Bishop Williamson convicted to pay fine for Holocaust denial

The bishop of the Catholic breakaway group Society of St. Pius X, Richard Williamson, has been convicted by a German court to pay a fine for questioning the Holocaust. Bishop Williamson was convicted by a court in Regensburg, Bavaria, to pay € 10,000 (US$ 13,500) for public incitement to hate. He said on Swedish television in 2008 that no Jews had died in gas chambers during the Holocaust.

Williamson was not present at the trial.

The fine imposed by the court is lower than that demanded by prosecutors (€ 12,000). Williamson’s lawyer had called for an acquittal and said his client’s remarks were only meant for a Swedish audience, not for the Germans. Unlike in Sweden, the denial of the Shoah, or key elements of it, is prohibited by law in Germany.

According to media reports, Williamson will lodge an appeal against the court's ruling.