Holocaust Denial: A Dangerous form of Jew-hatred

On January 13, 2021, a man was apprehended after spray painting giant swastikas on the doors of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, Montreal’s largest synagogue. When he was caught, he was carrying a can of gasoline. Police charged him with uttering threats and possessing an explosive device.   

Following the conflict between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel in May, there was a concerning increase in antisemitic incidents around the world, including here in Canada. Jewish institutions and businesses were targeted, Jewish students were singled out on campus, and Jews were verbally abused, threatened in their neighborhoods, and attacked with stones.  

On top of this, it has become common during the pandemic for those who disagree with government policy to distort the Holocaust and deny its significance by using yellow stars and signs emblazoned with swastikas to protest public health measures. These absurd comparisons are not only offensive, they also create division when unity is required.  

Though Canada remains one of the best countries in the world in which to be Jewish, or any minority for that matter, the facts are clear. Antisemitism is on the rise. According to Statistics Canada, Jews remain the most targeted religious minority in our country for hate crimes. This should be of concern to all Canadians because of what it tells us about our society. It’s true, Jews bear the brunt of antisemitism, but history has taught us repeatedly that when antisemitism rises, the society that allows it to grow collapses to the detriment of all.  

So, what do we do?  

At CIJA, we have been advocating for the implementation of concrete measures, including establishing a security partnership between all levels of law enforcement and the Jewish community, modeled on the UK’s Community Security Trust (CST). We have likewise successfully advocated across multiple levels of government for enhancements to the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) and have supported the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism to help policy makers and law enforcement understand contemporary antisemitism.  

Today, we are calling on the Federal government to criminalize Holocaust denial.  

While hate speech, obscenity, and defamation are restricted forms of speech in Canada, Holocaust denial has fallen outside these bounds, despite its roots in insidious antisemitic tropes defaming Jews, our history, and our lived experience. This pernicious form of antisemitism represents much more than offensive revisionist history. Holocaust denial is a reliable predictor of violence against Jews. Violence against Jews is a reliable predictor of the erosion of the foundation of civil society. Other democracies have recognized this connection, understanding that speech which triggers predictable and disastrous results (such as Holocaust denial) should be restricted, and have enacted legislation accordingly. 

In 1990, the French Government adopted the Gayssot Law, criminalizing the representation of antisemitic, racist, or xenophobic attacks and making it an offense to question the existence of “crimes against humanity” as defined in the Nuremberg Charter. The Gayssot Act was sparked by antisemitic attacks targeting the French Jewish community, which included gasoline bombs thrown at synagogues, racist graffiti, and threats of violence. The boiling point occurred when a group of people scaled the walls of the Carpentras cemetery – the the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe – toppled 34 tombstones and horrifically disinterred the body of a recently deceased Jewish rug merchant, unwound his shroud, and left his decomposing corpse to the birds. Two days later, 200,000 people rallied in the streets, sparking the government’s decision to criminalize Holocaust denial.  

Similarly, German legislation to strengthen efforts to combat Holocaust denial also occurred in response to rising antisemitism. In the early ‘90s, with a growing, far-right, neo-Nazi movement, synagogues were firebombed and violent attacks on Jews and foreigners left more than 30 dead. In 1994, Germany consequently amended its laws, which already criminalized “neo-Nazi incitement”, to include Holocaust denial as a criminal offense.  

In the same way antisemitism is a uniquely reliable predictor of a more corrosive and basic decay in societal values, Holocaust denial is a hyper-accurate bell-weather that serves as a cautionary tale. If the red line of Holocaust denial is crossed, it is certain that other forms of transgressive and hateful attitudes will mushroom. Creating that red line is a built-in circuit breaker that can alert society to dangerous trends before they take hold, become entrenched, and contaminate social discourse. 

As we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day today, we must stand together to honour the memory of the six million who were murdered and recommit to combating the rising antisemitism in our community. Learning from other democracies, Canada should amend its Criminal Code to include Holocaust denial as an indictable offence.  

Only once we are equipped with the proper tools can we ensure Jews, other minorities, and all Canadians can live free from hate, racism, and bigotry. 

Simon Koffler Fogel is President and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the advocacy agent of Jewish Federations across Canada.