Grave fears are entertained in Jewish circles in France that the forthcoming trial of Sholom Schwartzbard will be a signal for an outburst of anti-Semitism, a despatch from Pierre Van Paassen, European staff corre-spondent of the “Evening World” states.
“It is generally predicted that Schwartzbard will be acquitted, as the act of killing Petlura falls under the heading of political crimes,” Mr. Van Paassen states. “In such cases the French law considers that the time spent in jail, between arrest and trial, is sufficient punishment.
“The French Minister of Justice has so far declined to set a definite date for the opening of the trial, as the Government wants to survey first the political results that may be the outcome of it. Nevertheless, it is quite certain that Schwartzbard will be brought before the court within a few weeks,” the despatch states.
“Paris will see something of the excitement that accompanies big murder trials in the United States. Requests for seats in the court room, have come from newspapers as far away as Jassy, Roumania. It is estimated that between two and three hundred foreign correspondents and observers alone will ask to be allowed to watch the legal proceedings.
“The Jewish people feel that the renewed activity of the anti-Semitic societies in attempting to clear Petlura of the guilt of the progroms constitutes a threat to their safety in Europe. Comparisons are made with the famous Dreyfus trial, which also loosened anti-Semitic passions, and the equally notorious Beilis trial in Russia,” Mr. Van Paassen states.
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