Protest against David Irving meeting in Coventry

Protest against David Irving meeting in Coventry tomorrow

Tomorrow night (Friday 21 September), with the help of the British National Party, David Irving, the notorious Holocaust denier and liar, is booked to speak at the Royal Warwicks Club in Coventry.

The following night he intends to speak in Windsor, where he now lives.

Since his release from prison in Austria late last year Irving has gone back to his old ways, addressing a large audience of antisemites in Hungary, before moving on to a book fair in Poland, from where he was expelled.

Back in the UK, Irving has so far spoken at a small meeting in Rugby and popped up in John Sweeney's Panorama programme, Weekend Nazis, signing his books for admiring men dressed up in SS uniforms.

The promise of an invitation to speak to the European Society at St Andrews University rapidly evaporated after the university "raised concerns" about "security and use of their property".

However Irving boasts that he still has another invitation to participate in a debate at a so-far-unnamed university on 23 November.

Searchlight calls on people to protest against Irving being allowed to spread his poison in Coventry, a city that was badly bombed by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Phone the Royal Warwicks Club on 024 7622 0425 to tell the management what you think of the club giving space to this man and his Nazi supporters (though don't be rude to club staff who had no say in the booking and probably object just as much as you do).

If you want to protest outside, go to the Royal Warwicks Club, Tower Street, Coventry CV1 1JS. Doors open at 7pm.

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David Irving to speak at a university near you?

David Irving is to speak in a university debate on 23 November on "free speech". However the Holocaust denial writer, who was recently barred permanently from entering Austria, was careful not to reveal which student union had been so misguided as to ask him.

Students and university staff are asked to let us know about any debates booked for 23 November, or thereabouts, that might be the one hosting Irving so that we can take steps to prevent this blatant misuse of academic freedom to promote his Nazi agenda.

Irving was released from an Austrian prison last December after serving part of a three-year term for denying the Holocaust. Since then he has been active promoting Holocaust denial in Hungary, where he addressed a far-right rally on 15 March 2007. He fared less well in Poland where he was expelled from the 52nd Warsaw International Book Fair because his writings contravened Polish law.

The reason for Irving's caution over his debating engagement was clear from his correspondence, reproduced on his website, with Andrew Mackenzie, president of the European Society at the University of St Andrews. Mackenzie had asked Irving to suggest dates on which he could come and speak about "the holocaust and Adolf Hitler", but rapidly withdrew the invitation after the university "raised concerns" about "security and use of their property".

Later this week Irving is due to speak at two public meetings - Coventry on 21 September and the following evening in Windsor, where moved into a large house earlier this month. His subject will be "who dug the grave of the British Empire - Hitler or Churchill". Strict security is to be observed with "rights of admission strictly reserved". Those wishing to attend are warned to bring "satisfactory ID".

This is certainly a step up for Irving who has recently been seen hawking his books from a tent in a field at a Second World War re-enactment event in Kent, where middle-aged men got the opportunity to dress up as SS members. The event attracted all shades of extremist opinion including a number of members of Belgian Blood and Honour.

http://www.stopthebnp.org.uk/