Two leaders of the anti-Semitic Pekonkrust party in Latvia were convicted today under court martial law in a conspiracy to overthrow the Latvian government.
The two, Dr. Zelmin and Herr Plakis, were immediately sentenced to three and two years’ imprisonment respectively.
The Pekonkrust organization is similar to the Nazi youth organization in Germany. It is demanding the introduction of an “Aryan” paragraph in Latvia along the same lines as in Nazi Germany. It is due to the influence of this organization that a special chair for “raciology” was established last year in the Latvian university.
The Pekonkrust movement has been gaining ground, particularly among Latvian students. Despite the dissolution of other political groups in Latvia this organization was permitted to continue its existence on the ground that it represents the patriotic youth movement of the country.
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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.
