Publishing, the Rules of the Trade
Les Mythes fondateurs de la politique israélienne
Roger Garaudy, Roger Garaudy, Samiszdat, original edition, 1996, Coll. Bfm - Limoges
Historical revisionism assembles currents such as the far-right or the extreme left at the crossroads of anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism and anti-Communism. Roger Garaudy stands at this slippery intersection. This essay made the former militant communist, anti-colonialist and Islamic convert a famous man. Its wide diffusion, in France and abroad, was cleverly orchestrated by Pierre Guillaume, founder of the Paris book shop La Vieille Taupe. In February, 1996, both author and publisher were condemned to pay fines for defamation and contestation of a crime against humanity. Two years later, in the Appeal Court, Garaudy and Guillaume were given suspended prison sentences and a fine. Their appeals, including one in to the European Court of Human Rights, were rejected.
Law n° 90-615 of July 13, 1990 repressing racist, anti-Semite and xenophobic acts.
Journal officiel de la République française, July 14 1990, Légifrance NOR: JUSX9010223L
The ‘Gayssot’ law, named after its initiator, added an article ‘24 bis’ to the law of 1881, repressing the contestation of ‘the existence of one or several crimes against humanity’. The law was aimed at historical revisionists who criticized documents and testimonies establishing the reality of crimes committed during the Second World War. In France, they are called ‘negationists’ because ‘their actions are directly dictated by the conclusion they wish to reach, that these crimes were never committed, or that they were not as widespread as believed.’ (Michel Troper). Many laws have since amended the law of 1881: the law against the apology for war crimes (1992) or the law acknowledging the slave trade as a crime against humanity (2001). .
Law n° 90-615 of July 13, 1990 repressing racist, anti-Semite and xenophobic acts.
Journal officiel de la République française, July 14 1990, Légifrance NOR: JUSX9010223L
The ‘Gayssot’ law, named after its initiator, added an article ‘24 bis’ to the law of 1881, repressing the contestation of ‘the existence of one or several crimes against humanity’. The law was aimed at historical revisionists who criticized documents and testimonies establishing the reality of crimes committed during the Second World War. In France, they are called ‘negationists’ because ‘their actions are directly dictated by the conclusion they wish to reach, that these crimes were never committed, or that they were not as widespread as believed.’ (Michel Troper). Many laws have since amended the law of 1881: the law against the apology for war crimes (1992) or the law acknowledging the slave trade as a crime against humanity (2001).