Holocaust Denial Vs. Freedom of Speech

This video focuses on one of the most controversial areas in Chomsky's career: his defense of the civil rights of Robert Faurisson, a French intellectual who was suspended from his university post because he could not be protected from violence as a result of publishing revisionist literature minimizing Nazi atrocities during World War II. Faurisson denied the existence of gas chambers and of an orchestrated, genocidal campaign against Jews. He was later taken to court in part for "falsification of history." It is the classic debate about free speech vs. the right to express unpopular views or even outright lies. The video explores the context of Chomsky's defense including the misrepresentation of the debate by the press.