The Rapid Service Press of Boston went on trial here today on charges of violating Massachusetts’ race libel law by allegedly printing anti-Semitic literature in its plant. The complaint was issued by the police after several students at Northeastern University had reported that the firm was printing “vile poems” maligning the Jews.
Under the race libel act, anyone found guilty of publishing “any false written or printed material with intent to maliciously promote hatred of any group of persons in the commonwealth because of race, color or religion” can be fined up to $1000 and jailed for a year. The case is being watched with interest by Jewish and labor groups who see in the race libel law a means of halting the spread of scurrilous anti-Semitic material.
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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.
