RIOTS IN SPAIN.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20450, 21 January 1932, Page 7

RIOTS IN SPAIN.

A REVOLUTIONARY TURN. ATTACKS ON CHURCHES. (EXITED PIIESS ASSOCIATION—BT ELECTBIO TELEGRAPH —COrYKIBHT.) (Received January 20th, 7 p.m.) MADRID, January 20. The Cabinet has specially considered the renewed outbreak of strikes and riots throughout the country. It has decided to punish with equal severity the extremists of both the Right and the Left, involving tho full force of the law in defence of the Rcpublio equivalent to imposing martial law. A disquieting feature has been the renewal of attempts to burn churches and convents, which last year led to tho destruction of many art treasures. Moreover, the strike epidemic in many quarters is taking a revolfttionary turn. The Government has suspended the leading Roman "Catholic newspaper, "El Debate," for an editorial asserting that the Government had aided Communist attacks on the Church Workers in Galicia declared a strike throughout the province, beginning to-day. A number of men were arrested at Valencia in the act of placing bombs against the walls of a convent. The general strike at Bilbao has ended. "There were 70 arrests, including many distinguished persons. Attempt to Burn Convent.

Following the proclamation of the general strike, tho Reds and Royalists again clashed. At night the workmen attempted to sack the Catholic newspaper "Gaceta del Norte," and shot the doorkeeper. They subsequently attempted to fire a convent, but were repulsed by armed ltoyalists with several casualties. Troops guarded the principal religious buildings. The Communists then marched to the prison and obliged the authorities to release two comrades, and carried them shoulder high to another prison, where they demanded the release of all the prisoners. The authciities fired, and repulsed them. At Valencia incendiaries attempted tn fire churches and convents. Twenty thousand textile workers struck in Barcelona. Assaults ana robberies in Madrid are increasing.