadt that described him as a “Holocaust denier”.
Last night Irving said he was not aware of a widespread campaign to remove his books. (See also: below)
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
Manchester University under fire over books by Holocaust denier David Irving
7 August 2017 By Lee Harpin
Dr Irene Lancaster and former Archbishop of Canterbury face opposition from Manchester University to have Irving’s books reclassified
Manchester University is facing criticism for refusing to remove books written by Holocaust denier David Irving from open display or to an area where students would have to ask to read them.
Dr Irene Lancaster, formerly a teaching fellow in Jewish history at Manchester University, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, now master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, have led a campaign across British universities to have the controversial writer’s books reclassified.
In recent months Cambridge and University College London (UCL), have relabelled works by the controversial writer to make clear his record as a Holocaust denier.
But Manchester has so far refused a request to act.
Dr Lancaster, whose grandmother died at the Treblinka concentration camp, said leaving Irving’s books on open display was a threat to the safety of Jewish students and staff at a time when antisemitic hate crime was on the rise across Europe.
She said: “Leaving this literature on open shelving with inadequate labelling poses a physical threat to the Jewish student and staff body and constitutes a deep insult to the lives of all those who were exterminated in the Nazi Holocaust.”
Manchester defended its position on the grounds of freedom of speech and said it had surveyed more than 20 university libraries and that its “approach was consistent with theirs”.
In a statement the university added: “However, we do recognise that these works are controversial, so that the context in which they are placed is significant. With this in mind we have taken the decision to reclassify them from ‘history’ to ‘historical studies’.”
UCL said it had decided to move some of the books to an off-site store, and to move others “from their regular place alongside works of serious scholarship to the historiography section”.
It is also going to add the label “Holocaust denial literature” to catalogue records for all copies of Irving’s books “where appropriate”.
In 2000 Irving lost a libel battle against historian Deborah Lipstadt after she described him as a “Holocaust denier”.
Last week the Campaign Against Antisemitism failed in a bid to get Manchester University to insert a disclaimer into the books describing them as Shoah denial literature.
