Italy’s University of Teramo shut down part of its campus on Friday to block a lecture by a Holocaust denier who had been invited to speak by a professor, the Associated Press reported. The Holocaust denier, Robert Faurisson, is a former French professor who has been convicted repeatedly of violating laws that prohibit the denial of crimes against humanity. Such laws are on the books in several European countries.
He had been invited by Claudio Moffa, a professor of Asian and African history and director of a master’s program in Middle East studies. Mr. Moffa cited academic freedom in defending the invitation. The university first ordered him to withdraw the invitation because Mr. Faurisson’s credentials were academically illegitimate. Later, as protests mounted over the planned speech, the university cited security fears in closing the campus. —Andrew Mytelka
