WORKERS RIOT IN POLAND

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28008, 30 June 1956, Page 9

WORKERS RIOT IN POLAND

Tanks In Streets Of Poznan (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) WARSAW, June 29. Prominent Polish Government and Communist Party leaders were today making on-the-spot inquiries into yesterday’s fatal riots in Poland’s big industrial city of j>o Zn an, HO miles north of Warsaw. During the riots shots were fired, and tanks were sent to the Qty’s main square, where most of the trouble was centred. While loss of life was admitted officially, Polish Government sources refused to say how many had died. One report reaching Warsaw said that the rioters were led hr some of the workers from lhe big Stalin factory in Poznan, r'hose 15,000 employees make railway carriages, agricultural machinery and machine tools—mostly for Russia.

The rioters attacked the Poznan headquarters of the Polish Communist Party, and raided other buildings. They also set fire to a prison, pulled down a Russian flag, and overturned trams, the reports said.

Warsaw radio last night, promising severe punishment for the rioters, announced that order had been restored in Poznan, which has a population of about 330.000.

The riots occurred while thousands of foreign visitors are in Poznan for a big International Fair at which 20 British and other foreign firms are i exhibiting. | Mr Kenneth G. Treherne, of the Dominions’ Export Company, London, who arrived in Warsaw last night from Poznan, said the demonstrators appeared to be organised. Most shops were closed, with their shutters down. Trams had stopped where their drivers left them, he said. He said he heard shooting—“not sustained shooting, but two or three shots at a time, as if shots were being fired over the heads of a crowd.” “Later we heard a machine-gun. ‘‘By midday there were tanks in front of the National Bank of Poland.” he said. ‘‘Troops were gathered around. ! Other tanks could be heard rumbling | in the distance. “When we left for the airport to catch our plane to Warsaw we were i taken right around the outskirts of ! the city. We passed about 12 tanks I coming into the town.” i Another British businessman who i was in Poznan today said tonight: ‘‘We saw crowds of workmen, apparently steel-workers, in overalls marching in an orderly manner through the streets. “They carried a large Polish flag. They had placards, too. They were chanting something. I was told it was. ‘We want bread.’

“The demonstration appeared to be organised, because most of the shops were closed and shuttered, and all the trams had stopped.

‘‘lt was imoossible to get a taxi. Vehicles which tried to get through were blocked by the crowds.”

A British Embassy spokesman in Warsaw told the “Daily Mail” by telephone: ‘‘The Poznan riots are symptomatic of what is happening throughout Poland.

‘‘The explanation is that the people are showing dissatisfaction with the low standard of living.

‘‘The reason the demonstration reached the height it did is because police controls have been relaxed since the change of policy laid down by Moscow after the denunciation of Stalin.”