AUCKLAND RIOT

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 25, 29 July 1932, Page 8

AUCKLAND RIOT

EDWARDS ON TRIAL

ACCUSED GIVES EVIDENCE

REASON >FOR HIDING

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

The' trial of James Honry . Edwards on a' charge of taking parfina riot on 14th April was ' continued iii the Supreme Couit to-day. The juiymen wero kept together last night. About thirty witnesses, mostly policemen, gave evidence for the Crown, their evidence closely following that given in tho lower Court and in other riot cases. Detective-Sergeant Doyle said that he had had previous experience of riots, including the Lloyd George riot in Birmingham, but he had never seen a more disorderly crowd than the one outside the Town Hall. Counsel for,the defence said that the Crown, by skilfujly presenting the evidence, had coloured the cat 3 against Edwards. Many weapons had been exhibited in the Court, but there was no evidence that Edwards had used any of them. The police made mistakes like other people, and ,he intended to call evidence which would entirely, disagree with much of. the police testimony. 4 ' WOBB3NG CLASS SLOGANS." Edwards, who said ho was a married man with eight children, stated that when -walking in a procession to the Town Hall he called out tho "usual working class slogans," namely, "Shall we go into slave camps, or shall we fight for our wives and kidsf " He had no intention of creating trouble. At .the start' of the riot he ,saw the crowd outside the main door break'into a ' semi-circle and tho police driving them back with batons., He ran along, intending to call, upon the : crowd to give 'no trouble, but was struck down. BEGABDED AS A LEADER. Cross-examined, the accused said that he had been a member of the/Communist Party for about a year, and had given three addresses. The Unemployedl Workers' Movement regarded him as a'leader. .The Labour Defence League, composed of men in all walks of life, was for the legal and financial protection <of •'' men in as unfortunate position like' myself." When asked why ho'went into hiding after the riot, he said that he knew from '■ experience that in times': of trouble the police always looked for those whom, they considered were the leaders,'particularly if they happened to.be Communists. The Crown-Prosecutor: "But you had done nothing, yon- say t" The accused: "That is so, but I belonged -to a party not .very popular with the polico just then." The accused admitted telling the crowd that if they were attacked they should crowd round the'polico and take- their batons off them. Other witnesses for the defence-were then■ called.