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Last update - 16:26 26/11/2007
Oxford Univ. girds for protests over Holocaust denier Irving
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Holocaust denier 

Amid tightened security, 10 busloads of anti-fascism protesters are to join hundreds of local students and trade union members at a rally protesting the scheduled Monday appearance of Holocaust denier David Irving at the Oxford University Union, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Irving is to attend the Oxford debating society's the Free Speech Forum along with Nick Griffin, leader of Britain's far-right British National Party. The BNP has opposed immigration and been accused of promoting race riots in northern England between whites and South Asian immigrants.

Julian Lewis, a shadow defence minister and senior Tory MP, resigned his life membership of the 184-year-old debating society in protest, charging that the organzers of the event showed a "misunderstanding of the concept of free speech" in holding an event that would cause "offense and outrage."
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The head of Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission condemned Oxford University's debating society Sunday for inviting convicted Holocaust denier David Irving to speak at Monday forum.

"The union has hired extra security and will lock one of its two entrances," the newspaper said. "Admission to the event has been limited to 450 ticket holders. At nearby Balliol College the main doors will be closed and any student who takes a taxi after dark will have two-thirds of the cost reimbursed."

Trevor Phillips, chairman of Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission, said Irving never should have been invited.

"I think it is an absolute disgrace. As a former president of the National Union of Students, I'm ashamed that this has happened," Phillips told British Broadcasting Corp. television. "This is not a question of freedom of speech; this is a juvenile provocation."

Phillips said people did not "fight and die for the right to freedom of speech only for it to be used as a silly parlor game."

Last week, British Defense Secretary Des Browne and at least three other lawmakers canceled appearances at Oxford University's 182-year-old debating society because of the Irving invitation. They were not invited to attend Monday's event, but were scheduled to speak before the union on other days.

Despite the officials' opposition, the Oxford Union debating society members voted to allow Irving and Griffin to speak.

Martin McCluskey, president of the Oxford Student Union, said it was disgraceful the pair were being given the same platform as past speakers at the debating society such as Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama. The move also was opposed by Oxford University's Muslim and Jewish societies.

But the Oxford Union debating society said it was important to give people of all views a platform to speak.

Luke Tryl, its president, said, "They will be speaking in the context of a forum in which there will be other speakers to challenge and attack their views in a head-to-head manner."

Related articles:
Oxford Union reportedly invited Holocaust denier Irving to speak
David Irving: Jews should ask themselves why they are hated
Holocaust denier David Irving returns to England from Austrian jail

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  1.   Why not let him speak? Is there something to hide? 15:09  |  Natallie Durson 26/11/07
  2.   The Mohamed cartoons 15:17  |  Ahmed 26/11/07
  3.   Freedom of speech? 15:19  |  Speaker 26/11/07
  4.   "PROTEST "A very big mistake it empowers that lying creep 15:25  |  PETER S.M. 26/11/07
  5.   Those holocaust deniers... 15:49  |  Edith 26/11/07
  6.   IRVING IS A NAZI : IF OXFORD WANT HIM GOOD LUCK 15:58  |  B.Heddem 26/11/07
  7.   The irony of this debate 16:02  |  Clickfool 26/11/07
  8.   HE WAS IN OUR JAIL AND SHOULD HAVE STAYED 16:08  |  Walter 26/11/07
  9.   Irving 16:14  |  Shana 26/11/07
  10.   Big deal! 16:26  |  Dereck Trimball 26/11/07
  11.   LEAVE THIS IRVING ALONE OR HANG HIM 16:50  |  indrajaya 26/11/07
  12.   Tell us Natalie, did you beat your children three times or four.. 16:55  |  Jacob Blues 26/11/07
  13.   Durson & Click 16:57  |  zayda 26/11/07
  14.   Honored speech is far different than free speech, Speaker 17:00  |  Jacob Blues 26/11/07
  15.   FREE SPEECH, vs. HONORED SPEECH 17:06  |  Jacob Blues 26/11/07
  16.   Clickfool 17:07  |  Nina 26/11/07
  17.   Irving and Griffin are loving........ 17:08  |  Deborah 26/11/07
  18.   Ox ford 17:09  |  the Teacher 26/11/07
  19.   IRVING vs. MOHAMED 17:12  |  Jacob Blues 26/11/07
  20.   #1 Natalie 17:23  |  Q 26/11/07
  21.   Oxford U Protests Holocaust 17:47  |  Noel 26/11/07
  22.   Oxford University seeking headlines 17:49  |  Matthew 26/11/07
  23.   Clickscum and Durson 17:49  |  Pia 26/11/07
  24.   Ahmed in number 2 is right 17:50  |  Edith 26/11/07
  25.   # 20, Q (RE: NATALLIE) 17:52  |  indrajaya 26/11/07
  26.   What a shameful attitude of OXFORD ADMINISTRATION who invited.... 17:54  |  Vittorio 26/11/07
  27.   The BNP is not just `Anti-immigration.` 17:58  |  London Cohen 26/11/07
  28.   For Zayda # 13 18:01  |  Clickfool 26/11/07
  29.   Why Hide This? 18:03  |  Bob Ramirez 26/11/07
  30.   For Nina # 16 18:05  |  Clickfool 26/11/07
  31.   A Zionist debates # 23 18:06  |  Clickfool 26/11/07
  32.   LET HIM SPEAK WITH 18:10  |  TOBIA 26/11/07
  33.   Click 18:32  |  zayda 26/11/07
  34.   denier 18:32  |  michel 26/11/07
  35.   Jacob Blues - well said 18:35  |  Patricia 26/11/07
  36.   #1 - Natalie 18:43  |  Patricia 26/11/07
  37.   Ask Salman Rushdie to speak for Islam at Oxford 18:48  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  38.   #32 19:00  |  Shana 26/11/07
  39.   The clowns of Oxford. 19:01  |  Stephen 26/11/07
  40.   #36 Patricia:Your appeal to durson # 1"Have some decency" willn`t 19:18  |  Vittorio 26/11/07
  41.   CLICKFOOL: "A ZIONIST DEBATES".... 19:22  |  Brant 26/11/07
  42.   Shana 19:26  |  Patricia 26/11/07
  43.   The HOST(OXFORD) who invites the such a GUEST (IRVING) loses good 19:36  |  Vittorio 26/11/07
  44.   1.Natalie D,are there any surprises on this thread? 19:39  |  lakshmi 26/11/07
  45.   The members of that society are not the administration 19:39  |  Fritz Teich 26/11/07
  46.   Clickfool,re: post 23,gutter language seems to be zionist 19:43  |  lakshmi 26/11/07
  47.   # 6 # CLICKFOOL BLINDED BY ANTI SEMITISM HAS IT WRONG AGAIN 19:45  |  **B.HEDDEM** 26/11/07
  48.   SHANA 19:48  |  TOBIA 26/11/07
  49.   Buffon, blockhead, or blitzmeister? 19:51  |  Blogowitz 26/11/07
  50.   Ox ford 19:54  |  the Teacher 26/11/07
  51.   Let`s have a sense of proportion 20:11  |  Boycott 26/11/07
  52.   Natallie Durson`s `freedom of speech` 20:13  |  Joe Sittizen 26/11/07
  53.   #46 Lakshmi thickskinned lack of sensitivity seems to be 20:32  |  Israeli 26/11/07
  54.   I like the irony. 20:39  |  Colin Wright 26/11/07
  55.   iT ISN`T ABOUT FREE SPEECH... 20:48  |  Pastaneta 26/11/07
  56.   Natallie Durson 20:49  |  Marco Benatar 26/11/07
  57.   For B.Heddem # 47 20:53  |  Clickfool 26/11/07
  58.   the usual DEMOKRATSS here 21:22  |  bernhardt 26/11/07
  59.   Information Exposed By Irving Must Be Suppressed 22:29  |  Ruthless Dictator 26/11/07
  60.   Haters Of Jews Feed Here On Their Own Vitriol 22:50  |  dyinglikeflies 26/11/07
  61.   Giving credence to a madman 22:59  |  sweis Melbourne 26/11/07
  62.   Ahmed 23:02  |  ChanahS 26/11/07
  63.   Truthless dictator 23:14  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/11/07
  64.   how totally boring 23:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/11/07
  65.   freedom of speech dilettante indulgances 23:32  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/11/07
  66.   NDURSON Why not let Irshad Manji speak @ Islamic U. 23:44  |  PETER S.M. 26/11/07
  67.   MASS MISUNDERSTANDING 23:44  |  I.A. 26/11/07
  68.   Holocaust denial and free speech 23:53  |  I.A. 26/11/07
  69.   Sorry Marge, Your Opinions Must be Censored 00:39  |  Ruthless Dictator 27/11/07
  70.   Jacob Blues,irving held some different views about the H.,first 02:14  |  lakshmi 27/11/07
  71.   27LondonCohen,there are reports that the BNP also has some jews 03:20  |  lakshmi 27/11/07
  72.   Margie 09:12  |  sweis Melbourne 27/11/07
  73.   Free Speech 13:40  |  William 27/11/07
  74.   Margie 13:46  |  William Wilberforce 27/11/07
  75.   #1 & Freedom of Speech 15:24  |  Michael 27/11/07
  76.   Irving at Oxford 08:58  |  Spada 30/11/07
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