BBC NEWS | Europe | Irving expands on Holocaust views

The attempt to avoid a long prison sentence by recanting having failed David Irving repeats his earlier holocaust denial.

I am pretty sure that this was the plan all along, get the publicity for recanting under duress, get more publicity for repudiating the recantation. Jailing Irving is only furthering the neo-NAZI cause.

There is a line that has to be drawn but the action against Irving is counter-productive. Suppressing argument over facts only draws attention to the side being suppressed. It is clear that nobody, not even the neo-NAZIs really believe the history they are concocting. Holocaust denial is just a code for anti-Semitism.

It is somewhat odd to see the prosecution of Irving taking place at a time when the Saudi-backed rent-a-mob is calling for the murder of Danish cartoonists with impunity. Even more surprising is the fact that Blair and co did not realize that failing to act would cost them in the Muslim community who regard the rioters as if they were football hooligans.