Dario Fertilio on the banning of Holocaust denial

Last week, Clemente Mastella, Italian Minister of Justice, announced the deposition of a government bill aimed at turning Holocaust denial into a crime against the law in Italy. One hundred and fifty left-wing and right-wing intellectuals have signed a petition opposing this idea. The journalist and writer Dario Fertillo examines this debate and considers that historical truth cannot be decided with a law. "'State historical truth', this dry and brutal definition goes straight to the heart of the Minister of Justice Clemente Mastella with his idea of a law for punishing those who deny the holocaust. ... The path that the Minister and the Prodi government plan to follow is of course paved with good intentions, but leads to hell. It is one thing to condemn revisionist theories that encourage violence and racist hatred. It is something quite different to go beyond already existing laws that suffice to take criminal behaviour to court."

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