TENSION IN ITALY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27193, 10 November 1953, Page 11

TENSION IN ITALY

National Protest On Trieste I (N2. Press Association—Copyright) [ec. 10 P-m.) ROME, November 9. A 10-minute “national standstill” is being organised roughout Italy today as a protest against the shooting six Italian demonstrators in last week’s Trieste riots, jnunumst and anti-Communist trade union federions both joined in calling on all workers to cease irk. British and American troops are expected to remain on ty in Trieste until normal calm returns to the city. The police continued today to round up suspected troubleikers, particularly some members of the Neo-Fascist lian Social Movement which, Allied authorities allege, was ■ main force- behind the troubles. A special watch was also being kept on the zonal boundf with Italy to prevent the unauthorised entry of Italians.

The British Foreign Secretary (Mr Eden) will probably answer the Ital‘ah charges of British mishandling in the Trieste riots in the House of Commons tomorrow, the Foreign Office said tonight. The spokesman said the British Government would give "full consideration to the demand by the Italian Prime Minister (Mr Pella) for a full inquiry into the rioting. Political sources said tonight that there was general support in London for General Sir John winterton’s need to take strong action to put down a situation that might have become completely out of hand, but in some quarters , ls telt that the resort to “shoot to kill” tactics was not only unnecessarily harsh, but politically most inadvisable.