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May 1997


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[The Spectator - 10 May 1997]

LETTERS - Circle of stupidity

Sir: With Living Marxism's endorsement of Neil Hamilton, and your decision to grant space to an appeal by various literati to support the same in a libel action which ITN is bringing against it (Letters, 3 May), I suppose a certain circle of stupidity has been completed. I know that the libel laws need reforming, and that it is the plaintiff and not the defendant on whom the burden of proof should rest, but Living Marxism's article in February 1997 was neither justified nor fair comment.

Living Marxism has in my household the nickname of the Pale Monthly Advertiser. It is a fully paid-up member of the Serb lobby, which has far too many adherents in this country already. One of the crimes for which he has been indicted is running detention camps at Omarska and Trnopolje. Living Marxism's Thomas Deichmann denies that Trnopolje was a detention camp and states that the ITN footage was faked. This is a very bad slur on ITN's professional standards of reporting, and ITN is justified in defending them. I had hoped that the emaciated Muslim Fikret Alic would be suing LM one day; I was delighted to read that when the Living Marxism roadshow went to Bonn, Mr Alic turned up at their press conference, to their embarrassment.

Tom Carter

16 New Cross, Somerton, Somerset

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