The Guardian Much praise has deservedly been heaped upon the bewigged head of Mr Justice Gray for his reasoned judgment in the case which David Irving so ill-advisedly launched against Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books. But pause a while, before the case becomes mythologised as a result for the law of libel in assuring the triumph of good over evil. Thanks to the generosity and resilience of Jewish backers, both here and in the US, they will not have to meet the full cost. It is unlikely they will see much of Irving's money, any more than the Guardian has yet to see a penny of Jonathan Aitken's money.
Free speech can be very expensive.
Our sister paper, the Observer, was also sued by Irving, for an article by the writer Gitta Sereny which also discussed his historical methodology. We assume even Irving would not have the nerve or ability to continue the Observer case. But dropping it would simply leave the paper stranded somewhere in the queue of Irving's creditors. But our libel laws present a formidable weapon against free speech to those who use them malignly.