DELIBERATE ACT

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 153, 25 March 1938, Page 11

DELIBERATE ACT

Recent Rebel Bombing Of Non-Combatants COMMONS STATEMENT No Reply Yet To Protest By Britain (British Official Wireless,) (Received March 24, 5 p.m.) Rugby, March 23. Tiie question of tiie recent bombing of Barcelona was again raised in tiie House of Commons to-day. The 1 rime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, said that no reply had been received from the insurgent authorities in Spain to the protest addressed to them. When asked for the definition ot an open town and why Barcelona, in which were situated the seat of Government, military bases, munition factories, docks and railways, was so classed he replied that the rules of International law as to what constituted military objectives were indefinite. Pending the conclusion of the examination of the subject which bad been undertaken by Government Departments, Mr. Chamberlain said he was not in a position to make any statement. One definite rule of international law was that direct and deliberate bombing of non-combatants was. in all circumstances, illegal. The British Government’s protest was based on information which had led it, to the conclusion that the bombardment of Barcelona, carried on apparently at random and without special aim at military objectives, was, in fact, of this nature. Mr. Chamberlain said the recent representations made to the Vatican were not such as to call for a reply but he understood the Vatican was deeply interested in the prevention of air raids on civilian populations in Spain and it was, no doubt, taking such action as it considered best calculated to achieve this end. PROTESTS BY POPE General Franco’s Assurance Vatican City, March 1 23. It is announced that the Pope has made representations to the rebel commander-in-chief, General Franco, against the bombing of open cities iu Spain. He made his first demarche in February. The "Osservatore Romano” states that General Franco was then “deeply moved by the Pontiff’s words and gave the Holy Father filial assurances, explanations and declarations." The “Osservatore Romano" recalls the Pope’s intervention to save Basque children, free prisoners and obtain an exchange of hostages, but that while the Church was doing this charitable work it received new wounds, especially at Teruel, where 65 priests were massacred and two churches sacked and profaned. Nevertheless, instructions were again conveyed to the Papal representative on March 21 to protest against the bombing of open towns.