ROME (EJP)--- A controversial three-day academic seminar discussing the legitimacy of denying the Holocaust has been strongly criticized by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).

Held on April 17-19 at the University of Teramo in central Italy, the event gathered historians, journalists, lawyers and writers to analyze Holocaust denial.

A UCEI press release slammed the conference, entitled "The gag history" and part of a master’s degree on Middle East issues, expressing their "bitterness and concern for how the media ignored the event."

Lecturers included renowned historians and representatives of the extreme right wing organisations, along with fiercely anti-Zonisti personalities from the far left.

Professor Claudio Moffa, a speaker at the seminar, responded by condemning the "media’s slander, the economical damage, the judicial persecution and the professional ostracism imposed on those historians who are considered to be negationist".

Entry denied

Speakers included Robert Faurisson, a leading personality among those who deny the Holocaust, who gave his contributions to the seminar via a video conference as he has been denied entry in Italy because of his negationist views..

On his personal blog website Faurisson published a series of documents on the "Jewish exploitation of the Holocaust" alongside some solidarity email messages he received which slam UCEI’s communiqué as "a sign of the strong Jewish lobby in Italy".

According to UCEI’s president, Renzo Gattegna, "what has really surprised us is the fact that accredited historians who may have historical views and analyses we do not share, but whom we know have nothing to do with negationist lies decided to take part in this initiative, thus legitimating racist political and anti-democratic positions.”

“We believe that academic authorities and the institutions in our country cannot ignore such an event, which, once again, invites us to keep an eye on the issues of anti-Semitism and racism,” he added.