Austrian university recalls diploma for Holocaust gassing denier



VIENNA- A leading Austrian university announced Monday it had withdrawn a honorary diploma awarded to an engineer who had questioned the gassing of Jews in Nazi death camps.
The Vienna University of Technology said in a statement it had cancelled the diploma it had given in December to Walter Luftl, who graduated as an engineer 50 years ago.
It said Luftl had "massively harmed" his profession and the university with his theory published in the early 1990s that it was not technically possible to exterminate Jews with gas, including because of the type of gas that was used.



Luftl's Golden Diploma was strongly criticised, notably by a group representing people sent to the Nazi's Austrian death camp at Mauthausen.
It prompted university rector Peter Skalicky to task a commission with ascertaining if the engineer merited the award, which the university offers to notable graduates 50 years after they finish their studies.
Skalicky said in the statement it had been negligent to choose to honour Luftl, former president of the Austrian chamber of engineers.
The Mauthausen Committee that represents deportees welcomed the university's decision as "correct and important", and a sign that the institution was ready to recognise its mistakes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, January 19th 2010
AFP
           


New comment:
Twitter

News | Politics | Features | Arts | Entertainment | Society | Sport

At a glance