David Irving’s Holocaust-Denial Speaking Tour: The Show that Must Not Go On, Part Two

This October and November, David Irving, a British neo-fascist and fraudulent historian, goes on the road in the United States, planning to hold dozens of speaking engagements over the course of two months. As militant anti-racists and anti-fascists, we are making a public call for resistance at each stop along the way of this tour.

This October and November, David Irving, a British neo-fascist and fraudulent historian, goes on the road in the United States, planning to hold dozens of speaking engagements over the course of two months. As militant anti-racists and anti-fascists, we are making a public call for resistance at each stop along the way of this tour. In his earlier tour of July--focusing on western states--Irving encountered protest at approximately one quarter of his tour dates. Irving’s current tour contains dates on the East Coast, in the Midwest and the South. We urge all communities in which the tour passes through, to send a clear message that fascist organizing is not welcome!

Who is David Irving?

David Irving is a British writer who has been involved with the fascist political scene since the 1960s. Always known for the pro-Hitler bias of his books, approximately two decades ago Irving made the transition to being a fully-fledged Holocaust-denier, when he testified at the trial of neo-Nazi Ernst Zündel in Canada, and also arranged the publication of Fred Leuchter’s widely-refuted report on gas chambers at Auschwitz. In addition to spreading blatant historical lies, Irving has publicly stated that “The Jews are the architects of their own misfortune.” Unsurprisingly, Irving was a popular speaker at neo-Nazi rallies in Germany (until he was banned from the country.)

In the British libel case Irving v. Penguin Books and Lipstadt, the final ruling in favor of the defendants confirmed that Irving “is an active Holocaust denier” and that “he is anti-Semitic and racist and that he associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism.” In 2006, Irving was jailed in Austria after pleading guilty to a charge of “trivializing the Holocaust,” which is a crime in that county. Since his release, Irving has been marketing himself as a former “political prisoner.”

Why Oppose These Events?

Irving’s current tour focuses on “"Re-writing history, using the decoded Nazi messages" (Focal Point Publications website). The re-writing of Third Reich history--especially in relation to the Nazi “Final Solution” for Europe’s Jewish population--is a major item on the agenda of modern neo-Nazis and neo-fascists, who correctly believe that memory of the Holocaust is a significant barrier to the mainstreaming of their beliefs. The Holocaust is denied so that, paradoxically, it can be repeated. Wherever Irving appears, he is backed and promoted by virulent anti-Semites and fascist organizers.

Irving’s bogus history is both blatantly offensive and incorrect. However, we oppose Irving not for what he thinks, but rather for what he does. As the name of his own publishing project suggests, Irving serves as a “focal point” to bring Jew-haters and goose-steppers together. He is part of a political tendency that is actively organizing to tear apart communities, and in particular to persecute Jewish people. James von Brunn’s murder of a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is one example of where this anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi tendency can lead. Von Brunn moved within many of the same circles that promote Irving’s work.

We believe that fascist activism and movement-building should meet with organized resistance. As the Anti-Racist Action Network puts it in their Points of Unity:

“Whenever fascists are organizing or active in public, we're there. We don't believe in ignoring them or staying away from them. Never let the nazis have the street!”

We invite you to help this effort along, by organizing in your own community.

When and Where?

At present, the dates for Irving’s speaking tour are as follows:

* Oct 2, Friday 7pm: Pittsburgh, PA (Monroeville)
* Oct 4, Sunday 6pm: Cleveland, OH
* Oct 5, Monday, 7pm: Columbus, OH
* Oct 6, Tuesday, 7pm: Cincinnati, OH
* Oct 7, Wednesday, 7pm: Detroit, MI
* Oct 8, Thursday, 7pm: Milwaukee, WI
* Oct 9, Friday, 7pm: Minneapolis, MN
* Oct 11, Sunday, 3pm: Des Moines, IA
* Oct 13, Tuesday, 7pm: St Louis, MO
* Oct 14, Wednesday, 7pm: Nashville, TN
* Oct 16, Friday, 7pm: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
* Oct 17, Saturday, 7pm: Houston, TX
* Oct 18, Sunday, 6pm: New Orleans, LA
* Oct 19, Monday, 7pm: Baton Rouge, LA
* Oct 21, Monday, 6pm: Jackson, MS
* Oct 23, Friday, 7pm: Montgomery, AL
* Oct 24, Saturday, 7pm: Atlanta, GA with dinner
* Oct 25, Sunday, 7pm: Jacksonville, FL
* Oct 26, Monday, 7pm: Orlando, FL
* Oct 28, Wednesday, 1pm, luncheon: Melbourne, FL
* Oct 28, Wednesday, 7pm: West Palm Beach, FL
* Oct 29, Thursday, 7pm: Oct 28 Miami, FL
* Nov 2, Monday, 7pm: Clearwater, FL
* Nov 4, Wednesday, 7pm: Charleston, SC
* Nov 5, Thursday, 7pm: Columbia, SC
* Nov 6, Friday, 7pm: Charlotte, NC
* Nov 7, Saturday, 3pm: Raleigh, NC
* Nov 8, Sunday, 7pm: Richmond, VA
* Nov 9, Monday, 7pm: Washington, DC
* Nov 11, Wednesday, 7pm: Baltimore, MD
* Nov 13, Friday, 7pm: New Jersey
* Nov 14, Saturday, 7pm: New York City
* Nov 15, Sunday, 7pm: New Haven, CT
* Nov 17, Tuesday, 7pm: Boston, MA
* Nov 18, Wednesday, 7pm: Manchester, NH
* Nov 21, Saturday, 3pm: Niagara Falls, NY
* Nov 22, Sunday, 3pm: Indianapolis, IN
* Nov 23, Monday, 7pm: Chicago, IL

The exact location of Irving’s talk in each city has not been made public, due to Irving’s fear of encountering the opposition he so richly deserves. Any determined group of individuals ought to be able to pinpoint the event location in their city, however. Many of these events are probably booked under false pretexts, and venue owners may not necessarily know who they are hosting. During his last tour, venues are known to have been booked under the name of Irving’s “Parforce” company as well as “Focal Point Publications.” It is possible that venues will also be booked under the name of Jaenelle Antas, who is Irving’s personal assistant. (Antas posts on the white supremacist website stormfront . org as “Tristania.”)

Further dates may be added (or subtracted!) as the tour progresses. Check the scroll-down menu at http://irvingbooks.com / functions for more information. Let’s give Irving and his neo-Nazi associates every incentive to cancel their plans!

No platform for fascists, no compromise!

-Trenton Anti-Racist Action
trentonara@gmail.com
http://myspace.com/trentonara