Irving: impeccably converted and pining for a kiss

The discredited British historian and Holocaust denier David Irving was expected to fly back to Britain today after Austria's supreme court unexpectedly agreed to release him from prison early. The court in Vienna ruled that Irving, who has spent more than 13 months in jail, could serve the rest of his three-year sentence on probation. The ruling did not quash his conviction for Holocaust denial but means he is free to leave Austria.
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After yesterday's verdict, Irving thanked the judge in German, addressing him as "your honour". He then turned to a female supporter in the public gallery, telling her in English: "Now I want a kiss."

Amazing: first Austrians jail this creep for something he believes in and preaches incessantly. Then they suddenly have a change of mind and release him, when his beliefs have not changed a single bit. A questionable move followed by an even more questionable move. I wonder - could it be that the reason for his speedy release hides somewhere in this:

Soon after Irving's arrest, Austria's prison authorities faced acute embarrassment when it emerged he had discovered two of his own books, Hitler's War and Battle in the Arctic Sea, in the library of the prison where he was being held.

I also wonder about this judge:

Explaining his decision, Judge Ernest Maurer said Irving's crimes had happened "an extremely long time back". He also said the British author had undergone an "impeccable conversion"- recent statements say he now accepts the Holocaust. There was no danger that Irving would re-offend, the judge added.

Something is definitely lost in translation here. That conversion: is it some new secret religion they practice in Austria nowadays? Because otherwise it is difficult to understand what kind of a conversion it was. It will suffice to check the following that raises a few questions about the "conversion" that sorry piece of shit has undergone:

Speaking briefly afterwards, Irving, who has used his months in jail to write his memoirs, described himself as "fit and well". He said he would be calling for an academic boycott of German and Austrian historians until their governments stopped putting historians in prison.

And, by the way: that boycott call - does it ring any bells?

Cross-posted on Yourish.com

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