The City of New York, under court order to provide Nazi George Rockwell with a site for a public rally, notified him today that he could use a small park at the foot of Manhattan for that purpose on April 20.
Park Commissioner Newbold Morris, replying to a Rockwell request for a permit to hold his rally at Union Square Park in the heart of Manhattan, denied the request and offered Jeanette Park on the waterfront. The Commissioner informed the head of the American Nazi party that the park could accommodate about 1,200 people “and has adequate comfort station facilities.” A speakers stand was promised.
The Commissioner declared that April 20, which Rockwell wants to celebrate as Hitler’s birthday, is “a business day” in Union Square which “is heavily used by neighboring office workers and store employes.”
The Supreme Court of New York last year upheld a decision of lower courts that the Commissioner could not deny Rockwell a permit “unless it is demonstrated” that “such expression will immediately and irreparably injure the public weal.” The issue was taken to the courts by Rockwell, aided by the American Civil Liberties Union, when Rockwell’s initial application fora permit was rejected by Mayor Wagner.
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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.
