Protest Week-end Begins In London

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31820, 26 October 1968, Page 13

Protest Week-end Begins In London

(N.Z P A.-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, October 25.

A week-end of mass protest in London against the Vietnam war began today when students of the traditionally radical London School of Economics occupied their school building.

After a stormy meeting, they voted to begin their protest sit-in early, having already announced that the school would be used to shelter hundreds of students coming from the provinces and the continent to join Sunday’s mass demonstration.

The Home Secretary (Mr James Callaghan) told Parliament yesterday that he had decided against banning the demonstration, despite rumours of intended violence.

“But,” he added, “the Metropolitan Police Commissioner will have a large force of police officers on duty who will seek to facilitate peaceful demonstration. Using their traditional methods, they will enforce the law and arrest offenders.”

Estimates of the number of demonstrators likely to take part in the planned protest march vary from 40,000 to 200,000.

Mr Callaghan told the House he had issued instructions that foreign students and other aliens with convictions for violence should not be allowed to take part in the demonstration. Aliens who did take part would be expected to observe the law; if they did not do so, they must take the consequences.

Dealing with rumours about the intention of certain elements to use violence to try to provoke the police into violent action, Mr Callaghan said he ha' thought carefully about the general issues of freedom and order. “There ! s an evident risk where numbers of people gather,” he said, “but I believe that the great majority of those who take part will wish to avoid violence. “My conclusion is that, in the absence of widespread violence, interference with the right to hold meetings, even of this size, would be a bad precedent and one which would endanger freedom in this country.” The British Broadcasting Corporation is cancelling all its “live” television shows this week-end, and the owners of offices in Central London are boarding windows

and taking security precautions unheard of since the last war.

Although the main demonstration is directed against the British and Commonwealth role in the war, 10,000 “Maoists” have announced their intention of marching on the United States Embassy which has instructed all United States servicemen to stay out of London. Mr Abhimandyu Manchanda general secretary of the Brit-ain-Vietnam Solidarity Movement said today: “We shall certainly march on Grosvenor Square. If we are attacked then we shall give our reply, tit for tat. No amount of intimidation or tricks can stop the militants.” Protective Moves Both New Zealand House and Australia House will take special security precautions against vandalism by the demonstrators. “We can't say what they are because they would lose their force,” a New Zealand House spokes; ran said today. “If they were publicised it might focus attention upon us. “But it looks as though New Zealand House, with its enormous glass windows might be a very attractive target to any violent demonstrators.” Members of the “Australians and New Zealanders Against the War” movement met today outside Australia House, in the Strand, to protest against Australian and New Zealand participation in the Vietnam conflict.

They waved banners and sold pamphlets setting out their views.

A New Zealand member of the group. Miss Renate Prince, a Christchurch architect, placed the number of demonstrators likely to march in Sunday’s rally at about 30,000.

“There shouldn’t be any violence unless the police get very cussed and prevent the marchers from doing what they intend,” she said. Another member of the group, Mr John Roberts, an Australian said: “I don’t think it is important whether there is violence or not It’s quite irrelevant to the march.” ‘Foreign Scum’ Asked about the accusation made in Parliament yesterday by a Conservative M.P., Mr Tom Iremonger, that “foreign scum” were behind the violent demonstrations that have become a part of the British political scene, Mr Roberts said. “We are foreign scum. I admit it and I’m proud of the fact.

“People imply therfe’s something wrong with international co-operation in demonstrations of this sort but the Vietnam war is an international Issue. There should be more communication between students from Britain, New Zealand and Australia in this movement.” The “Australians and New Zealanders Against the War” group will be marching on Sunday with the main studeht group under the Pakistani student leader, Mr Tariq Ali, who is 25.

Their march will begin in Fleet Street move through the Strand where a petition will be delivered to the Australian High Commission, through Whitehall (where another petition will be handed in at 10 Downing Street) and on to Hyde Park, where the leaders will air their views.

The National Union of Students has directed its 400,000 members to boycott the rally. Mr Geoffrey Martin, its president, said today: “Many groups planning violence on Sunday are conning the students and the public into believing their main concern is Vietnam.

“It is hot Their purpose is confrontation with the police. Many of these political hooligans are not even students. All they want is a week-end of revolution.”