COMMUNISTS AND FREE SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 44, 21 February 1940, Page 6

COMMUNISTS AND FREE SPEECH.

Up to Aiijni*t last the small but noi*y group of Cotnmuiiiets in our midst were creaming for war a?ain&t Hitler on behalf of Poland. "Wc in Xew Zealand," <aid their paper, "are just a« concerned in the fate of Danzig as the people of Poland. Hitler must be baited, and Danzig is the place where it mast be done." Quite so. But within a month this "just war," as they bad called it, started. Stalin having in the meantime discovered that he and Hitler were, after all, twin souls, his obedient dopes in this country hastened to point oat that the "just war" must now be considered an unjust capitalist war. After this remarkable right-about-face, no one need be surprised that the local com* rades have now adopted tbe unaccustomed role of champions of free epcech but of course free speech with qualifications in the case of any pensoas other than Communists. What those qualifications are is plainly to be seek from their publications and from what happens in their beloved Russia to those whose views do not precisely coincide with those of the gang in control. "Liquidated" is, I think, the term they use to describe tbe process by which those comrades are gathered to their fathers who failed to acclaim Trotsky, Zinovieff, KameneJF, Bnkharin and the other* when they were included ia the elect, or to condemn them when they were not. Their idea of free speech is that anyone may say anything he likes provided it is just what the Comrnunut likes. As their only loyalty is to their semi-civilised Mongol masters, it is only to be expected that they will do their utmost to assist their Xaxi confederate* to win the war. But it is surprising that they find some support in their anti-recruiting campaign from son* respectable people. If the Connnumsb achieve their objective and Britain loan tbe war there will be no free speech far anyone. FREE SPEECH. ■