The 1971 OZ Obscenity Trial Recalled by Steven Heller

Steven Heller, turning 76, republishes a 2014 Daily Heller column about the British underground magazine OZ, which inspired his own editorial work. The column focuses on the 1971 OZ obscenity trial, described by Tony Palmer as 'the longest obscenity trial in history.' The trial targeted OZ editors Richard Neville and his comrades for issue No. 28, accused of conspiring to corrupt children's morals. The Obscene Publications Squad had raided OZ offices multiple times. Justice Michael Argyle showed bias against the defendants. Friendly witnesses included artist Feliks Topolski, comedian Marty Feldman, activist Caroline Coon, DJ John Peel, musician George Melly, legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin, and academic Edward de Bono. The trial combined obscenity charges with conspiracy to corrupt public morals for the first time. Palmer's book, illustrated by Topolski, documented the case. Heller notes his own experience publishing The New York Review of Sex and Politics, which also faced legal challenges but was less severe than OZ's ordeal.