Israel had urged Poland to deny Irving entry after reports that he planned to lead a tour of Nazi concentration camps in the country. The author of several books, Irving has denied that the Nazis murdered six million Jews during World War Two.
Irving confirmed to Reuters by email that he had planned to visit Poland later this year, as he has in the past.
“Negation of the Holocaust is not allowed by Polish law, therefore he will not be welcome here in Poland if he wants to come and present his opinions,” Jacek Czaputowicz told reporters at a press conference.
Irving sued an American historian, Deborah Lipstadt, for libel in 1996 after she described him as a Holocaust denier. But Lipstadt won, in a case that was depicted in the film “Denial”, released in 2016.
Poland’s right-wing government introduced legislation last year that would have made the use of phrases such as “Polish death camps” punishable by up to three years in prison.A spokesman for Minister Bennett commented: “We are greatly encouraged by the Polish Foreign Minister’s comments. We have prevented the spread of hatred and lies against the Jewish people and against the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.”