Posted by Trent on October 28, 2009, 9:48 am
German court fines Holocaust-denying bishop
(AP) - Oct. 27, 2009
BERLIN - An ultraconservative British bishop was fined $16,822
(euro12,000) in Germany for denying the Holocaust in an interview with
Swedish television, his lawyer said Tuesday.
A court in the Bavarian city of Regensburg issued the fine against
Richard Williamson for incitement in connection with his Holocaust
denial, Williamson's lawyer Matthias Lossmann said.
"We received the order of punishment on Monday and my client has time
until Nov. 9 to react to it," Lossmann said. He gave no indication how
Williamson would react.
An order of punishment is a German legal tool that involves no trial but
is equivalent to a conviction if accepted by the defendant. If the
defendant objects, it goes to trial.
The investigation of whether Williamson broke German laws against
Holocaust denial was launched after the interview was aired earlier this
year. In it, Williamson said he didn't believe any Jews were killed in
gas chambers during World War II.
The interview was conducted near Regensburg and was granted shortly
before Williamson's excommunication was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI,
along with that of three other bishops from the anti-modernization
movement of the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The lifting of Williamson's excommunication sparked outrage among Jewish
groups and in Israel. The Vatican's handling of the affair prompted
criticism from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Earlier this month, Williamson was quoted by the weekly Der Spiegel as
saying he tried to have an injunction issued to block the interview's
release in Germany.
"I tried to ... prevent my interview with Swedish television from being
broadcast in Germany via the Internet," Williamson was quoted as saying.
He could use that argument should the case go to trial.
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