Norwegian Professor Denies Holocaust on Blog, Sparks Outrage
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
A history professor at the University of Bergen, Stefan Sander-Pass, has been accused of Holocaust denial on his private blog, claiming the Nazis did not operate dedicated extermination camps. The university stated it respects freedom of speech and does not monitor private employee activities. The incident is part of a global rise in Holocaust denial cases, with recent legal actions taken in Canada and Belgium.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Professor Stefan Sander-Pass of the University of Bergen is accused of Holocaust denial on his private blog.
- He allegedly wrote that Nazis did not establish dedicated extermination camps.
- The university stated it respects freedom of speech and does not monitor private employee activities.
- Sander-Pass claims his words were taken out of context and published as a private individual.
- The incident is part of a global increase in Holocaust denial cases.
A public outcry has erupted in Norway after a history professor at the University of Bergen was found to have posted Holocaust-denying claims on his private blog. According to the higher education journal Khrono, Professor Stefan Sander-Pass wrote under a pseudonym that the Nazis did not establish dedicated extermination camps. The report, which cited an earlier article in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, raises questions about academic freedom of expression.
Sander-Pass allegedly maintained the English-language blog under a pseudonym, asserting that there were no specific "extermination or death camps." In one post, he used the term "extermination camps" in quotation marks, implying it was a disputed concept. He also responded with "Exactly!" to a commenter who claimed the number of Holocaust victims was less than six million and wrote about a "wealth of lies" concerning the post-World War II era, expecting Western elites to abandon "terror propaganda related to the 'Holocaust.'"
Sander-Pass, who is Austrian-born and joined the University of Bergen in 2020, was appointed professor in 2024. His blog posts directly contradict documented historical facts, including the existence of extermination camps like Auschwitz, where over a million Jews were murdered.
In response to the allegations, Sander-Pass vehemently denied them, stating that the Austrian newspaper took his words out of context and that he published them as a private individual, unrelated to his employer. He also stated he "strongly rejects" any suggestion of sympathy with Nazi ideology. He confirmed the blog was his but insisted it only expressed his personal views, adding that readers were free to interpret his texts as they wished, but the responsibility for interpretation lay with them.
University of Bergen President Margaret Hagen declined to comment on the content of the posts, emphasizing that freedom of speech applies to all employees and students. Head of Department Timo Reineme stated that the university does not monitor what its employees say in their private lives. This incident follows a series of Holocaust denial cases globally, including a nine-month prison sentence for Kenneth Paulin in Canada for Holocaust denial and incitement to hatred against Jews, and a lawsuit filed by a Belgian Jewish organization against the Belgian government and national railway company for complicity in Nazi crimes.