AGITATORS BUSY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 126, 31 May 1938, Page 5

AGITATORS BUSY.

OBJECTION TO COUNT. VON LUCKNER IN SYDNEY. -ANTI-FASCISTS TRUCULENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 27. When it was first announced that Count Felix von Luckner intended to call at Sydney on his voyage round the world a vehement controversy was started in the public Press. The large number of people who would prefer to forget all about the Great War and to treat all honourable enemies in peacetime as friends naturally favoured the idea of welcoming von Luckner in an amicable way, in a manner befitting his rank and his fine war record. On the other hand the democratic section of the community and more especially those who hate and fear Nazi-ism and Fascism in all their various forms were resolved that, if possible, he should be kept out of the country and that if he came to Sydney he should get no chance' of spreading abroad any doctrines offensive to such a community as ours.

The workers were particularly agitated by ft cable message from London I which appeared in the "Labour Daily," and which assured the readers that "it is well known in England that Count von Luckner is a gentleman spy acting on behalf of Hitler." At the eame time the Communist organisations. here received news to their taste in the form of a letter to their secretary from a New Zealand correspondent, who stated that there had been much suspicion | aroused by the Count's visit to the] Dominion, and that , the state of public feeling was indicated by the refusal of the Auckland City Council to grant him a public reception

Hearing all this the anti-Fascists here began to talk in a somewhat truculent and ferocious fashion. In Sydrfey many public "threats of warnings were issued to the effect that every effort would be made to prevent von Luckner from propagandising here, and in other

parts of the State strong feeling of the same sort was manifested.

Meantime the Count's yacht, the See- ] teufel, was delayed by bad we.-thev for >ome clays, and when at lar-t he did < arrive the public agitation over his visit j had risen to fever heat. The authorities i were a little dubious about the situation and, though there was no immediate danger, a small body of police was detailed to look after von Luckner— ( "just in case" —and they will act as his bodyguard during his five weeks' stay ; here. But nothing untoward has happened yet, and it is to be hoped, on public grounds, that no overt trouble will supervene. Empire Society Guest. Rather to the astonishment of soine of our local patriots he was the guest of the Royal Empire Society at its commemoration dinner on Empire Day, and he has also been welcomed by the Millions Club. But the anti-Fascists are still unrelenting in their hostility and they almost succeeded the other niglit in staging an "incident" that might have spoiled the Count's visit altogether. Von Luckner had been requested to broadcast an address over the Australian Broadcasting Commission's net-work and he duly appeared at the appointed place—2BL studio—and gave his "talk" about many interesting incidents of his childhood and early life. A crowd of about 100 Communists and their adherents gathered in Market Street, outside the A.B.C. Studios, and waited from about 8 p.m. till 11 p.m. for von Luckner to appear. There was apparently no intention of violence, but the attitude of the crowd was distinctly hostile. Reiterated cries of "Felix the Cat," "We don't want you here in a democratic country," "Down with Hitler and Fascism" were constantly used and a banner . inscribed "2-B-L with von Luckner"' carjried a little timidly by a Communist champion was ■ greeted with loud applause. Eleven police laughed at this • ingenious play upon the name of the studio. But they were not inclined to take any chances with the crowd and after confiscating the banner they proceeded to assure their audience that von Luckner had got away already. As a matter of fact von Luckner wanted to no out and face the crowd, but his hosts, fnduced him to stay in the studio for an hour or so talking over his adven-'

tures and then smuggled him out by a side lane into Pitt Street and escorted him safely home. On the whole von] Luckner* who has treated all'these incidents in his usual and good-humoured fashion, has little cause to complain of his reception in Sydney.

"A Plain Sailor Man." However, there are certtyi features I of this much-discussed visit which, while they hardly justify the belligerent attitude of the Communists toward Von Luckner, seem to deserve a little serious consideration. When Von Luckner arrived he took pains to explain, as usual, that he is not a politician, that he is only "a plain sailor man," and that nothing is farther from his thoughts and purposes than any suggestion of Fascist propaganda. Moreover, he went out of his way to laugh to scorn the idea that he could possibly be a secret agent sent here as an emissary by Hitler to "spy out the nakedness of the land."

Tl|is is all-very well so far as it goes; but anyone critically deposed can find an immense amount of material which might fairly be labelled "'Fascist progaganda," in the numerous interviews

that he has given here. On tlie day ofj his arrival he assured a visitor that Germany and England have already; made a secret agreement, and that as for the German colonies, "wo will get them back." On another occasion lie predicted the return of Germany s "within a year." Naturally his critics here have asked how he and his admirers can reconcile all this with his assurance that he is neither a politician nor a propagan - But the remarks which have given ' lse | ( to the strongest feeling are hi s refer - ences to Germany as the , I 1 lost children"—in other words, the f ul . ject minorities in foreign countr.es j and his complaint that England and Germanv would be good friend-- but !France "with her Communistic alliances {was trying to keep them apart. If this is not deliberate propaganda, 'then the word ha* no meaninp: and a I number of people here who have no. Communist sympathies are wondering; iUow lons the Federal authorities willj.i permit the public preaching of political;} views which are obviously intended to,] [prejudice public opinion here jgaiiist,s I France and against Britain's foreignjt 'policy. ''