POLICE FINES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 95, 23 April 1928, Page 7

POLICE FINES.

MUST NOT INTERFERE

Egyptian Bill Viewed With

Concern.

"FACILITATES DISORDER."

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received 12.30 p.m.)

RUGBY, April 22.

The text of the proposed Assemblies Law, which is to come before the Egyptian Senate on April 30, has reached London and is the subject of unfavourable comment in the Press.

When the Egyptian Government rejected the draft Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, which had been negotiated by Sarwat Pasha, the then Prime Minister, and Sir Austen Chamberlain, they were reminded in the communication sent at the beginning of last month that the

British Government would not permit the discharge of their responsibility for the protection of foreigners in Egypt to be endangered by Egyptian legislation.

The present bill is regarded by the Press as having the effect of facilitating political agitation and weakening the power of those whose duty it is to maintain order. Among the clauses which attract comment are those which stipulate that police officers may attend a meeting but can only dissolve it in two cases; firstly, if the committee responsible for the meeting requests, in writing, that this should be done, or, secondly, in the case of grave disorder, in which event a meeting can be resumed if calm is considered to have been restored.

Lighter penalties are imposed on demonstrators who contravene the law than on the officials dissolving a meeting in cases other than those indicated in the bilL

The terms of the whole measure are reported to have created misgivings among foreign residents in Egypt and among the Egyptian police, who would have to wait for a definite breach of the peace before they could take an executive action.

The "Times" says the late Zaghlul Pasha himself considered that the existing law of the public meeting required strengthening rather than relaxation, and it can only be supposed that the extremists in or behind the Wafd party have simply made up their minds to impose an irresponsible gesture upon the Egyptian Government.

Political exchanges in Egypt have almost always been accompanied by antiforeign rioting. There are fully 100,000 foreign residents in Egyptian towns, while others, especially Greeks, are scattered about the countryside. The value of their property is considerable and in times of trouble they are regularly menaced by local roughs whom Egyptian authorities have always found difficulty in restraining and whom they will hardly be able to restrain at all if the Public Meetings Bill becomes law.

Until the proposed law has been definitely passed by the Senate and signed by King Fuad, there is always the hope that wiser counsels will prevail at the last moment and that even the wilder spirits will realise that some gestures are neither dignified nor prudent.

The bill as projected by the Egyptian Government receives further severe criticism in the "London Sunday Press."

The "Sunday Times" says: "The most objectionable feature of the measure is that it. not only licenses all kinds of assemblies and processions but provides for severe penalties against the police for interference unless an actual breach of peace occurs. It thus debars the authorities from exercising preventive powers as a precaution in doubtful circumstances and also paralyses the police from taking action because of the. fear of penalties."

The "Observer" describes the provisions of the bill as a dangerous farce and adds: "By an almost unbelievable chain of perversity the bill would not only discourape the local police .from preventing .disorder but would penalise them if they took almost any preventive measures whatsoever. An Egvptian policeman is to be fined £1 in* pome cases and £30 in others if he interferes with the holding of assemblies likelv to lead to disorder. If be allows disorder to run its course he is to be regarded as a pood and faithful servant of the new order."

The "Observer" adds that there is yet time to withdraw the bill before damage is done. e