LIBELLING OF JEWS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19133, 30 September 1936, Page 9

LIBELLING OF JEWS

UNUSUAL PROSECUTION TWO SEEN FOE TRIAL NEW TESTAMENT DEFENCE LONDON, Aug. 19. Charges of printing and publishing? Beditious libels against the -lews were made against iwo men at Bow Street yesterday. Arnold Spencer Leese, proprietor of a newspaper tailed the Fascist, and Walter Whitehead, printer of ll wspapcr, were committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court, hail being allowed. Mr. Dummett, the magistrate, said Leese was charged with that, being the proprietor of the Fascist, he did unlawfully publish a seditions libel concerning the Jewish people and His Majesty's subjects of the Jewish faith. 'l'lie second charge was that the defendants together did unlawfully create illwill between the King's subjects of the Jewish faith and subjects who are not of the Jewish faith, and did publish and print divers scandalous and libellous statements regarding His Majesty s Jewish subjects, which would have a tendency to promote ill-will and hostility between two classes, so as to create public mischief. Referring to the first- summons. Mr. Eustace Fulton, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the essence of the

offence was tlie auegeeT publication of defamatory matter in regard to a body of persons. Mr. Fulton drew attention to a passage on the first page of the Fascist, which, he said, was merely a sample of the whole. The extract read : "The Jews are not wanted anywhere on earth. Unfortunately they are on the earth and all over it, destroying everything good and decent by their contaminating interference. '"The alternatives are (1J to kill, (2) to sterilise, or (3) to segregate, and our policy is the last one, conducted and maintained at their own expense." Mr. Fulton then read another extract as follows: "It is well established, in spite of many shameless denials, that Jews practise a ritual murder of Christians in oi-dcr to obtain fresh blood to mix in their ceremonial Passover bread." Jle next drew attention to another pas. sage because it. "was mainly directed to His Majesty's Jewish subjects or alleged Jewish subjects. He read the passage as follows : "The editor has found it necessary during the last 12 months to spend a great deal of time in finding out who the people in the public eye really are. '•IN KEY POSITIONS" "The general result of tin's research may be stated in the words: They are often not at all what they appear to be. The Jew and Orypto-Jew (hidden -lew. or Morrano) and the pail-Jew have been in many of the );ey positions during the war and after it, sharing (hem out with Cientiles who have married Jewesses or Jewish women. . . . "We ask the reader to think, and having thought to act and to take warning from the examples given above, and not to be so foolish as to attempt to act under a mason or anyone except an

Aryan without family lies to Jews or Jewesses." Mr. Fulton conn ited that the I a si extract lie would give seemed to slate very clearly the organisation of this newspaper. It was under i he heading "For Sale and Wanted. Classified Advertisements," and read : "Wear a swastika- badge, by which you commit yourself: "1. Never to buy from Jews. "2'. Never to employ Jews. "3. To do all you can to stop the Jewish invasion of your country.' "Tbis." said Mr. Fulton,-"was plainly designed to create ill-will between Jewish subjects of His Majesty and others." At the end of the evidence for the prosecution. Mr. Fulton said he had been asked to Mate that the organisation known as the Fascist Imperial League had nothing whatever to do with Sir Oswald M,...lev's Fascists. Whitehead.'who said he pleaded guilty to the print iic; of it. slated :—- "As far as 1 am concerned, it seems to be a quarrel between His .Majesty's subjects of the Jewish faith and members of the Imperial Fascist faith. "1 have iieen a master printer for over 30 years, during which time not. a single charge of libel, criminal or otherwise, has been brought against me. "I am brought in eon tar I with people representing various religious and political opinions. P.nl I have lo live- they all bring grist !'<> the mill. "With regard In the Fascist, il is a nam r thai lias been in existence for ovei seven veins. I have been printing it mi 12 months. II is a job bringing profit, and. therefore, I could uol turn it down because il expressed certain views which some people niipht dislike. "It did not advocate breaking Ihe law. It did net make statements which seemed to be libellous in any way or otherwise

do anvthing which might net me info trouble. "1 admit that it contains severe criticism of the .jews, but that is 110 new thing. King Edward 1 did it. so did Chancer ami Shakespeare, and so have thousands of people. "It seemed to me a subject with a case for and against which could be debated and printed about if there were no deliberate incitement to violence. "1 plead not guilty to the charge brought against me. and ask von to dismiss it. "Willi regard to the ritual murder statement, I understand many people have made this charge over many years. The encyclopaedia mentions it. People said In have been murdered in this way have been made saints. Il has thai much to support, it, Kill 1 have no decided views one way or I he other." NOT DRDIXAIiV LIBIT. Leese said that on (he second charge he reserved his defence. Regarding the iirst charge, he wished to submit that it contained two defects. "I am submitting!," be said, "that there is something in your jurisdiction which will rjlinsh I his charge against me ilfogelher. I am going lo claim that it is not an offence against His Majesty's "I am charged with unlawfully publishiuit in the fascist a certain seditious libel: thai is. one. nol several. 1 ask thai thai one libel be identified." If Ihe charge were of libelling a comoily, be added, it inusl be a libel alleged against a d< Unite en ninily. Mr. Dumnietl observed that the definition of seditious libel did not bear the ordinary meaning of libel—that it should he directed against a definite individual. Leese also submitted that tiro Jewish people were nol an entity. Ninety per

1 cent of the Jewish persons in this world were nol His Majesty's subjects, were not - under Ihe protection of his laws, nor had the Public Prosecutor anv Julie,-, inwards I them. Another category had discarded the Jewish faith altogether. Some bad be- - come baptised, as Disraeli was: others I accepted oilier religions creeds or none at all. "Others."' continued Leese, "have ' printed charges of ritual murder against. the Jews. i allege thai there is a. certain absurdity in this charge. The very ' book' on which witnesses for the proseeu- ■ lion swore, and which the court uses as a symbol of truth, charges the Jews with i being hereditary murderers. I "These are the words, occurring in the Gospel of St. John, chapter eight, verse ■l4. of Jesus Christ himself, speakingi to the Jews: 'Ye are of your father Ihe devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. lie was a murderer from the begini nin g ' i "The Public Prosecutor should, I submit, lake action against- the publishers of Ihe New Testament itself if I. a loyal citizen, am In be charged with a misdemeanour after saying- what is practically the si me thing." Leese pointed lo a- paragraph in the nrticle referring to (be action of an Rne- . lish King in 1230 expelling Jews, but promising punishment against anyone who offered them violence. What' he advised was far from violence.