Holocaust Watch: Holocaust Denier Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Posted by: Flap in Law, Politics
Right-wing British historian David Irving holds his book ‘Hitler’s War’ when arriving at a court in Vienna, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. Irving is accused of denying the Holocaust and is facing up to 10 years in jail. He has been in custody since his arrest in November on charges stemming from two speeches he gave in Austria in 1989 in which he was accused of denying the Nazis’ extermination of 6 million Jews.
ASSociated Press: Holocaust Denier Gets Three Years
Right-wing British historian David Irving pleaded guilty Monday to denying the Holocaust and was sentenced to three years in prison, even after conceding he wrongly said there were no Nazi gas chambers at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Irving, handcuffed and wearing a navy blue suit, arrived in court carrying a copy of one of his most controversial books — “Hitler’s War,” which challenges the extent of the Holocaust.
“I made a mistake when I said there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz,” Irving told the court before his sentencing, at which he faced up to 10 years in prison.
He also expressed sorrow “for all the innocent people who died during the Second World War.”
But he insisted he never wrote a book about the Holocaust, which he called “just a fragment of my area of interest.”
“In no way did I deny the killings of millions of people by the Nazis,” testified Irving, who has written nearly 30 books.
Irving’s lawyer immediately announced he would appeal the sentence.
Now you know why the American Founders wrote the First Amendment to the United States Constitution……
But, what about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?
Technorati Tags: Holocaust, DavidIrving, Nazis, Hitler, Iran, MahmoudAhmadinejad
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February 20th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Law Against Holocaust Denial?
I was shocked to learn that Austria has a law against, “whoever denies, grossly plays down, approves or tries to excuse the National Socialist genocide or other National Socialist crimes against humanity in a print publication, in broadcast or …
February 20th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Irving gets three years unfortunately–yes, unfort
I wrote in November that “it is not a good idea at all to turn him into a free speech martyr. It is better to fight denier sewage with the truth than with police and prison sentences.” I am more convinced today that criminalizing denial is a big mist…
February 20th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I assume Irving is playing along with all this for the publicity benefits. After all, he isn’t an Austrian citizen, is he? It’s not like he has to submit to Austrian law or give up his home.
February 21st, 2006 at 12:59 pm
We Have A Right To Be Wrong
Yes he is despicable, yes he is wrong, and his rants would simply not have led to legal action in the US, but is being in denial a crime? This criminal sentence comes at a time when we are fighting for a fundamental freedom of speech which we have supp…