Holocaust on trial

Holocaust on trial | The trial | What is Holocaust denial?
Other Holocaust deniers | The aftermath

Kaufering [part of Dachau], April 1945 by Charles Dabouis

This section of The Holocaust website examines one of the most important libel trials in recent history. At the High Court in London, starting on 11 January 2000, the controversial British historian David Irving sued American academic Deborah Lipstadt and her publisher Penguin Books.

In her 1993 book, Denying the Holocaust: The growing assault on truth and memory, Lipstadt called Irving 'one of the most dangerous spokespersons for Holocaust denial'. He argued that this had damaged his reputation as a historian, making it difficult for him to find a publisher for his books and to earn a living as a writer.

What began as a libel case soon became a trial about the history of the Holocaust.

• The trial
  The accuser, the defendant, the issues and the verdict
• What is Holocaust denial?
  What it is, how it varies, what its proponents claim
• Other Holocaust deniers
  Five individuals and one organisation claiming that the Holocaust didn't happen
• Irving v Lipstadt: The aftermath
  While the judgement against Irving has destroyed his credibility as a historian, the media has missed the point

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