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David Irving
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=== 2009 Norwegian Festival of Literature === In October 2008, controversy arose in Norway over Irving's invitation to speak at the 2009 [[Norwegian Festival of Literature]]. Several of Norway's most distinguished authors protested against the invitation. The leader of the board for the festival, Jesper Holte, defended the invitation by stating: "Our agenda is to invite a liar and a falsifier of history to a festival about truth. And confront him with this. Irving has been invited to discuss his concept of [[truth]] in light of his activity as a writer of historical books and the many accusations he has been exposed to as a consequence of this." Although Irving was introduced in the festival's webpages as "historian and writer", the board chair leader defended the more aggressive language being used to characterise Irving in connection with the controversy that had arisen. [[Lars Saabye Christensen]] and [[Roy Jacobsen]] were two authors who had threatened to boycott the festival on account of Irving's invitation, and [[Anne B. Ragde]] stated that [[Sigrid Undset]] would have turned in her grave. As the festival has as its subsidiary name "Sigrid Undset Days", a representative of Undset's family had requested that the name of the Nobel laureate be removed in connection with the festival.<ref>{{cite news|first=Geir |last=Rakvaag |title=Irving fortsatt invitert |url=http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article372935.ece |work=[[Dagsavisen]] |location=Oslo |date=7 October 2008 |access-date=8 October 2008 |language=no |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008174519/http://www.dagsavisen.no/kultur/article372935.ece |archive-date=8 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first= Vibecke |last= Wold Haagensen |title= Irving invitert som løgner |url= http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/hedmark_og_oppland/1.6252043 |publisher= [[NRK]] |location= [[Hedmark]]/[[Oppland]] |date= 7 October 2008 |access-date= 8 October 2008 |language= no |archive-date= 11 October 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081011181030/http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/hedmark_og_oppland/1.6252043 |url-status= live }}</ref> Also, the Norwegian [[free speech|free-speech]] organisation [[Fritt Ord (organization)|Fritt Ord]] was critical of letting Irving speak at the festival<ref name="UPI">{{cite news |title=Holocaust denier unwelcome in Norway |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/09/Holocaust_denier_unwelcome_in_Norway/UPI-56301223577740/ |agency=[[United Press International|UPI]] |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=10 October 2008 |archive-date=14 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014141935/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/09/Holocaust_denier_unwelcome_in_Norway/UPI-56301223577740/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and had requested that its logo be removed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Holocaust denial speaker's invitation cancelled |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2704141.ece |work=[[Aftenposten]] |location=Oslo, Norway |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=10 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010220014/http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2704141.ece |archive-date=10 October 2008}}</ref> In addition, [[Edvard Hoem]] announced that he would not attend the 2009 festival with Irving taking part. [[Per Edgar Kokkvold]], leader of the [[Norwegian Press Confederation]], advocated cancelling Irving's invitation.<ref>{{cite news |first= Olav |last= Østrem |title= Sæterbakken slår tilbake |url=http://www.klassekampen.no/55114/article/item/null |work= [[Klassekampen]] |location= Oslo, Norway |date= 9 October 2008 |access-date= 10 October 2008 |language= no |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012070848/http://klassekampen.no/55114/article/item/null |archive-date= 12 October 2008}}</ref> Days after the controversy had started, the invitation was rescinded. This led to the resignation of [[Stig Sæterbakken]] from his position as content director as he was the person who had invited Irving to the event. The head of the Norwegian Festival of Literature, Randi Skeie, deplored what had taken place: "Everything is fine as long as everyone agrees, but things get more difficult when one doesn't like the views being put forward."<ref name="UPI"/> Sæterbakken called his colleagues "damned cowards", arguing that they were walking in lockstep.<ref name="Olsen">{{cite news |first = Geir |last = Olsen |title = Retrett mot David Irving. Irving: – De tør ikke møte meg |url = http://www.vg.no/rampelys/artikkel.php?artid=528392 |work = [[Verdens Gang]] |location = Oslo, Norway |date = 10 October 2008 |access-date = 15 October 2008 |language = no |archive-date = 2 January 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090102051026/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/artikkel.php?artid=528392 |url-status = live }}</ref> According to editor-in-chief Sven Egil Omdal of {{lang|no|[[Stavanger Aftenblad]]}}, the opposition to Irving's participation at the festival appeared as a concerted effort. He suggested that [[campaign journalism]] from two of Norway's largest newspapers, ''[[Dagbladet]]'' and ''[[Aftenposten]]'', and Norway's public service broadcaster [[NRK]] was behind the controversy.<ref>{{cite news |first= Sven Egil | last = Omdal | title = Ikke fullt så Fritt Ord |url=http://www.aftenbladet.no/debatt/medieblikk/927176/Ikke_fullt_saa_Fritt_Ord.html |work= [[Stavanger Aftenblad]] |location= [[Stavanger]], Norway | date = 11 October 2008 | access-date = 15 October 2008 | language = no |url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090127051552/http://www.aftenbladet.no/debatt/medieblikk/927176/Ikke_fullt_saa_Fritt_Ord.html | archive-date = 27 January 2009}}</ref> David Irving commented that he had not been told that the festival was going to present him as a liar,<ref name="Olsen"/> and that he was preparing a lecture about the real history of what took place in [[Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany|Norway during World War II]], contrary to what official historians have presented. Irving stated that he had thought the Norwegian people to be "made of tougher stuff."<ref>{{cite news |first= Ann |last= Christiansen |title= Irving: – Utsatt for global kampanje |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article2703646.ece |work= [[Aftenposten]] |location= Oslo, Norway |date= 9 October 2008 |access-date= 15 October 2008 |language= no |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012211137/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article2703646.ece |archive-date= 12 October 2008}}</ref> Only days after the cancellation Irving announced that he would go to Lillehammer during the literature festival and deliver his two-hour lecture from a hotel room.<ref>{{cite news |first= Andreas |last= Wiese |title= David Irving rir igjen |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/10/15/550314.html |work= [[Dagbladet]] |location= Oslo, Norway |date= 15 October 2008 |access-date= 15 October 2008 |language= no |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017085639/http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/10/15/550314.html |archive-date= 17 October 2008}}</ref>
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