Episode 17 tells the tale of when the United Kingdom’s most notorious Holocaust denier brought his book tour to Winnipeg in 1986.
David Irving, an unhinged military historian, finally died this week but many of the same lies he spread in his books and speeches have been heard from Hamas supporters since October 7.
You’ll hear audio of the vile revisionist history David Irving told a Winnipeg audience about Hitler’s genocide of Europe’s Jews, from TV news reports that Marty has preserved for decades. Please share this important episode:
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7:42 Part 2 – The history of David Irving and his path to Winnipeg is recounted: From his college days printing an article calling Hitler the “greatest unifying force Europe has known since Charlemagne“, to claiming the Diary of Anne Frank was a forgery, to telling a famous British TV host there was no evidence Hitler knew of the systematic slaughter of Jews by his regime.
David Irving became an ally of the National Front and of Canada’s convicted and deported Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel.
20.15- Under the leadership of Yoram Hamizrachi, the Manitoba Intercultural Alliance forged a unique standing in the Charter of Rights era. Ethnic community trailblazers like Ken Babb and Strini Reddy were part of the group and Marty became secretary.
After the Jewish council convinced a hotel to cancel Irving’s speech, MIA learned another hotel in Fort Garry picked up the booking, and were determined to bear witness to the proceedings- regardless of the personal risk.
22.30- You’ll hear the report of CBC’s Brian Yasui in 1986, his description of the books, the audience, and his questions for David Irving. The audio includes a clip of the defence of Hitler which you will not believe.
(Marty tells of a close call that night when he was followed, and why his experiences in that era establishes him as the top reporter exposing antisemitism in our city.)
28.00 – Brief audio of the CBC report the next day, with the voices of Jim Compton, Sandra Lewis- and a very young Marty.
A few years later Irving told audiences “The gas chambers that are shown to the tourists in Auschwitz are fakes,” that only 30,000 died there and the Jews “had it coming” and told followers “to treat these little legends with the ridicule and bad taste that they deserve.”
After work on the second Zündel trial, Irving declared he’d be a “one-man intifada” against the idea that there had been a Holocaust. Irving got what he deserved with a massive and financially ruinous court loss that was the subject of the motion picture Denial.
Winnipeg needs to remember this dark chapter when Mayor Norrie and Premier Pawley were silent as a Hitler-loving “moderate fascist” spread antisemitic conspiracy theories in our community.
32:04 Part 3– The encounter with David Irving was challenge for Marty Gold at age 26 to implement the lessons he learned from his family and at Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate.
To this day, there are antisemitic elements in Winnipeg who emulate David Irving.
While the local media and elected officials remain silent about those Jew-haters, ActionLine.ca and our podcast will continue to expose them.
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