TRIAL OF AAGE ANDERSEN, “FUEHRER” OF THE NAZIS IN DENMARK, AND THREE OTHER NAZI JOURNALISTS, ALL MEMBERS OF THE STRONGEST NAZI PARTY IN THE COUNTRY, ON CHARGES OF PUBLISHING DEFAMATORY MATERIAL ABOUT THE JEWS, BEGAN TODAY.
THE DEFENDANTS WERE CHARGED WITH ISSUING NUMEROUS PAMPHLETS AND POSTERS DESIGNATING THE JEWS BY SUCH EPITHETS AS “PARASITES,” “SATAN’S REPRESENTATIVES ON EARTH” AND “THE PEOPLE WHICH TRANSFORMED SIN INTO A RELIGION,” AND TERMING SYNAGOGUES “DIRTY DENS OF THE DEVIL.” CONVICTION WOULD MEAN TWO YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT.
THEY WERE DEFENDED BY THEIR ATTORNEY ON THE GROUND THAT THEY HAD ACTED IN GOOD FAITH. CROWN PROSECUTOR BACH REPLIED BY POINTING OUT THAT DESPITE THE PRESENT TRIALS, DEFAMATORY NAZI PUBLICATIONS ABOUT THE JEWS WERE CONTINUING. HE HINTED THE GOVERNMENT WAS READY TO INSTITUTE ANOTHER TRIAL.
THE PROCEEDINGS, CONDUCTED BY A COURT CONSISTING OF A HIGH COURT JUDGE AND TWO OTHERS, ONE OF THEM A WOMAN, BROUGHT OUT DISSENSION EXISTING AMONG NAZIS IN DENMARK, SPLIT INTO THREE FACTIONS. LEMVIGH MUELLER, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL GROUP OF SEVEN ACCUSED JOURNALISTS, DEMANDED AND RECEIVED A SEPARATE TRIAL, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED YESTERDAY. DECISION WAS RESERVED UNTIL ALL THE DEFENDANTS HAVE BEEN HEARD.
THE NAZI’S DEFENSE IS CHIEFLY CONCERNED WITH ATTEMPTING TO PROVE TO THE COURT THAT JEWS ARE PERMITTED BY RELIGIOUS LAW TO VIOLATE GIRLS FROM THE AGE OF THREE YEARS
AND ONE DAY UP. THIS ARGUMENT WAS BASED ON QUOTATIONS TAKEN OUT OF THEIR CONTEXT IN THE TALMUD.
THE NAZIS INSISTED THIS WAS STILL LAW AMONG THE JEWS, ALTHOUGH THE PROSECUTOR, BY READING THE FULL CONTEXT, DEMONSTRATED THAT THE PASSAGE WAS MERELY A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION BY THE TALMUDISTS. HE ALSO ALLUDED TO THE CASE OF A FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER OF A HUNGARIAN KING WHO WAS MARRIED TO A NOBLEMAN.
SURROUNDED BY PILES OF BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS, MUELLER ATTEMPTED AT GREAT LENGTH TO PROVE THAT THE GOD OF MANKIND, BUT A NATIONAL GOD, CLAIMING HIS STATEMENTS WERE BASED ON CAREFUL STUDY AND WERE SCIENTIFICALLY JUSTIFIED. HIS DISCOURSE WAS INTERRUPTED SEVERAL TIMES BY THE JUDGES AND FINALLY HE WAS ASKED BY THE PROSECUTOR TO SHORTEN IT.
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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.
