Conservative Leadership POWELL BELIEVED TO BE CHALLENGING

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32323, 15 June 1970, Page 11

Conservative Leadership POWELL BELIEVED TO BE CHALLENGING

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, June 14.

A girl screamed “fascist pig” at the Conservative rebel, Mr Enoch Powell, last night and started the wildest scenes of Britain’s General Election campaign.

Ten struggling, shouting demonstrators were 'bundled out of a Birmingham hal' after stink bombs and tomatoes had I been hurled at Mr | Powell. Mr Powell, who advocates a halt to non-white immigration from British Commonwealth countries now is a key figure in the campaign leading up to the June 18 election. Political commentators said that he seemed to be openly I challenging Mr Edward , Heath for leadership of the Opposition Conservative Party, trailing the Prime Minister’s Labour Party in.public opinion polls. Speaking against raucous chants of “sieg heil” from sections of the Birmingham audience, Mr Powell denounced “party leaders who can be mesmerised into accepting from the enemy slogans of ‘racialist’ and ‘unchristian’! and applying them to life-long! political colleagues.’’ These were the words Mr Heath used two years ago ini demoting Mr Powell from the: Conservative Party's high) command. Mr Powell said that the racial issue would play a major and perhaps decisive part in Britain’s future. He [continued: “Other nations before now have remained blind and supine before a rising danger from within until it was too late for them to save themselves. “Under Attack” "This country today is under attack by forces which I aim at the actual destruction of our nation and society as we know or can imagine them.” A man in the audience shouted: “You are paranoid.” Fighting broke out in the hall as the cry of “Fascist pig” was heard.

None of the stink bombs or tomatoes hit Mr Powell, who was eventually escorted from the hall by two detectives. Mr Powell’s proposals for a halt to immigration and mas-!

sive repatriation of immigrants already in this country have been rejected by Mr Heath and other leading Conservatives. Mr Powell told the Birmingham meeting:— “Britain’s enemies must have been unable to believe their good fortune as they watched the numbers of West

■ Indians. Africans and Asians concentrated in her major ■ cities mount towards the two - million mark, and ntf diminution of the increase yet in sight." People were told that they must feel neither alarm nor : objection to a West Indian. ■ African and Asian population which would rise to several ; millions. If they did. they were called “prejudiced.” “racialist,” "unchristian” and “failing to show an example to the rest of the world.” I Mr Powell said: “Whether those who take part know it or not, this process of brainwashing by repetition of manifest absurdities is a sinister and deadly weapon " Mr Powell claimed that the “enemy” were making use of [mob rule, campus revolts and civil rights in Northern Ireland. He declared that “race is billed to play a major, perhaps a decisive, part in the battle of Britain.” Mr Powell labelled as nonsense—“manifest, arrant nonsense”—the premises that: University education and discipline should be determined by the students. “Developed” countries owed a duty to hand over taxproduced aid for underdeveloped nations. Large numbers of people in Britain would be outraged by the spectacle of cricket matches being played here against South Africans. “It may have been a happy chance that this particular triumph of organised disorder and anarchist brainwashing coincided with the commencement of this general election campaign." said Mr Powell. “Next week the people have it in their hands, perhaps for the last time, to elect men who will dare to speak what they themselves know to be the truth.” On Friday Mr Powell suggested that enemies of Britain had infiltrated Government departments to mislead the country cruelly over the rate of entry of coloured immigrants. The Home Secretary (Mr Callaghan) replied that if Mr Powell had any information on traitors he should communicate it, otherwise withdraw his “nasty, miserable speech."