ANTI-BRITISH RIOTS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27192, 9 November 1953, Page 9

ANTI-BRITISH RIOTS

It was officially stated toni seriously injured and 72 slight!;

CRITICISM OF GENERAL Violent Attack By ' Italian Press

(Rec. 9 pjn.) ROME, November 7. Italian newspapers today clamoured for the immediate removal of General Sir John Winterton, the British commander in Trieste. Many newspapers urged that the command be passed to the Americans. They said that the American Military Police were applauded when they appeared in the streets of Trieste last night. Sir John Wintertqn was described in Italian newspapers as “a squalid Tommy,” “a pupil of Kitchener,” and ‘‘the heroic general.” “La Nazione” (Florence) declared: “The most slavish follower'of the Soviet Union could not have served Russia better than General Winterton. The most bitter enemy of the Atlantic Pact could not have done more and better than he to throw the alliance into a state of crisis.” “H Tempo” (Milan) said: ‘‘We cannot allow equivocation to continue. Either General Winterton is nothing but a stupid corporal, in which case he must be immediately removed, or else he is faithfully carrying out orders

‘‘lf the latter is the case we can at once get rid of the official embarrassment of continuing to maintain relations with the British Government.” The pro-Government newspaper ‘‘ll Messagero” declared: “It must be recognised—and we hope the British are with us in recognising—that General Winterton has represented his country badly, committing faults which find no indulgence among civilised peoples. “The spilling of blood, nis odious obstinacy, the arrogance of his disdain, reached the point of refusing to receive a delegation (of Italian officials) who -went to the Allied Command to ask that less ferocity be used in handling crowds of unarmed boys.” Questions are to be asked in the Italian Parliament soon about polise action during riots in Trieste in the last two days. It is expected that the strong Italian reaction to violence in the city will force the Government to consider a full debate when Parlia-

ment reconvenes in 10 days. It is thought that the Government had hoped to avoid taking further action on Trieste until after the Jugoslav general elections on November 28, when it was widely believed in Italy that there might be a much greater possibility of reaching a compromise with Jugoslavia.

Italian . Outbursts On Trieste Issue '

XRec 11 p.m.) TRIESTE, November 7. of riotim.- r kS r ” ed D t ° Tri ® ste . today after three days violent anti R •rT ome ’ Bari and Palermo (Sicily) violent anti-Bntish demonstrations occurred. in Tripvtp’ hi^ C< n c * n ® mas opened for business as usual readv to* meet* Bntl fl h and United States troops stood guard ready to meet any flare-up outside the Allied offices. his Govprom»n t °® ce s P° kesl «an said tonight that shooW Jv ri'i nS ' d 7 d that the responsibility for the British CnX™ Italian demonstrators in Trieste lay on the commande r of the zone and the police force under his

The spokesman criticised foreign press renorts that the i a^±’t to ?\ StC a^ d been a Who ha ™ fihered into Trieste from Italy. He X* w ere Trieste residents, and so were the 39 gravely wounded and the more than 100 slightly wounded.

ight that seven policemen were ly injured in the Trieste rioting.

T . I. 1? a raid today on the Neo-Fascist Italian Social Movement, believed to be one of the main instigators of the anti-Bntish demonstrations in Trieste, security police detained 20 Fascist youths.

They also arrested a number of professional troublemakers, most of whom were from the pro-Krajnlin' and proTito Communist parties. Fifty police and about 30 demonstrators were injured today, some seriously, when students tried to storm the British Embassy in Rome and the Britlsh Consulates in Bari and Palermo. The demonstrators were protesting against the shooting by the police of six Italians in the Trieste rioting. Thousands of stone-throwing demontrators tried to break through big riot squad cordons to the British Embassy in Rome:

The police arrested 161 demonstrators. The police used tear-gas, batons and hoses to disperse the de-

The windows of the British Council offices and the British European Air-

ways Bureau in Rome were smashed by the demonstrators. Baton charges drove back the demonstrators menacing the offices. Armed police cordoned off the United States Embassy and prevented the students from reaching it. In Bari the police beat off an advance on the British consulate by 5000 students. About 12 students were detained. About 15,000 students and schoolchildren poured into central streets in Rome today in a later demonstration. Similar outbursts were reported from Milan, Turin, Genoa, and Venice and other cities. But strong forces of police, equipped with tear-gas and fire hydrants, protected the British and American offices, throughout the country. In Rome and elsewhere students milled about in the city centres chanting “English Assassins/’ “Out with the Foreigner,” “Death to Winterton,” and “Trieste for Italy.”