Italy: Holocaust-denying academic sparks row

[Irish Zionist]

Rome, 23 October (AKI) - The Holocaust denying views of an Italian academic at the University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Antonio Caracciolo, has sparked calls for him to resign. The 59-year-old philosophy of law researcher's blogs have described the World War II Nazi Holocaust - or extermination of six million Jews - as "a legend" and claim the gas chambers "are one of many '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 protect students and will certainly be taking action against Caracciolo," Pacifici said.

"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, without giving 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 southern Germany and to the notorious World War II massacre of 333 Italian civilians in Rome by Nazi troops.

Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno has stated his opposition to university lecturers with such views. "I don't think a professor who holds 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's views.

'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 Caracciolo teaches, Gianluigi Rossi, said it was "a very bad day". Social sciences undergraduate Massimo, from Florence, described Caracciolo's Holocaust-denying views as "extremely serious."

Caracciolo has denied he is a "historical revisionist" and says he believes in freedom of thought and expression which are guaranteed under the Italian constitution.

It is not the first time that an Italian academic has expressed such views. In November last year, Roberto Valvo, a high-school history teacher was suspended after he claimed there was "no proof" of the Holocaust.

In May 2007, authorities barred a visit to Italy by the French Holocaust denying historian Robert Faurisson, on the invitation of Claudio Moffa, a lecturer at the Univerity of Teramo in Italy's central Abruzzo region.

The move came after heated protests from Italy's Jewish community. Caracciolo had defended the planned debate.
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=3.0.3908926258

[ItalianZionist]

I've been to Italy many times, and I'm sorry to say that there are many antisemites there. But I guess they're all over the world too.

[MasterWolf1]

As an Italian heritage myself and someone who has been there a few times I say this to this Stronzo.. A via fangoolo.  Which is not a very nice thing to say but he does damn deserve it. 

[Daniele.from.Italy]

I didn't see this on the main news here in Italy.
If I remember correctly the previous leftist goverment were going to pass a law to make "holocaust denying" a crime here in Italy... I don't remember if they actually succeeded because the Prodi goverment was extremely weak, probably it collapsed few weeks later but I'm not sure.

By the way, this makes me remember about a video I saw on youtbe weeks ago, where an arab guy (you probably know who he is, the "Dubai guy"...) was stating something about the fact that "the jews paid the various european goverment to make holocaust-denying a crime" and that with the "same approach" they (the arabs) should press any western government to disallow by law the criticizing of islam and mohammed, so that if you say something wrong about them you're gonna get in jail...

I mean in practise we are already there... Not in Italy, not yet fortunately, we are alwayls "behind" in terms of "progress" comparing to other nations... Anyway now if you criticize islam in England and other countries you may lose your job etc, but if they really manage to make it a "crime" then Europe as we know it is doomed to islamification, and even the western world itself (because you never know with B.H. Obongo, maybe he's gonna do it in the US too)

A via fangoolo.  Which is not a very nice thing to say but he does damn deserve it. 

That's definetly not how it's spelled, but I gues he will understand it anyway

[cjd]

I didn't see this on the main news here in Italy.
If I remember correctly the previous leftist goverment were going to pass a law to make "holocaust denying" a crime here in Italy... I don't remember if they actually succeeded because the Prodi goverment was extremely weak, probably it collapsed few weeks later but I'm not sure.

By the way, this makes me remember about a video I saw on youtbe weeks ago, where an arab guy (you probably know who he is, the "Dubai guy"...) was stating something about the fact that "the jews paid the various european goverment to make holocaust-denying a crime" and that with the "same approach" they (the arabs) should press any western government to disallow by law the criticizing of islam and mohammed, so that if you say something wrong about them you're gonna get in jail...

I mean in practise we are already there... Not in Italy, not yet fortunately, we are alwayls "behind" in terms of "progress" comparing to other nations... Anyway now if you criticize islam in England and other countries you may lose your job etc, but if they really manage to make it a "crime" then Europe as we know it is doomed to islamification, and even the western world itself (because you never know with B.H. Obongo, maybe he's gonna do it in the US too)

A via fangoolo.  Which is not a very nice thing to say but he does damn deserve it. 

That's definetly not how it's spelled, but I gues he will understand it anyway

That sort of progress Italy does not need.... Italy is one of the last holdouts as far as the muslim sickness goes however I have been hearing some bad things lately. People who have been there on vacation are returning with stories of muslims and Gypsies everywhere even in the small towns. As for America who knows what sort of crazy policy is in store for us now. As far as the spelling on that fancy word goes it's spelled like its being pronounced here in New York although most people leave off the o at the end of the word.

[Daniele.from.Italy]

As far as the spelling on that fancy word goes it's spelled like its being pronounced here in New York although most people leave off the o at the end of the word.

Ahah I was joking about that I was playing the "picky italian guy" , I know you can pronouciate that perfectly and that's enough ...
But in italian the way it's written is completely different (i't not a matter of a "o"), anyway it was just a joke (and no, I'm not going to write it correctly, I mean I can't teach people how to swear "correctly" in italian)

As far as the situation here: gypsies are a plague, and so are muslims which, despite the fact that they aren't as many as people overseas thinks, many of them are criminals, drug dealers, pimps and those who aren't, those who have a family and a job etc are alwayls complaining because there aren't enough mosques to pray or because the present mosques aren't big enough...
Then when the usual "honor killing" case happens, where a father butcher his daughter because "she was too western", and normal non-muslim people is horrified by that and start thinking "what kind of people is this? They kills their daughters because they date a christian or because they refuse put the muslim veil?", what they do? Instead of comden these acts they go on tv a tell to us that we are ignorant of islam and we are not allowed to talk about it, it's their culture and we have to accept it and so on...

It's not a good situation, but not as bad as other european countries, this government and especially the "northern league" which is part of the coalition, are giving them a tough fight...
And that's why the international press is continuosly attacking Berlusconi and his government policies, by bringing out true and false scandals all the time

[cjd]

The Italians here in America that have been here for years really loose most of their ability to speak the language. It only get worse with the second and third generations. The few words they retain are mostly the curse words and most times its not even close to the original word. We are just talking here and its not meant to poke fun at anyone. I think  Berlusconi is trying to do a good job for Italy and his government is one of the better ones that they have had in years.