Chief Justice MacDonald of Manitoba today granted a continuing injunction against William Whittaker, publisher of the Nazi paper, the Canadian Nationalist, prohibiting him from libeling the Jewish people.
Injunction proceedings were initiated against Whittaker a week ago by Captain William Tobias, World War hero, acting in behalf of the Canadian Jewish Congress. They were based on a new law passed by the Manitoba legislature at its last session permitting individual members of a race or creed to claim libel damages in cases where the whole race or creed has been libelled.
FIRST CASE IN EMPIRE
This is believed to be the first judicial procedure of this nature undertaken in the British Empire.
The specific complaint of libel is based on a recent issue of Whittaker’s paper which contained much anti-Semitic propaganda, including the blood ritual libels.
The trial is scheduled for next month. Since it is the first case brought under the new law, the validity of the law is expected to be attacked by the defense. The decision will set a precedent for further actions in either cases of anti-Semitic libels here.
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