District of Columbia authorities ruled today that Jews and other anti-Nazis have a constitutional right to heckle George Lincoln Rockwell, fuehrer of the American Nazi Party, at anti-Semitic rallies held here in public areas. The District dropped charges against Larry Selinker, 22-year-old Brandeis University graduate who was arrested for “loud talking” during an anti-Semitic harangue by Rockwell in a public park.
Chester Gray, Chief Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, ruled that Selinker “was just exercising his constitutional right to free speech.”
Maurice Friedman, who represented Selinker, expressed hope this case “will help clarify the confusion over freedom of speech which has enabled Rockwell’s Nazi gang to exploit and abuse the First Amendment in a manner never intended by the founding fathers. He said it was “deplorable that charges were brought in this case at all.” He noted that the charges indicated “a double standard in which First Amendment free speech rights were freely accorded to Rockwell but denied my client who was subjected to arrest.”
In a related development, the anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith asked Secretary of Interior Seaton to order the arrest of Rockwell for disorderly conduct in a U.S. park area under police jurisdiction of the Interior Department.
The ADL told Secretary Seaton that Rockwell’s threats and insults poured out under the banner of the Nazi Party went beyond the lawful limits of free speech. It was pointed out that individuals had been arrested at Rockwell’s rallies for conduct less disorderly than that displayed by Rockwell himself.
Secretary Seaton informed the ADL of his personal concern over the continuing Nazi activity in the area under his jurisdiction. He made known that he had received complaints from throughout the nation.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
