|
|
NEWS
Argentine Jews Hail Government Decision to Expel Holocaust-Denying Bishop
By R. Hoffner
Argentine Jews welcomed a decision by the Argentine government to expel Richard Williamson, a British bishop who claims that no more than 200,000-300,000 Jews perished in the Holocaust and that there were no gas chambers.
An Interior Ministry notice sent to Williamson stated that if he failed to leave the country within ten days he would be deported. "Williamson's antisemitic views deeply insult to Argentinean society," read the notice. "Williamson has a bad reputation among the public due to his antisemitic pronouncements in the Swedish media in which he doubted there were Jewish victims during the Holocaust period," said Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo. "For these reasons, along with the Argentine government's staunch condemnation of these remarks, which deeply hurt Argentine society, the Jewish community and all of humanity by attempting to raze the historical truth, the government decided to demand the Bishop leave the country or face deportation."
Randazzo said Williamson concealed his real reason for staying in the country, declaring he was a member of a non-governmental organization when in fact he entered Argentina to serve as the head of a church seminary. Williamson had already been suspended from his job as principal of the seminary due to the controversy surrounding him.
Last month Pope Benedict XVI backed down from intentions to reinstate Williamson following intense criticism throughout the Jewish world, and even by heads of state led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Williamson is a member of a sect that we reinstated by the Pope, but other members do not share his Holocaust-denying views. In response to the Vatican's demand that he recant his statements, Williamson said he would need more time to consider the historical evidence.
|
