The jailing of David Irving

Todays jailing of David Irving in Austria for denying the holocaust is a terrible day for free speech in Europe. This is particularly important now, because of the outrage over the cartoons in the European press of the Prophet Mohammed. Free speech must be free, regardless of the topic that it happens to discuss. There are plenty of ways of refuting David Irving's point of view, most serious historians disagree with him and there is not a great deal of popular debate on the subject. As much as I disagree with his views, I think he must be free to express them just as I must be free to refute them. By jailing David Irving we expose ourselves to accusations of hypocrisy over free speech.