Noam Chomsky on this case: 

Subj: Re: David Irving and Holocaust denial 
Date: 2/22/06 11:25:47 AM Central Standard Time 
From:    chomsky@mit.edu (Noam Chomsky)
To:    AndrewParodi@aol.com (by way of Noam Chomsky )
 

Germany and Austria have very limited protection for freedom of expression.  France is much the same, except that penalties tend to be less extreme.  England also has quite limited protection.  In fact, the concept "freedom of speech" is barely understood, let alone respected, in Western Europe, despite much pretentious posturing.  And before Americans get on a high horse about it, they should bear in mind that a high level of legal protection was only reached in 1964, in a Supreme Court decision in a case involving Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.

There are many illusions about these topics.

Noam Chomsky

At 10:12 AM 2/22/2006, you wrote:

Dear Mr. Chomsky, 

I was wondering if you have any information about David Irving and the penalties for Holocaust denial in Austria. It's hard to imagine that someone has been sentenced to prison for denying the Holocaust. 

Sincerely, 

Andrew Parodi