17 Christmas leniency

During the 1957 Christmas, a Canadian magistrate freed a jobless British immigrant charged under the Mental Hospital Act.

The official explained:

“This is a special case and this is Christmas.”

Similarly, a Honduran immigrant in Britain, imprisoned after he could not pay the rent, was “unexpectedly set free”.

Do you think this Christmas leniency can help immigrants?

So far we have only looked at mainstream media. Tomorrow we will study some diaspora press published and read by immigrants.

Reference:

‘What a difference Christmas makes’, Daily Mail, p.3 (18 December 1957)

‘Immigrant out of prison for Christmas’, The Guardian, p.2 (22 December 1966)