CIVIL WAR LOOMS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 247, 29 July 1943, Page 4

CIVIL WAR LOOMS

GRAVE DISORDERS IN ITALY. WORK CEASES IN MAIN CITIES. FIGHTING BESIEGED FASCISTS. (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, July 2S. The anti-Fascist movement is gaining ground so rapidiy in Italy that Marshal Badoglio is threatened with civil war unless he speedily solves the country’s difficulties. Work has practically ceased in Milan, Turin, Genoa, Florence and Venice, the five main industrial cities of Italy, says a Swiss report. Workers left their benches to join in riots and anti-Fascist demonstrations in the streets. In a pitched battle that lasted fdur hours Italian soldiers are reported to have killed or wounded S2 Black Shirts who barricaded themselves in the Fascist Party headquarters at Turin. At Milan the demonstrations turned into riots after the Red Flag hoisted on public buildings had been removed by the police. Milan is reported to be verging on a revolution, reports the Associated Press correspondent on the Italian frontier. Despite- martial law crowds swept through the streets, shouting “Liberty; we want peace.” Twelve public buildings were burned down.

The British United Press correspondent at Berne says that Fascists who were besieged in the “Popolo D’ltalia” building in. Milan took hostages, including women and children, from among other occupants of the buildings. They then took refuge on the top floor. They dropped hand grenades -and fired on soldiers and civilians in the streets, causing many casualties. . Troops in armoured cars and small tanks were brought up hut would not turn their guns on the building for fear of killing or wounding the women and children.

The Fascists, in an attempt to placate the crowd, threw a prominent Fascist named Bonomi, who was one of 'the murderers of Mateotti, from the top floor: Binomi landed among the crowd and was mauled to death.

When darkness fell the troops brought searchlights which were trained on the windaws. The Fascists placed women and children at the windows and then opened machine-gun fire on the street, killing two soldiers.

The “Daily Telegraph” correspondent in Switzerland says that reports from Italy state that Milan is in a state of insurrection. The situation is described as extremely grave.

The Fascists kept up rifle- fire from rooftops for three hours. The factory areas were chiefly concerned in the rioting. Many workers who reported for work yesterday did not turn up after lunch and many more downed tools to-day, General Canle (commander of an Army corps based on Milan) urgently demanded the immediate resumption of work. He reminded the city of Marshal Badoglio’s decree that people must not assemble in groups of more than three and threatened court-martial and the death penalty. Milan, from where. Mussolini started his march to Rome, appears to be defying completely the military orders in a great wave of resurgent democratic fervour, reports the “Daily Express” correspondent on the Italian frontier. Workers on tlie tramways, at the Breda gumvorks, Caproni planeworks, and, Pirelli tyre and cable factory refused to work. The Army lias taken over the tramways.

Communists and Fascists are clashing. The “Corriere Della Sera” says that the Fascists barricaded in buildings are still sniping workers and soldiers. The paper says that fighting is difficult, protracted and bloody.