Renowned Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt has condemned the decision of a colleague who was her lead witness against David Irving to vote Labour.
Prof Richard Evans, one of the country's most pre-eminent historians of the Third Reich, was cross-examined for more than a week in Prof Lipstadt's defence in 2000 during the infamous, ultimately unsuccessful, libel action Mr Irving brought against her for her attacks on his Holocaust denial.
On Sunday, Prof Evans was lambasted for tweeting he would vote for Jeremy Corbyn's Labour, despite the fact its failure to address antisemitism within its ranks "makes me very angry".
I'm voting Labour. Great manifesto, pity about the leader, shame about Labour's support for Brexit, though at least they promise another referendum. The failure to deal with antisemitism in the party makes me very angry. But in my constituency only Labour can beat the Tory.
— Sir Richard Evans (@RichardEvans36) November 24, 2019
The tweet prompted outrage from those accusing him of minimising antisemitism.
Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman asked: "How can a historian throw credibility on the line by this reductive tweet... History will judge".
Sit Richard had been hacked. How can a historian throw credibility on the line by this reductive tweet. -‘shame about the antisemitism. Leader is a bit meh. The Misogyny is crap, but hey .’ that’s effectively what you’re saying . @simonmontefiore @simon_schama History will judge.
— Tracy-Ann Oberman (@TracyAnnO) November 24, 2019
But Prof Lipstadt said his voting Labour "does not diminish his tremendous contribution to exposing David Irving's lies and distortions".
"He was the lead historical witness. He drove Irving nuts when he gave testimony," she wrote.
I tremendously disagree with Richard Evans’ decision. That, however, does not diminish his tremendous contribution to exposing David Irving’s lies and distortions. He was the lead historical witness. He drove Irving nuts when he gave testimony, a full week thereof. https://t.co/zAFlqtuXu3
— Deborah E. Lipstadt (@deborahlipstadt) November 25, 2019
Prof Lipstaft has been critical of Labour under Mr Corbyn. She warned last year that Mr Corbyn was contributing to a rise in "softcore" Holocaust denial.
She called Ken Livingstone's claim Zionists had supported Hitler "the kind of softcore denial I worry about much more. It’s subtly antisemitic and it's clearly denial because it rewrites history”.
She added Mr Corbyn was "blind to overt manifestations of antisemitism".
