Sydney: About to be screened in the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, a film by Holocaust-denier David Irving was abruptly cancelled, thus giving Melbourne's Jewish community a last-minute and unlikely victory.

According to a report in 'The Australian', the Jewish Community Council of Victoria lost its bid on July 7 for a temporary injunction preventing screening of Irving's "The Search for the Truth" in History. On hearing up to 1,000 Jews were expected to hold a candle-lit protest at the other scheduled screening venue, F4 Bar, Festival director Richard Wolstencroft pulled the film.

"There was going to be a large demonstration, and after speaking with police we decided we couldn't guarantee the safety of our patrons," said Wolstencroft. "This whole thing has been very scary ... we have no intention to play a film of historical revisionism ever again."

Council president Michael Lipshutz described the cancellation as "a victory for common sense" but said he "would rather have had the issue resolved in the courts". According to him, the Festival would "like to make an offer to the JCCV to programme a section in next year's film festival focusing on the concerns of the Jewish community".

ANI