United States park police today reported they were forced to disperse a neo-Nazi rally to avert what appeared an imminent violent clash between Lincoln Rockwell’s followers and a crowd that became enraged when Rocksell voiced extreme anti-Semitism.
Police said that about 150 persons were present at the open-air rally of the “American Nazi party.” Most of the crowd appeared to be tourists, mainly students, who were passers-by in the area. Individuals armed themselves with sticks. It was the hottest flare-up yet ignited by the neo-Nazi group which harangues against the Jews on weekends near the leading art gallery and museum.
Rockwell’s Jew-baiting, under a banner proclaiming Nazism, caused listeners to surge forward, hooting and threatening the agitator. His voice was drowned out by the tumult. A riot seemed in the immediate offing, causing park police to go into action. They ordered Rockwell to turn off his loud-speaking system and leave the area. They also dispersed the crowd.
As part of their protest, individuals in the crowd sang “God Bless America.” Some persons stood in front of the Nazi platform and sang “Hatikvah” in defiance of Rockwell’s men. Police noted that pro-Nazis in the crowd almost came to blows with the anti-Nazis, and that the whole area would have erupted in a wild melee had they not dispersed and terminated the meeting.
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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.
