The Austrians have these (rather draconian) laws as a conscience-salve; they have never really faced up to Austria's enthusiastic embracement of Nazism from well before the Anschluss to the point where it was obvious that the war was lost. For political reasons (to do with Russia), Austria was classed as a 'victim' after the war, and they never went through the full investigation process that (west) Germany did. Hence the last generation of Austrian politicians having their dubious past regularly brought to light.

On the other hand, no one can have sympathy with Irvine. The smirking bastard is well funded by neoNazi sympathisers, who picked up the bill when he lost the libel trial. I think he was expecting a few thousand pounds equivalent in fines; hence his shock at the prison sentence.

His (like Hannam's) freedom of speech amounts to the proverbial shouting of fire in a crowded theatre, given the prevalence of Nazi clingers-on in much of central Europe.