ITALIAN COMMUNISTS CALL OFF STRIKE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25549, 17 July 1948, Page 7

ITALIAN COMMUNISTS CALL OFF STRIKE

Cabinet Rejects Demands Of Labour Confederation READY TO USE ARMS TO STOP ATTACKS (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Bee. 8 p.m.) LONDON, July 1(>. The Italian Government has announced that the Communist leaders have called off the general strike, which is to cease at noon to-day. Earlier the Route radio said that the Prime Minister (Mr de Gasperi) was understood to have told the representatives of the General Confederation of Labour: “The Government intends to do everything possible to foil any attempt at overthrowing it. If the Confederation intends to oppose the Government, the Government will oppose the Confederation.” An Italian Cabinet spokesman said in Rome yesterday that the Cabinet, if necessary, would order the use of arms to stop assaults on the police and installations. “Liberty of work will be guaranteed to-morrow for those who want to return to their jobs,” he said. “The Government guarantees protection against any groups.” In many places the strike began to break up last night. Restaurants reopened, and in Rome storekeepers said they would reopen to-day. Sources close to lhe Prime Minister said that Mr di Vittorio, secretary of the General Labour Confederation, demanded as the price for ending the strike that the Government should resign. Then, seeing that that was impossible, he asked that Mr Scelba, the Minister of the Interior, should resign. He backed down on both demands in the face of the Government’s stern refusal to compromise, and the strike last night still had no slated objective, The Moscow radio said that the Italian Christian Demoi crats had helped to prepare the attempt on the life of the Com- ; munist leader (Mr Togliatti) which precipitated the general strike and disorders throughout the country.

ATTACKS BY ARMED REBELS

Armed violence broke out in Italy yesterday. The Minister pf the In- I terior told the Chamber of De- j puties that “revolutionary forces” had blown up sections of four railway lines and tried to cut the main telephone cable between nprth and central Italy. The Chamber exploded into an uproar on hearing Mr Scelba’s statement. The Communists and Left Wing Socialists remained silent. Mr Scelba revealed that armed rebels had attacked with grenades and gunfire the police forces guarding the telephone and power station in Tuscany, which is the main relay point of the central telephone cable between northern and central Italy. The rebels I attacked and prevented reinforce- I ments from reaching the station. Other ; troops were sent in from Grosseto and : nearby towns. Mr Scelba also revealed that (1) at 1 Civita Vecchia a section of the main j coastal railway was blown up; (2) a I section of- the main Rome-Florence | railway was blown up at Chiusi; <3> i a section of track was biown up be- ' tween Rome and Terni on the main | line to the Adriatic coast; <4) a sec- ■ tion of track was blown up on the ! Orte-Falconare line along the Adria- : tic; <5) a mob near Civita Vecchia | attacked the main power station for the electric railway. In spite of this sabotage. 13 goods trains reached Rome yesterday afternoon. assuring food supplies. ‘'Communists set up gun emplace- i ments in Genoa and blocked the streets | with trenches and barricades,” re- | ported the correspondent of the Bri- i tish United Press. “A state of emer- j gency and a curfew were declared j and Army reinforcements were rushed ' to the city. ‘’Communists raided Genoa’s power ; station yesterday morning and cut off the power for several hours. They occupied the telephone exchange for a period, isolating the city, but the police drove them from the building.” 1 The military are reported to have assumed full powers in Genoa, after j rm outbreak of shooting between dem- [ cnstrators and troops. Firing was stiff ' going on last night, but the situation was well in hand. Thousands of rioters stormed the prison at Busto Arsizio. 25 miles north of Milan, last evening, overpowered ■

i the guards and freed five Communists ■ In Turin a Communist mob stormed | the independent Right Wing news- | paper “La Stampa” and wrecked the i premises. Workers who occupied the Fiat and I ! Miraflori factories in Turin on Wed- ; 1 nesday night held company directors j ; as hostages. Nearly 2000 police and troops, sup- , ported by tanks and lorries, kept a I crowd of 801)0 demonstrators chanting [ “Revolution, Revolution,” away from i Government offices in Rome while the i Cabinet met yesterday. Six persons Avere killed and scores ' were wounded during riots and dem- . onstrations throughout Italy on Wednesday. Three people, including a ‘ policeman, were wounded in an exi change of shots between police and ' demonstrators at Bari. The police at-, tacked and removed a road-block set up by demonstrators to prevent Christ- ■ ian Democrat workers from reaching i factories. Communists cut the road to Venice : and Marghera. overturned railway ' trucks, occupied some factories, and ; seized an army general and a colonel i as hostages. Eleven police were wounded in fighting when workers tried to occupy a sweet factory in Milan. There was fighting in other parts of Milan.