<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><div class="mxb"><div class="sh"></div><div class="sh"></div><div class="sh">Holocaust denier Irving is jailed </div></div></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="416"><font size="2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><div> <div class="cap">David Irving arrived at court carrying a copy of one of his books</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>British historian David Irving has been found guilty in Vienna of denying the Holocaust of European Jewry and sentenced to three years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to the charge, based on a speech and interview he gave in Austria in 1989. </p> "I made a mistake when I said there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz," he told the court in the Austrian capital. </p> Irving appeared stunned by the sentence, and told reporters: "I'm very shocked and I'm going to appeal." </p> An unidentified onlooker told him: "Stay strong!" </p> Irving's lawyer said he considered the verdict "a little too stringent". </p> "I would say it's a bit of a message trial," said Elmar Kresbach. </p> Karen Pollock, chief executive of the UK's Holocaust Educational Trust welcomed the verdict. "Holocaust denial is anti-Semitism dressed up as intellectual debate. It should be regarded as such and treated as such," Ms Pollock told the BBC News website. </p> But the author and academic Deborah Lipstadt, who Irving unsuccessfully sued for libel in the UK in 2000 over claims that he was a Holocaust denier, said she was dismayed. </p> "I am not happy when censorship wins, and I don't believe in winning battles via censorship... The way of fighting Holocaust deniers is with history and with truth," she told the BBC News website. </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="5"></td><td class="sibtbg"><div><div class="mva"> I'm not an expert on the Holocaust <br clear="all" /></div></div><div class="mva"><div>David Irving</div></div><div class="o"> </div><div class="miiib"><div class="arr">In quotes: Reaction </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></p> Fears that the court case would provoke right-wing demonstrations and counter-protests did not materialise, the BBC's Ben Brown at the court in Vienna said. </p> Irving arrived in the court room handcuffed, wearing a blue suit, and carrying a copy of Hitler's War, one of many books he has written on the Nazis, and which challenges the extent of the Holocaust. </p> Irving was arrested in Austria in November, on a warrant dating back to 1989, when he gave a speech and interview denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz. </p> He was stopped by police on a motorway in southern Austria, where he was visiting to give a lecture to a far-right student fraternity. He has been held in custody since then. </p> 'I've changed' </p> During the one-day trial, he was questioned by the prosecutor and chief judge, and answered questions in fluent German. </p> He admitted that in 1989 he had denied that Nazi Germany had killed millions of Jews. He said this is what he believed, until he later saw the personal files of Adolf Eichmann, the chief organiser of the Holocaust. </p> "I said that then based on my knowledge at the time, but by 1991 when I came across the Eichmann papers, I wasn't saying that anymore and I wouldn't say that now," Irving told the court. </p> "The Nazis did murder millions of Jews." </p> In the past, he had claimed that Adolf Hitler knew little, if anything, about the Holocaust, and that the gas chambers were a hoax. </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="5"></td><td class="sibtbg"><div class="sih">COUNTRIES WITH LAWS AGAINST HOLOCAUST DENIAL </div><div class="mva"><div class="bull">Austria</div><div class="bull">Belgium</div><div class="bull">Czech Republic</div><div class="bull">France</div><div class="bull">Germany</div><div class="bull">Israel</div><div class="bull">Lithuania</div><div class="bull">Poland</div><div class="bull">Romania</div><div class="bull">Slovakia</div><div class="bull">Switzerland</div></div><div class="o"> </div><div class="miiib"><div class="arr">Timeline: David Irving </div><div class="arr">Denying the Holocaust </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></p> The judge in his 2000 libel trial declared him "an active Holocaust denier... anti-Semitic and racist". </p> On Monday, before the trial began, he told reporters: "I'm not a Holocaust denier. Obviously, I've changed my views. </p> "History is a constantly growing tree - the more you know, the more documents become available, the more you learn, and I have learned a lot since 1989." </p> Asked how many Jews were killed by Nazis, he replied: "I don't know the figures. I'm not an expert on the Holocaust." </p> Of his guilty plea, he told reporters: "I have no choice." </p> He said it was "ridiculous" that he was being tried for expressing an opinion. </p> "Of course it's a question of freedom of speech... I think within 12 months this law will have vanished from the Austrian statute book," he said. </p></font> </td></tr></tbody></table></p>
How on earth he can be called a historian! Saw on the news earlier. However don't agree that it should be an imprisonable offence, especially when you consider the fuss made over the Islamic cartoons.
RE: How on earth he can be called a historian! That's what I couldn't fathom?</p> The sentence seems extreme in relation so there must be some other connection to neo nazi involvement. It says he was on his way to speak to a far right fraternity.</p> I don't know but its an interesting case.</p> He's made a rod for his own back and you are right, how the **** can he be called an historian??? </p>
It's outrageous The man's a goon like, but being thrown in nick simply for stating summat dint happen. Didn't we fight the Nazis so this kind of thing can't happen?
RE: How on earth he can be called a historian! Well the maximum sentence is 10 years for Holocaust denial. An interesting point someone made on the news that some of this is perhaps guilt of countries as they try to come to terms with their part in the Holocaust.
RE: It's outrageous Might be a knee jerk reaction. The Austrians saying how they'll punish people for such things - Showing Islam they won't tollerate anyone upsetting a nation etc etc etc. Although the Austrians are a bit touchy about WW2, Herr Hitler and the holocaust.
RE: It's outrageous But doesn't it give out the opposing message to Muslims? i.e. It's wrong to publish things that might be offensive to Jews but you can publish things that might be offensive to Muslims.
RE: It's outrageous Yes.... No.... Maybe the message they are trying to send is; if you say something which is likely to upset a nation, be prepared for the legal consequences. Eg, if some of our cartoonists had drawn an offensive cartoon like that,we'd have dealt with it through the courts. Don't go trashing our embassies. Maybe!
Perhaps they are just trying to detract attention from this http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/4730842.stm
RE: How on earth he can be called a historian! The guy is exceptional in his ferreting abilities at finding historical stuff other people can't. Trouble is, he has or had an agenda regarding a certain Mr A Hitler being not such a bad fellow after all regaring the Jews an all. Interesting website of his here... http://www.fpp.co.uk/books/index.html
