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