REBELS ARE WEARY

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28154, 18 December 1956, Page 15

REBELS ARE WEARY

New Blows By Kadar (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 17. Hungary’s freedom fighters are wearying, according to the “News Chronicle” today. Eight weeks of struggle against hopeless odds have taken their toll. Now Mr Kadar’s puppet Government and the Russian invaders have struck two savage blows at the spirit of resistance: A threat of mass executions. The Minister of State (Mr Gyoergy Marosan) has declared: “We shall hang 10,000 if necessary to impose order.” Round-ups of Russian soldiers who have shown sympathy with the Hungarians. They are being disarmed and sent back to Russia. The hanging threat was made by Mr Marosan to a former fellowsocialist, who was so horrified that he fled to the West. Red Army leaders have ordered the round-up of disaffected soldiers after incidents like one in Miskolc, when Russian tank crews refused to obey orders to fire when women and children lay down in the street to stop them advancing against demonstrators. According to “The Times” today, a new phase in the Hungarian resistance seems to be developing, based on the workers’ newly-gained appreciation of the great power of the strike weapon coupled with the fact that they have somehow to survive this winter. Their tactics seem now to be to return to the factories—between half and three-quarters of Budapest’s workers did this on Saturday—but only to resume work if certain of their demands are met. This is being done not only on the Workers’ Council level, but also by smaller groups of workers, regardless of the fact that many factories and mines have been picketed by Kadar militia. The Kadar Government’s answer seems to be to temporise pending the holding of new elections for factory workers’ councils, for which the Government trade union paper, “Nepkarat,” said today the time had come.