The Nazis › Why Holocaust denial is false
Why Holocaust denial is false
The Holocaust is one of the best-documented events in history. Denial and distortion are not honest disagreements about the past; they are dishonest, and often antisemitic, attempts to rewrite it.
Denial and distortion
As the Holocaust Educational Trust explains, Holocaust denial tries to erase the Holocaust from history, for example by claiming it never happened. Distortion accepts that it happened but excuses, misrepresents or minimises it. Denial is easier to spot, while distortion can be harder to recognise.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's 2013 working definition lists forms of distortion, including:
- blaming Jews for their own genocide;
- grossly minimising the number of victims, contrary to reliable sources;
- blurring Nazi Germany's responsibility for the camps by blaming other nations or groups;
- accusing Jews of "using" the Holocaust for gain; and
- using Holocaust imagery or language for unrelated political, ideological or commercial purposes.
The evidence
The Holocaust is established by many independent kinds of evidence that fit together:
- Nazi documents. The regime kept detailed records, including orders, deportation lists, railway timetables, construction plans and reports by killing units. The Wannsee Conference of 20 January 1942 is one documented meeting where the "final solution" was coordinated (see persecution and the Holocaust).
- Perpetrator testimony. Many officials and guards described what they did, at the Nuremberg trials and in later courts.
- Survivor and witness testimony. Tens of thousands of accounts, recorded at different times in different countries, agree on the main facts.
- Physical evidence. The sites, mass graves, camp buildings, objects and the remains of killing centres have been studied by historians, archaeologists and forensic experts.
- Population records. Whole Jewish communities across Europe disappeared. The loss can be measured through census data and records of deportations.
- Liberator evidence. Allied soldiers, journalists and doctors who entered the camps in 1945 recorded what they found.
The Irving case in 2000
In the UK, the clearest legal test of denial was the 2000 libel case David Irving v Penguin Books and Deborah Lipstadt. The historian Deborah Lipstadt had written that Irving was a Holocaust denier who distorted evidence. Irving sued for libel in London. The Holocaust Educational Trust's account notes that Irving claimed Hitler had not ordered the extermination of Europe's Jews. The court ruled against Irving and found that Lipstadt's claim that he had deliberately distorted evidence was "substantially true".
Common false claims, and why they fail
- "There is no written order." The killing was coordinated through many documents, meetings and verbal orders, and the regime tried to hide its crimes with coded language. The absence of one single document proves nothing.
- "The numbers are wrong." Historians use many sources and discuss estimates openly. The figure of six million Jews is supported by research, and minor revisions do not change the facts.
- "It was just wartime suffering." The regime's systematic murder of Jews took place in addition to war, using dedicated killing centres, shooting units and deportation programmes.
- "Survivors made it up." Their accounts are corroborated by documents, perpetrators and physical evidence.
Why people deny it
Denial is usually motivated by antisemitism or by a wish to make Nazism look acceptable. It is not a good-faith historical debate. Historians argue about interpretation, causes and details, but not about whether the genocide happened.
What to do if you meet it
- Do not share it, even to criticise it, if that spreads it further.
- Report it to the platform. If it is abusive or threatening, see how to report it in the UK.
- Point people to trustworthy sources, such as those on remembrance and learning.
- Be calm and specific: ask for the evidence behind the claim.
Whether a particular statement is unlawful depends on the facts and the law, and this site gives no legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Holocaust denial and distortion?
Denial claims the Holocaust did not happen. Distortion accepts it happened but excuses, minimises or misrepresents it.
What was the Irving v Lipstadt case?
A 2000 libel case in London in which David Irving sued over claims that he was a Holocaust denier who distorted evidence. The court found the claim that he deliberately distorted evidence to be substantially true.
Is there proof the Holocaust happened?
Yes, from Nazi documents, perpetrator and survivor testimony, physical evidence, population records and the accounts of Allied liberators.