A titled widow associated with the extreme right wing was charged in magistrates court Tuesday with 10 counts of incitement to racial hatred for distributing anti-Semitic literature imputing ritual murder to Jews.
The Dowager Lady Birdwood, 77, who is contesting the charges, was released on unconditional bail, pending a hearing scheduled for June 11.
She was charged under the 1986 Public Order Act, which relates to the possession or distribution of “threatening, abusive or insulting” literature. If found guilty, she could face a maximum penalty of two years in jail on each count, an unlimited fine or both.
Birdwood, a resident of the Eastvale section of West London, is the widow of the second baron and stepmother of the present Lord Birdwood.
She heads English Solidarity, a far rightwing patriotic group. She stood for Parliament in a 1983 by-election, attracting a total of 69 votes.
The leaflets named in the charges against her are titled “Jewish Tributes to our Child Martyrs,” “Another Blood Libel or Ritual Murder?” “The Snides of March” and “The Ultimate Blasphemy — Revelations from the Talmud.”
Attorney General Sir Patrick Mayhew authorized Birdwood’s prosecution in March after public complaints and the police seizure of thousands of allegedly racist leaflets last December.
The police began their investigation when the leaflets appeared on car windshields and were mailed to libraries, universities and other institutions, mainly in the Westminster area of London.
On Birdwood’s first court appearance two weeks ago, the public gallery was filled with members of the British National Party, who were ordered out after chanting “Free speech for England.”
On Tuesday, the seats were occupied by elderly friends of the accused and members of her Rightwing Choice, an anti-immigration group.
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.
