ON Sunday 16 August, BBC2 showed Judge Horton specially made Fielder Cook. of the notorious case of nine black youths convicted in the 1930s of the rape of two white women, in Alabama.
Charlie van Gelderen socialist at the time and reviewed the film for Socialist Challenge.
The film showed vividly the background against which the trial was held -the deeply racist The women in the case in the eves of the 'WASPs' (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants).. woula normally have been regarded waite trash by these upholders of true American manhood.
But for a white woman, any white woman, be ohysically assaulted hv a black man Scottsboro boys, film for television, directed by The film was a reconstruction was an active anything of nine black men - that was more than their lily-white flesh could Frame Of course, as is evident from the trial - and this was onlv one of manv the whole case against the VOTES was gigantic frame-up.
The film clearly depicts the brutal racism of the prosecution, the crowded court room and the irv twelve good men and true, all white and all male.
The tornev shows his racism not only against the black accused but "smart Jew. lawyers from York' who were defending them.
Sentence Despite the efforts of Judge Horton, who knew that the whole prosecution case was a colossal fraud, the jury found eight of the accused and sentenced them to the electric chair.
The youngest; only 13 years old, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
But, defying the mob, the ludoe nroered trial and all the death sentences were eventually commuted various terms of imprisonment. The last Scottshoro victim was only released in the What the film did not show was the role played City By James WHEN the Persian poet something like 'a flask of wine, a book and thou! feel sure he was looking forward to his holidays. For the teetotal and vacationally celibate here's a good long read.
James Plunkett's eponymous city is Dublin during seven up to the First World War. time the conditions of the working class of that city were among the worst in Europe.
The death-rate diseases of poverty in Dublin were nigner than Czarist hahour movement. in the States and internadoubtedly was instrumen- tionally, which Wa -tal in saving the men from the electric chair. Labour I recall picketing the A mercan consulate Cape Town in Save the Scottsboro Boys' (we subconsciously adopted the language ot our
Challenge H Blockelection Socialist victory 11 No prison work •2 No prison uniform 13 Free association •4 Educational and recreation facilities •5 Full remission of sentence Offsex (TU) Ltd, London EZ
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