Egyptians May Start Rioting

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 237, 6 October 1945, Page 5

Egyptians May Start Rioting

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Protest Against Presence Of British Garrison Force

N.Z.P.A.—Copyright— Rec. 1 p.m.

Special detachments of Egyptian police and troops have been ordered to stand by to deal with demonstrations when the universities and schools open to-morrow. It is feared that there may be serious noting by students as a protest against the continued occupation of their country by British troops. Special detachments of Egyptian forces are encamped in one of Cairo's mam parks, and others are patrollin" tire city's transport and communication lines. y The British military authorities have declared certain areas of Cairo out of bounds to British troops in order to avoid any pretext for creating trouble with the Egyptians. Prominent ThhS n?vi e ? aVe 4 Pr °- e f 6d a su ainst the trai »sfer of the British Ihnd Division to reinforce the garrison in Egypt. Egypt, like everybody else, is entitled to defend her own territory, declared Riad Bey, chairman of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Egyptian Chamber of Deputies He was commenting on the report that Britain was transferring another division to Egypt. } an \ , not concerne d with the number of troops being transferred, he said. "It is the principle involved. Egyptians do not want to impede the security of the British Empire, but desire the ultimate evacuation of British troops." Referring to Russia's claim to part of Libya, Riad Bey said Egypt was definitely interested in the future of the Italian colonies, including the Dodecanese. He believed some scheme should be worked out by which the peoples would decide fo? themselves if they wished to join any country or be independent. He said it was absolute nonsense to think the settlement of the Jews in Palestine would solve the Jewish problem, which involved between 17,000,000 and 18,000,000 people, only onetenth of whom could be accommodated in that country. The complete evacuation of British troops from Egypt was demanded by the leader of the Moslem Brotherhood, Hassan el Bana, whose organisation claims 500,000 members. He said no Egyptian Government could have a free hand in the country's internal interests as long as one British soldier was left in Egypt. Rioting might start unless the long-awaited promises of the Atlantic Charter were fulfilled. The leading nations, he added, should give Egypt a chance to fulfil her aspirations. The British had put a finger into every Egyptian economic machine, and the whole relationship was unjust. So long as the Egyptian Government was driven by the British it was not working for the good of the nation.