Austria, Oppressor

Austria continues to amaze me with its lack of respect for the freedom of speech. Last week a British historian, David Irving, was sentenced to three years in jail in Vienna. His crime? Denying the Holocaust publicly. Don't get me wrong, I totally disagree with this guy. I think that the cause he champions is evil and that his beliefs are wrong and motivated by hatred. However, I don't believe he has done anything to deserve jail time. But now, on top of that, Austria has banned him from talking to the press because he continued to profess his disbelief of the Holocaust from jail. Austria has made it clear that it does not value freedom of speech. It has unequivocally made the statement that the government has the right to tell you what to believe, and that you are a criminal if you speak in disagreement. This attitude is the root of oppression of the worst kind, and I am amazed that the rest of the Western world seems unfazed. I'm sure that the subject of Irving's work contributes a great deal to this fact -- no one wants to be seen as siding with a Holocaust denier, nor does anyone want to be portrayed as sympathizing with his cause by speaking on his behalf. However, as people who value freedom it is our responsibility, yes I believe we are obligated, to speak out against oppression, even when it is against someone we deplore. Freedom is necessarily universal or non-existent. People in Nazi Germany were free to say what they wanted as long as it didn't contradict the party line. People in Austria today are free to say what they want as long as it doesn't contradict the government's idea of propriety. Neither of these is true freedom. No government should be allowed to tell its citizens what they must believe, and any government that seeks to silence all who hold beliefs other than their own must be viewed as an enemy of freedom.

Additionally, does Austria not realize that they are going to make a martyr of this man?