What do you want to bet he is offered an honorary doctorate and job at an American university upon his release?
Europe has much to learn about freedom of speech from the USA.
Personally I think holocaust deniers are knuckleheads, but putting them in jail for it is just plain over the top.
FReepers are wrongfully looking at this from an American viewpoint.
Nazism, WWII and the Holocaust have been by far Germany's worst moment in their history. They are rightfully, willing to do whatever it takes to make sure those times never set upon them again. By the end of World War II their country laid in ruins and they are willing to jail anyone who hints at bringing an ideology that could once again be destructive to their country.
Free speech brings personal responsibility with it. Holocaust denial is in many ways not free speech. Free speech means you can have an opinion, but not necessarily that you can deny a horrible fact and in doing so you in fact advocate another genocide since you do not even recognize the first one.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue". Proverbs 18:21
It takes a Nazi to jail someone for simply disagreeing on what crimes a Nazi committed.
Its ironic really. If the German government will imprison you for having improper thoughts and writing them down...imagine what they will do to people who have an improper heritage.
Essentially, the German government facistist acts here, prove they are are quite capable of doing what this writer denies.
It seems that the seeds of the next totalitarian German government are quite healthy.
How soon might we see the German government demand the extradition of Iran's little runt, the mini-fuehrer Ahmadinejad?
He's been denying the Holocaust for years, and just held his F-the-Jews Festival in Tehran, how about that, eh?
He should be allowed to write that Martians killed Jews if he wants to. Sending someone to prison for their beliefs is far more outrageous than any opinion he holds.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"...for the crime of Holocaust denial..."
Is this what Germany is about? Jailing people for their thoughts, no matter what they may be? Seems almost like the Nazis never left that country.
I can't believe what my pupils read this morning.
Today freedom of speech and uttering the truth is a crime; tomorrow our very thoughts will be punished as well as a crime.
And then people wonder what's wrong with Europe, the USA and the rest of the Western world.
How many times does it have to be explained to people that the Holocaust began with speech, with demonizing Jews in print, which is why Julius Streicher, the infamous publisher of the Nazi propaganda paper Dur Sturmer was convicted at Nuremberg. Certain European countries have laws in place to punish Holocaust denial for a very valid reason. Why do some people immediately jump in to defend scum like Ernst Zundel??
What the media and the government "scientists" want:
Ironically, Europe never learned a lesson after WW2.....freedom of speech and freedom not to listen!!!
This is what will eventually happen to anti global warming authors.
If the newspapers of today are directing their negative reporting towards certain groups as was done in the 30's and 40's in Germany/Italy? And if we look at who is the target of these articles, will we be able to predict the victims of the next Holocaust? Just a thought.