— Leon Shachman, one of 22 anti-Nazi activists on trial in Bad Hersfeld for alleged violent behavior, was cleared by the court today. The judge concluded that it was impossible to establish who was responsible for the violence that erupted at the Deutschland Meeting of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) in Philippsthal last June 17.
The charges against Shachman, an Israeli photographer, and the others were pressed by the NPD. They alleged Shachman, who has been covering neo-Nazi activities in West Germany for the past two years, attacked NPD members, Shachman said he was severely beaten by the neo-Nazis without provocation and had only tried to defend himself. The prosecution had charged him with intimidation and breach of the peace and asked for a six month suspended sentence.
The trial of the other defendants continued as their sympathizers demonstrated outside the courthouse to protest the proceedings. Anti-Nazis said it was unconscionable that the Hessen State Prosecutor accepts without a question the NPD’s version of events. The prosecution for its part claimed that some of the placards carried by the protestors bore slogans that could be construed as intimidation of the court.
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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.
