Australia’s immigration minister has turned down a visa request from Holocaust denier David Irving.
Announcing his decision this week at a news conference, Philip Ruddock, immigration and multicultural affairs minister, said, “All applicants for visas to Australia must be assessed for good character.”
Citing Irving’s legal difficulties in Germany, Canada and Great Britain, Ruddock said, “Taken together, they reveal a consistent pattern of behavior that led me to conclude that Mr. Irving is not a person of good character.”
Ruddock added that his decision “has nothing to do with notions of free speech. Mr. Irving’s views and writings are well-known and remain readily available in Australia.”
The Jewish community here welcomed Ruddock’s decision.
Diane Shteinman, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, expressed relief that the “elderly Holocaust survivors of our community will not be subject to further trauma and aggravation,” which would be caused by Irving’s presence here.
Irving announced from London that he would appeal the decision.
He said his enemies around the world had spread misinformation to keep him out of Australia.
He also claimed that only 1 million Jews were killed in World War II and that Holocaust survivors were all victims of faulty memory.
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