It's been noted that a lie, repeated often enough, becomes accepted as truth. There are people who would like to rewrite Germany's history and denying the Holocaust would be beneficial to them.
As we have learned from history, if indeed we have, ideas have consequences. A future generation of Germans, having learned a different version of Nazi history than the one we are familiar with, might make the same mistakes their predecessors made, with similar consequences.
It's a slippery slope towards an Orwellian government.
I agree with you that ideas have consequences.
However, History is not a juridical object. In a free country, it is the job neither of Parliament nor of the judicial authorities to define the historical truth.
The problem with being willing to imprison somebody because he says bad or nasty things is that the same power - the power of government to imprison for speech - could be used against you if the government doesn't like what you say or believe. You'll be setting the precedent that Hillary will use against you and me to jail us for our views. I prefer the First Amendment to the authoritarianism that Germany is showing by jailing this nut.
I hope you aren't a US citizen and never bring your fascist views here.
I hope you aren't a US citizen and never bring your fascist views here.