THE “JELLY FRONT.”

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20274, 7 April 1934, Page 1

THE “JELLY FRONT.”

Sir Oswald Mosley Replies to Enemies. LONDON, March 2(5. Recent powerful support of the British Fascists has accelerated recruitment, and “ is provoking the old gang of politicians to a frenzy of fear and fury,” declares the Black Shirt leader. Sir Oswald Mosley, in an article in the “ Daily Mail.” Mr Baldwin, he says, led the attack from the safe shelter of the Broadcasting Corporation, which tame monopoly denies the Black Shirts opportunity to reply to the Socialist and Tory peers’ combined demand for action against them. Sir Oswald charges these opponents with uttering gross untruths, at least one of which would not have been made with impunity outside the legal shelter of the House of Lords. “We have learned to call our opponents the jelly front, as if their allegations are true we are liable to prosecution for raising and drilling a private army.” says Sir Oswald. “ The truth is that we adopt the authoritarian principle because it is business like. We wear uniform to re move class barriers. ‘‘The black shirt is also a symbol of faith held with religious fervor, like the Salvation Army’s riniform, which is more military than ours. We hold 100 meetings a week in London, and 1000 throughout England. Disorder occurs at less than one per cent of them, though we daily speak in areas where other parties will not venture. “ We only exercise the right to maintain order at our own meetings. We ! have re-established the right of free ( speech, and face razor and knife with a bludgeon.”