Holocaust denialism is an attempt to deny the established facts of the Nazi genocide of European Jews. Holocaust denial and distortion are forms of anti-Semitism. They are generally motivated by hatred of Jews and are based on the claim that the Holocaust was invented or exaggerated by Jews as part of a plot to promote Jewish interests.
These views perpetuate long-standing anti-Semitic stereotypes, hateful charges that were instrumental in laying the foundation for the Holocaust. Holocaust denial, distortion, and misuse undermine all understanding of history.
The Nazi persecution of the Jews began with hateful words, escalated to discrimination and dehumanization, and culminated in genocide. The consequences for the Jews were horrible, but suffering and death were not limited to that. Millions of others were victims, displaced, forced into forced labor and killed. The Holocaust shows that when one group is white, all people are vulnerable.
Today, in a world witnessing growing anti-Semitism, awareness of this fact is critical. A society that tolerates anti-Semitism is susceptible to other forms of racism, hatred, and oppression.
Denial or distortion of history is an assault on truth and understanding. Understanding and remembering the past are crucial to understanding ourselves, our society, and our goals for the future. Intentionally denying or distorting the historical record threatens the communal understanding of how to safeguard democracy and individual rights.
Denial, distortion and misuse of the Holocaust are strategies to reduce perceived public sympathy for Jews, to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel, which some believe was created as compensation for Jewish suffering during the Holocaust, sow seeds of the Holocaust, and to draw attention to particular issues or points of view. The Internet, due to its ease of access and dissemination, apparent anonymity, and perceived authority, is now the main conduit for Holocaust denial.
Affirmations key of denial are that the murder of approximately six million Jews during World War II never happened, that the Nazis did not have an official policy or intention to exterminate the Jews and chambers of poisonous gas in the field of extermination of Auschwitz-Birkenau never existed. Common distortions include, for example, claims that the 6 million Jewish death toll is an exaggeration and that Anne Frank's diary is a forgery.
