Ya cant throw a man in jail based on his opinions. Jeffrey Meldrum is a professor at Idaho State University. Other professors at the college are embarrassed and want him fired cause' he believes in bigfoot. Bigfoot probably dont exist but should he be thrown in prison cause' he believe in bigfoot?? No way...

While the conviction of David Irving in Austria is relatively insignificant in the short-term and in comparison with other events of 2006, the long-term ramifications and how this evidences the growing divide between Europe and the United States makes it a 2 star matter. To explain what I mean, consider how the European and American philosophies differ on how to define human rights. In Europe (and apparently in Canada), human rights include the right to be free of offense (e.g. "hate speech"), as evidenced by Irving's conviction. With few exceptions, the American stance is that human rights includes the right to speak one's mind no matter how offensive or contrary to fact or reasonable belief. (In some ways the political correctness movement is a push for American attitudes to mirror those of Europe.) This difference suggests that measures of a nation's human rights record are often meaningless. My long-term interest is how this will all play out, namely will Europe step away from this view and allow a more unrestrained free flow of ideas, will the States move towards more constraints (abandoning the benefits of the free speech), or will the differences continue to generate friction within the West.

I would be against anything (well, within reason) that inhibits free speech in my own country, but this particular incident is about the internal affairs of a foreign country. I don't agree with them.. but it's also none of my business. I can't give it a '1' since I do care. But I don't think it's especially significant. They've had these laws in place in a number of European countries for sometime now and we never complained about them before now.

Quite simpy, he was in a contry that he was banned from entering. Then he was on his way to give a speech, which the subject of was illegal in tnat country,(and he knew it). They should have locked him up for longer.

OK, guys, you've all had your fun, wrapping yourselves in the sanctity of "freedom of speech. " Irving (a right wing zealot Brit who has repudiated many of his anti-Holocaust statements) had been banned from entering Austria as the result of a libel lawsuit HE had brought (and lost) in Austria against one of his liberal American critics. As a result of what came out in testimony, Austrian officials barred him from ever again entering Austria (he's also been deported by Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and South Africa. He was apprehended by Austrian authorities while on his way to give a speech in Austria, in November, 2005. His "crime" appears to be the violation of that ban. He is appealing the conviction at present. You can stretch the truth and say he's being imprisoned for his political views and statements, but that's not why he's in an Austrian prison today. Maybe the sentence was stiffer due to the views he once spouted (and has since denied the truthfulness of) but he's not in prison for "saying" anything. UPDATE: To clarify (or add pertinent information): Irving's arrest in Austria was for a warrant (issued in 1989) for Holocaust Denial, which is evidently a crime in Austria. Here's where it gets a bit confusing, though. The warrant, issued in 1989, was for the violation of the "Holocaust Denial" law, which was enacted in 1992. Anyway, credit goes to earthbound for clarifying the specific crime for which he was convicted. So, it looks like he WAS detained for his political statement(s) and punished for his political views, at least as Austrian law interprets them. He was sentenced last week and plans to appeal.

Throwing him in jail seems a bit extreme. Calling him an idiot very publicly and never hiring him as a historian anywhere would do in this situation.

Irving is a tool- but I will never advocate silencing free speech. Let fools talk because truth will eventually win out. I despise Irving, but I will defend his right to speak his lies.

This is scary for anyone who believes in free expresion. This is political correctness gone beserk! If you want to expose a fool, hire him a hall. Don't make him a martyr!

New facts come to light all the time as old records are found or declassified. Through an honest and thoughtful search for truth, historians come to different conclusions over time. The Nazi killings of Jews, Poles, Gays, Gypsies and others is painful and shouldn't be disrespected. But that doesn't mean that further historical analysis of the numbers of different groups killed should be a taboo subject. It is indeed peculiar that the number of Jews killed, 6,000,000, has been set in stone for so long. Certainly the Nazis did not kill in such a round number, and it seems that an attempt to refine that number, whether lower or higher, would be a reasonable undertaking. The punishment of Irving and others who conclude the number is lower, without punishing those who conclude the number is higher, is unnecessary and uncalled for.

I'm with you Earthbound. It shouldn't be illegal to be wrong about something. And especially in light of the Danish cartoon controversy. Imprisoning somebody for excercising free speech that inflames a religious group? It looks really hypocritical, and takes legs away from the West's supposed support of free speech. I'd just as soon people have the freedom to say moronic things, and then let the overwhelming weight of historical evidence put this "historian" in his place.

I cannot help but feel umcomfortable with this trial and sentence. I think that it is the task of other historians to put David Irving in his proper place, as Deborah Lipstadt did so effectively some years back, in a court case which bankrupted and discredited Irving. Quite aside from any concerns one might have about freedom of speech, criminalizing Irving's public proclamations, however distasteful, draws attention to them and makes him an unwelcome martyr for the extreme right wing.