Thursday, July 22, 2004 [Write to the NZ Herald's Editor:
![[]](../../std/dings/mailto.gif)
] Immigration
undecided on 'pro-Nazi' Irving By ANNE BESTON HISTORIAN David Irving is among
a group of people now banned from entering New
Zealand, but a final decision on his September
visit has not been made. Mr Irving, labelled
by a British judge as pro-Nazi, anti-semitic
and a Holocaust denier, plans to speak at
Wellington's National Press Club during a two-week
visit in September. Jewish organisations have demanded he be refused
entry into New Zealand. Immigration Service spokeswoman Kathryn
O'Sullivan said inquiries were being made
internationally about Mr Irving and a final
decision on whether he came here would be made "in
the next few weeks". "He is a person who has been prohibited from
entering or been deported from other countries and
we have a right to be concerned about that." Mr Irving is banned from entering Australia,
a decision he has twice challenged in the courts.
He said there were no "legal reasons" he could not
come to New Zealand. National Press Club president Peter Isaac
said a meeting of the 600-member club would be held
to "review the matter" of Mr Irving's planned
address. He would not express a personal opinion on
whether Mr Irving should appear. "The National Press
Club cannot deny a platform to somebody because
they are controversial and because a
large
number of the population
may believe that they are lying and/or deluded,"
he said. Mr Isaac said he could not remember anyone being
banned from speaking at the club, whose members
range from broadcasters to business people and
public relations staff. In March this year American soul legend James
Brown was granted a special visa for a show in
Auckland despite a string of convictions which
would normally have barred him from performing. If Mr Irving was travelling on a British
passport, he would not necessarily need a visa to
enter New Zealand under a "visa waiver" agreement
between the two countries. But the Immigration
Service is likely to require him to apply for a
visa and could then refuse to issue one. The 66-year-old British historian has visited
New Zealand twice, in 1986 and 1987. He is inviting
supporters in Australia to fly across the Tasman to
hear him speak. [Write to the NZ Herald's
Editor:
]
Dossier:
attempts by New Zealand Jews to stop David
Irving's 2004 visit
| ![[]](../../std/dings/list.gif){kind=small}
write to David
Irving