Alison Chabloz avoids jail over anti-Semitic songs

Alison Chabloz claimed the prosecution was an attempt to limit her free speech

A blogger who was found guilty of broadcasting anti-Semitic songs on YouTube has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Alison Chabloz, 54, from Glossop, Derbyshire, wrote and performed three songs about Nazi persecution, including one about the young diarist Anne Frank.

Chabloz claimed the Holocaust was "a bunch of lies" and referred to Auschwitz as a "theme park".

She has also been banned from posting anything on social media for 12 months.

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Chabloz was convicted of two counts of sending an offensive, indecent or menacing message through a public communications network and a third charge relating to a song on YouTube.

She was sentenced to 20 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for two years.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism initially brought a private prosecution against Chabloz, before the Crown Prosecution Service took over.

Gideon Falter, chairman of the campaign group, described Chabloz as a "remorseless and repulsive anti-Semite" after the case.

He said the sentence sent a strong message that Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories will not be tolerated.

Alison Chabloz previously told the court she wanted to put across her "political, artistic, creative point"

Chabloz, who describes herself as a Holocaust revisionist, said her music was "satire" and had previously told the court there was "no proof" gas chambers were used to kill Jewish people in World War Two.

However, prosecutors said three of Chabloz's songs, including one which referred to the notorious Nazi death camp Auschwitz as a "theme park", were criminally offensive.

Sentencing Chabloz at Westminster Magistrates' Court, district judge John Zani said she had shown "no proper remorse" for her actions.

He said: "I don't know whether you want to be a martyr to your purported cause - time will tell."

Chabloz was cheered by supporters as she walked from the dock.

Along with the suspended sentence and social media ban, she will also have to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.