Colin Jordan, leader of the British National Socialist movement, was today sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for his activities during a neo-Nazi rally in Trafalgar Square last July 1. Jordan’s deputy, John Tyndall, got a six-week jail sentence for his part in the same rally. Both men said they would appeal the sentence. They were convicted on charges of insulting behavior which could have resulted in a breach of the peace.
The prosecution cited Jordan as having said at the rally that “on September 3, 1939, the blackest day in British history, the long and intensive Jewish campaign was crowned with success and the Jews of the world rejoiced.” Tyndall had said at the same rally, “In our democratic society, the Jew is like a poisoned maggot feeding on a body in an advanced state of decay.”
Testifying in his own defense, Jordan told the court that the purpose of the meeting was to put forward facts concerning the extent to which “our country has fallen under Jewish control today.”
When Jordan and his deputy arrived in Magistrates Court today they were served with additional summonses for violation of the public Order Act. They were charged with organizing and controlling a movement known as “Spearhead” contrary to the Act. They were ordered to appear in court on August 27 to answer the second charges.
A crowd of several hundred persons gathered outside the court long before the case was due to be heard. Some wore the Yellow Star of David, emblem of the newly established Yellow Star anti-fascist movement, while others wore swastika badges.
Magistrate J.P. Barraclough stated that much had been said in court about freedom of speech, but “there comes a degree of toleration that some people cannot put up with.” The words used by the two men were offensive to a large majority of the people, whether Jews, Gentiles or Christians. They were asking for trouble, he declared.
During the debates in Parliament last month over the question of the neo-Nazi rallies, Home Secretary Henry Brooke told the House of Commons that he would decide on his next move in dealing with the question of racist demonstrations after the conclusion of the test case in the British courts. (See page 3 for petition seeking legislation to outlaw incitement to hatred.)
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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.
