EVICTION RIOT AGAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 144, 20 June 1931, Page 13

EVICTION RIOT AGAIN

CLASH WITH COMMUNISTS

NUMEROUS INJURIES

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph— Copyright.). SYDNEY, 19th June. Another sensational clash between anti-evictionists and the police took place at noon.at Newtown, a suburb of Sydney. The police on this occasion made greater use of their revolvers, and fired fifteen shots before raiding a semi-detached two-storied house. Fourteen anti-cvi'ctionists and eight police were injured, and a spectator — a man of aftout 40 years of age—dropped dead with excitement while watching the battle. , Loading Communists were again associated with the affair. Many of thoir members addressed the crowd before the police raid and urged the workers to fall in behind them and fight the police. ■ CHALLENCxE TO LAW. ' The police regarded the challenge as an open defiance .of the law, and with surprising suddenness they arrived in a motor-bus. Their arrival was heralded by shouts and volleys of stones. _ Men on an upstairs balcony maintained a fusillade of stones, whereupon an inspector of police commanded his men to draw their revolvers and fire. Immediately there, was a succession of shots, and the balcony defenders disappeared inside. i ' ' The police battered down the doors and were met by a, shower pf stones and half-bricks. The wonder is that they escaped with their lives. The battle inside raged for twenty minutes, everything breakable being reduced to ruins. Huge stones came hurtling downstairs and missed policemen, by inches. A thin cordon of police kept .order outsidb the house, bnt were constantly ducking to avoid flying stones. The hoots of onlookers were never allowed to subside. ' AFTER THE BATTLE. Eventually the police emerged with a number of bedraggled a,nd blood-. stained defenders, handcuffed together, who were marched to a waiting police wagon. They received medical treatment at the gaol hospital before, being locked up and charged. The injured police were treated at the,police hospital. The police must have dealt severely with the anti-evictionists, as four are suffering from concussion and extensive cuts, probably caused by batons. However, the police shots were aimed more to frighten than to injure. Bullets shattered the woodwork of .the balcony, and one man .was shot in the arm. Eighteen arrests were made. The police wounds were mostly superficial. One constable has a fractured hand. ' Mr. J. Lamaro, Attorney-General, has 'announced that the Government is introducing legislation to protect tenants against eviction in certain instances. It is hoped that this will minimise tha eviction disturbances. ■