Not Obscene Indecent!

^LITERARY FREEDOM HAS WON A RESOUNDING VICTORY IN A SMALL PROVINCIAL T0WN9 Not Obscene printed without adverse comment in reputable large circulation literary Anarchist Weekly # magazines and periodicals. Anselm Hollo found that Arthur had created DECEMBER U 1965 Vol. 26 No. 38 a successful mosaic of texts which Indecent! pattern achieves, in the minimum space, the dichotomy of prevalent cultural and moralistic attitudes to SOMEBODY ON G&ANADA TV that people who write on lavatory wards all expressions of the sexual said that the three-day trial of walls presumably feel a compulsive urge, to produce a book of ‘definite The GoldenConvolvulus was the urge to express themselves. This literary and sociological merit’. Where is Free Speech nearest Blackburn has ever got to ‘gives us an insight into the minds Anselm defined the basic require having a university and if you’d seen and attitudes of people who are not ments of good writing as being of Arthur Moyse and John Rety dis normally articulate enough for their total honesty in writing and integrity tributing copies ofj F reedom to expressions to find their way into of purpose, and style a sub-division happy old ladies in Yates’ Wine books on sociology’. These chil of integrity. George Melly was his in Manchester ? Lodge you’d have agreed. This dren’s, army and prison songs, I usual perky articulate and entertain after an indisputable victory for pleaded, were ‘basic folk culture of ing self, and during a brilliant freedom of literary expression and much interest to sociologists and testimony, under strong cross- HE FOLLOWING is a combination the speaker, a visitor from London, was a verdict favourable to the continued normal intelligent people’. In examination, he even had some of of reports received from four dif arrested. The demonstrators felt that it T expansion of the avant - garde answer to questions by both counsels the jury sporting cheesecake grins. ferent comrades in Manchester, of the was their duty to try to prevent the literary underground. I said that if this book hadn’t used George said that each item was in November 27 demonstration organised arrest as the police were breaking the frank language it would be porno cluded for a reason; to present a by the British Council for Peaco in principle of FREE SPEECH, so some This was a trial in which expert Vietnam. linked arms and shouted ‘Free Speech’. opinion on obscenity was ruled in graphic, and that in medical and definite point of view and that The police started to bully and try and admissible by the Assistant Recorder sociological books one could find ‘poems don’t usually answer ques The demonstration was intended to be frank descriptions of most known tions they ask them’. He thought a two-pronged march finishing with a drag people away, kicking and punching Mr. H. Day, after a lengthy legal public meeting. The site chosen for the as they went. Demonstrators chanted wrangle between the two counsels ‘abnormal’ and ‘perverted’ practices, it true and admirable to stress that meeting was Albert Square which was that it was a non-violent demonstration, but ‘because these books were read sexual love was a good and beautiful but it had no effect. (this let out Dr. Warren, for the large enough to make ‘obstruction’ a prosecution and Drs. Cooper and by serious people, and were re thing, that suppression, fear and ridiculous objection and where similar Only two people were actually Freeman for the defence). Mr. Day garded as serious books, they were disgust of it is conducive to guilt meetings had previously been held. The arrested in the. square, but when a group “accepted”. The Golden Convoland neurotic unhappiness in the police objected and, supported by three also ruled that ‘Publication for Gain’ of demonstrators went to Bootle Street meant, in fact, monetary gain. This vulus was such a serious book’. I private field, and is exploitable in MPs who sponsored the march, per Police Station to lodge a formal com argued that buggery between hus the political and religious sense. suaded the CND executive to accept plaint that the fundamental right of free was a trial that saw Lord Dynevor, Andrew Lloyd and Cavan McCarthy band and wife can be regarded as When defence counsel asked Dom as a central meeting place an obscure speech had been denied, six of them Sylvester Hou6dard if ‘on reading car park in Watson Street, where they were arrested. One of our correspon dismissed on the grounds that they normal pre-sex play in that there is had the undivided attention of nearby dents was charged with obstructing the were not expert witnesses as to no bulk of reputable expert scientific the book’ did he find ‘that frequent warehouses, railway rolling stock and footpath, but another demonstrator who literary merit. Andrew and Cavan opinion ruling otherwise. Many of connections with four letter words, several empty cars! had merely gone to lodge a complaint were subsequently described by Mr. the poems were essentially religious God, Jesus and religious matters, The Committee of 100 and Manchester was charged with assaulting the police! Benet Hytner, for the prosecution, and mystical poems, attacking the in any way prejudice or hamper and Salford Anarchist Group considered A 16-year-old boy who had joined the as ‘young and impressionable’. It forces of anti-sexuality and embrac your ability to assess the literary the denial of use of Albert Square an march in the street and was arrested in ing the human condition. I said merits of the book’, he answered, Albert Square had been beaten up. was a trial in which Burrough’s infringement upon free speech and cut-up techniques were discussed that the book is a literary and socio ‘I would say in using these words, decided to go ahead as planned. When The trial on the Monday was a farce, and literary collage established as a logical collage of contemporary which are extremely common in cer D)g march reached Market Street the with the police giving conflicting evi sexual attitudes and opinion, that tain age groups and classes of dence,*Sa businessman on "the “bench i literary, frr-f in w \A r',v :m ml^^d more militant members went down Cross his exams, and /Charles Cameron 'people should exercise their personal sterety, they are trying to seek, Street to Albert Square without any making erroneous points of law and censorship on what they read and reality. The authors reduce words interference whatsoever. When the rest the ruling of the Lord Chief Justice in a had to be rushed off to the local of the march passed by they appealed to similar case being ignored. The fines isolation 'hospital; In which John that, although James Bond disgusts to the normal vernacular. They are them to join in the meeting in Albert ranged between £2-£ 10 and any donations Arden was unable to get across to me, I read Fleming to see just what trying to put a doctrine of love into Square, but they carried on to their towards these should be sent to: P. Baker, the mainland and B. S. Johnson attracts people to this type of litera a terminology used today. This is obscure car park. 46 Parksway, Higher Blackley, Man failed to receive a witness’s copy of ture. Under cross-examination I a useful thing in society’. He con A meeting was held in the Square, and chester, 9. the book. In which Ed. Sanders argued that ‘no literature of any kind sidered that what the poets were Fuck You mag was described as can do any considerable harm to attacking was a wrong but popu having an unusual title and Arthur any person, and that even James larised idea of what instituted Moyse as being ‘a very sincere man’. Bond and deplorable pieces of religion is, but that these works In which the Recorder illustrated popular journalism were redeemed were fundamentally sound. ‘indecency’ in being as when a naked within the context of such a collage. man walked through a room of Ignorance not knowledge is poten LITERARY FREEDOM Still No Place To Go ladies and ‘obscenity’ as this same tially corruptive’. On Friday, December 4, 1965, man drawing attention to his geni ‘PEACE NEWS’ DISMISSED prosecuting counsel said that ‘merely tals. In which Dr. Warren dis to reprint writings from lavatory P. PAWLOWSKI REPORTS: By this time the children were becom covered that the wife of one of his A Peace News review of the book walls is hardly of any literary merit ing cold so we decided it was best to patients submitted toPoetmeat and was dismissed as inadmissible evi because any male can see it without orty demonstrators an<i leave. We sang ‘We shall overcome’ as this discovery upset him. dence but an issue of 20th Century reading the book’, and defence F about twice that many children, we marched back to the main road where mag, containing sections from counsel considered it ‘nonsense to started from Lambeth Town Hall and we dispersed. \ On Wednesday morning, Decem walked up Brixton Hill towards the ‘Eskimo Nell’ and ‘The Airman’s say that a person who knows and J. RETY REPORTS: ber 1, 1965, at Blackburn Quarter prison at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November Sessions three prospective jurors Wife’ within an article on porno uses certain four letter words will The following Tuesday Mr. Justice 26. were objected to and one affirmed graphy by Dr. David Stafford Clark, have his life changed by seeing them Most of them were the homeless Lawton released Brian Lomas and Roy was allowed as representative of the written down’.

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