STRASBOURG - Holocaust denial is not protected by the right to freedom of expression: the Strasbourg Court established it by rejecting the appeal of Udo Pastors, former head of the NPD party, against his conviction in Germany. The man denied the Holocaust during a speech made in front of the parliament of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern lander in 2010, the day after the memorial day. The politician said that "the so-called Holocaust is used for political and commercial reasons", that "since the Second World War the Germans have been exposed to an endless flurry of propaganda criticism and lies" and that the events organized for the day of remembrance " they are only a projection of Auschwitz imposed on the Germans ". According to the Strasbourg court, the man purposely declared falsehood to defame the Jews and the persecution they suffered. Parts of his speech must be "defined as denialists because they show contempt for the victims and are opposed to established historical facts". The Court rejected the appeal explaining that Udo Pastors "tried to use his right to freedom of expression to spread contrary ideas in the text and the spirit to the Convention of human rights".
Holocaust: Court Strasbourg, just condemn those who deny it
2019-12-05T15:57:38.170Z
(HANDLE)
