The prosecution today completed presentation of its case against five displaced Polish Jews being tried on charges of rioting and assault arising from clashes last February between Austrian civilians here and Jewish DP’s from the nearby Roidenburg camp. The trial is being conducted by an American military court.
Two Austrian detectives identified two of the defendants as having been practant when a crowd of DP’s broke a window of a bus from which two Jews had been ejected by the driver. The detectives said that Lipa Skolski, one of the defendants, had represented himself as a member of the Jewish camp police. They said he and Josef Cehanowski, another defendant, were present when members of the crowd assaulted traffic inspector Alfred Pruscha.
When the defense counsel asked the detectives if they could identify the two Jews as having interfered with traffic, the witnesses gave evasive answers. Finally, after intensive questioning, one of the detectives answered that the defendants had interfered by “passive resistance.” The detectives were the last of 16 prosecution witnesses. The defense is scheduled to open its case tomorrow.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
