John Beattie, 23-year-old Toronto neo-Nazi, acted as his own attorney today in his trial on charges of causing “a public disturbance,” The charge developed from a riot at a Beattie rally in Toronto’s Allan Gardens last May. Jews in the audience charged and mauled Beattie after he had shouted “Death to the Jews.”
The neo-Nazi tried but failed to subpoena Mayor Philip Givens and City Alderman David Rotenberg, both present at the riot scene, and both Jewish. Beattie tried first to obtain a subpoena from a Justice of the Peace. Magistrate Hayes, who is presiding at Beattie’s trial, listened to the prosecution’s case, then ruled that the Mayor and the Alderman could not contribute anything as witnesses. However, the Magistrate ruled that Police Inspector Adamson’s evidence could be useful and the trial was recessed for nine days until the inspector, who is on vacation, returned to Toronto.
Police constables testified that, after an initial violent response by the crowd to Beattie’s remarks, policemen pulled him away from his attackers. They testified that, at this point, Beattie shouted “Death to the Jews” and “Nazi supremacy over the Jews,” and that these and similar remarks spurred demonstrators to greater violence.
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.
