ThoughtCrime: 04/05/00
Polish History Professor Fired
Dariusz Ratajczak, a Polish history professor was fired by his university.
In addition, he was banned from teaching elsewhere for writing and publishing
the book Dangerous Themes. This book asserts that Nazi Germany
did not have a comprehensive plan for exterminating Jews. Although this
view is accepted by many scholars, the University of Opole, which is run
by the Polish state determined that Ratajczak had violated ethical standards
and would be banned from teaching at other universities for a period of
three years.
Ratajczak was suspended from his post in Opole last year after prosecutors
opened an investigation into the publication of his book which also asserts
that the gas chambers of the concentration camps were used solely for delousing
purposes and that some 3 million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Ratajczak says that he will appeal the ruling. Ratajczak argues that
he had merely summarized opinions of historians who are skeptical about
elements of the orthodox Holocaust tale and that his own views are not in
line with all the opinions in his book. He was reported to have said, "I
was only presenting various views on the Holocaust to students." In today's
Poland as in most of Europe, alternative views on the Holocaust are forbidden
by law.
A court in Opole in December found Ratjaczak guilty of spreading revisionist
views on the Holocaust. The court however did not punish him, saying the
book's limited distribution was not damaging enough to warrant punishment
under a Polish law which makes it a crime to publicly deny Nazi or communist-era
crimes. The court also said Ratajczak had distanced himself from revisionist
views in a preface to the second edition of the book.
It appears that the courts relatively mild treatment of Ratjaczak resulted
in the current action by his university. Ratjaczak personally financed a
second edition of 30,000 copies. His publisher, a small firm in Warsaw is
said to have censored certain passages in the text. The Holocaust theme
proved to be dangerous indeed for Ratajczak.
Today it remains a crime to openly debate aspects of the Holocaust story
in most European countries.
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"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."
George Orwell
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