COMMUNIST MEMBER CAUSES SCENE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14570, 14 January 1948, Page 3

COMMUNIST MEMBER CAUSES SCENE

VIOLENT PARTY SPEECH

Uproar In French National Assembly

Condemnation Of “Foreign”

Interference

London, Jan. 13. The French Parliament began a new session this afternoon. A correspondent says that the Lower House —the National Assembly—got off to an unpromising start. The task of making the opening speech fell on the oldest deputy, a Communist, and he broke the tradition on these occasions by delivering a violent party speech which caused an uproar in the House.

He attacked M. Schuman’s Government and, in a veiled but obvious allusion to the United States,' he condemned foreign interference in other country’s affairs, and gave a brief word of approval to the AngloRussian trade agreement. He then proceeded to make an impassioned appeal for what he called the liberation of the peoples of Greece, China, Indonesia and Indo-China.

The correspondent says the House heard the address with growing impatience and anger and there were often such lively interruptions that the speaker was quite inaudible.

His reference to Indo-China caused particular indignation for several deputies had lost relatives in the fighting there. A number of members walked out of the chamber, and at the end of the speech the Communists stood up and sang the Marseillais. The Assembly then got down to its real business—the appointment of officers for the new session. The veteran statesman, M. Auriol, was re-elected Speaker and President of the Assembly although this time the Communists voted against him. The Communist, M. Duclos was badly defeated for the post of first Vice-President. Constitutionally, the first Vice-President becomes acting Premier should Parliament be dissolved and the President of the Assembly prevented from fulfilling this position. Instead of M. Duclos, the new first Vice-President is a Socialist.