Disgraced British historian David Irving has been found guilty in Vienna and sentenced to three years in prison for denying the Holocaust of European Jewry (which occurred during WW2).
That Irving is a racist, an anti-Semite and now a Holocaust denier, there can be no doubt. However it seems hypocritical that while we in Europe shout "freedom of speech" to the Muslim world in defence of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, Irving goes to prison for exercising that same freedom of speech, albeit for peddling irresponsible nonsense. Worse, his views will appear more attractive, and gain a wider audience.
I don't blame countries like Austria for instigating laws against Holocaust denial. Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. But jailing Irving may have a counter-productive effect.
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