Mississippi: Holocaust denier 'no-show'

Holocaust denier and antisemite David Irving failed to make a scheduled appearance Wednesday at the City Hall in Jackson, Mississippi.

After the Jackson Free Press reported on October 12 that white separatists had scheduled Irving at Jackson City Hall on October 21, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants sent an e-mail asking the mayor to bar Irving's appearance in the municipal building.

According to the Jackson Free Press, Irving went "underground" after the mayor didn't endorse his appearance in the government venue. Instead, Irving appeared at a hotel in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and told the newspaper, "We sat around plotting as neo-Nazis do, [and] finding synagogues we can set on fire and tombstones that we can throw around."

Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering said, "We are gratified that Jackson City Hall did not serve as a platform for the likes of David Irving. We are revolted by his reported comments in the local media which are nothing short of monstrous."

The American Gathering has learned that Irving is planning a New York sneak appearance on November 14, and they wish to alert the general public, as well as public space and venue managers, about that development.

Irving was convicted and jailed for Holocaust denial in Europe and calls his current US visit a "book tour."

This week, American Express cancelled Irving's ability to accept AMEX payments for his book tour. An AMEX spokesperson said, according to The American Gathering, "The materials that he sells on his web site are not consistent with the brand policies that we have in our merchant agreement."

The American Gathering also encourages other credit card companies and PayPal to follow suit.

For more information, contact, visit the American Gathering website.