Der britische Independent zur Redefreiheit

So sieht man es auf der Insel (der "freedom of speech"):

Leading article: Free speech, responsibility, and the right to dissent
Published in "Independent" : 21 February 2006

An Austrian court has sentenced the British historian David Irving to three years in prison for Holocaust denial in speeches delivered 17 years ago. Few in this country will shed many tears for an academic who never cared to hide his despicable views. And three years is far less than the maximum 10 years he could have been required to serve under Austrian law. But it is three years more than anyone should have to serve for exercising freedom of speech in a democracy.
Mr Irving is known as a right-wing historian of Germany. He has spent much of his adult life claiming that there was no systematic extermination of Jews by the Nazis or, if there was, that many fewer died than is generally accepted. It was the articulation of these views in 1989 that got him into trouble in Austria, precipitated his arrest when he re-entered the country last year and led to his trial and sentencing yesterday. To us, though, this case is far less straightforward than the Vienna court proceedings would suggest. We hold no brief for Mr Irving's views on German history; as to his overall philosophy, we could not disagree with him more. But he is entitled to hold the views he does, and to express them in public.
Article Length: 579 words (approx.)

Nachtrag: Inzwischen werden auch in Österreich selbst kritische Töne laut.