FOREIGNERS IN EGYPT

Evening Star, Issue 19848, 23 April 1928, Page 9

FOREIGNERS IN EGYPT

THE PROPOSED ASSEMBLIES BILL UNFAVORABLE BRITISH COMMENT “A DANGEROUS FARCE.” (British Official News.) Press Association —By Telegraph —-Copyright. RUGBY, April 21. (Received April 23, at noon.) The text of the proposed Assemblies Law, which is to come before the Egyptian Senate on April 30, has reached London, and is the subject of unfavourable comment in the Press. When the Egyptian Government rejected the draft Anglo : Egyptian Treaty which had been negotiated bySnrawat Pasha and Sir Austen Chamberlain it was reminded in the communication sent at the beginning of last month that the British 'Government would not permit its responsibility for the protection of foreigners in Egypt In bo endangered by Egyptian legislation, The present Bill is regarded by the Press as having the effect of facilitating political agitation and weakening the hands of those whose duty it is to maintain order. Among the clauses which attract comment are those which stipulate that police officers may attend a meeting, but can only dissolve it in two rases. First, if the committee responsible for the meeting requests in writing that this should be done; or. secondly, in case of grave disorder, in which event the meeting ran be resumed if calm is considered to have been restored. Lighter penalties are imposed on nemonstrators who contravene the law than on officials dissolving a meeting in cases other than those indicated in the Bill. The terms of tho whole measure are reported to have created misgivings among foreign residents in Egypt and among the Egyptian police, Vno would have to wait for a, definite breach of the pence before they could take an executive action.

‘The Times’ says that Zaghlul Pasha himself considered that the existing law of public meeting required .strengthening rather than relaxing. It can only be supposed that the extremists in or behind the Wafd Party have sinipy made up their minds to impose an irresponsible gesture upon the Egyptian Government.

Political changes in Egypt have almost always been accompanied by antiforeign rioting. There are fully 100,000 foreign residents in Egyptian towns. Others, especially Greeks, are scattered about-the countryside. The value of their property is considerable, and in times of trouble they are regularly menaced hy loenl roughs, whom the Egyptian authorities have always found difficulty in restraining, and whom they will hardly be able to restrain at all if the Public Meetings Bill becomes law. Until the proposed law has boon definitely passed by the Senate and signed by King Fuad there is always the hope that wiser counsels will prevail at the last moment, and that oven the wilder spirits will realise that some gestures are neither dignified nor prudent. (British Official News.) Prs«fi Association —By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, April 22. {Received April 23, at noon.) The Assemblies Bill, as projected by the Egyptian Government, receives further severe criticism in the London Sunday Press. The ‘ Sunday Times ’ Bays; “The most objectionable feature of the measure is that it- not only licenses all kinds of _ assemblies and processions, but provides lor severe penalties against the police for interference, unless an actual breach of the peacho occurs. It thus debars the authorities from exercising preventive powers as a precaution in doubtful circumstances and also paralyses the police from taking action because of the fear of penalties.” The ‘ Observer ’ describes the provisions of the Bill as a dangerous farce, and adds: “By an almost unbelievable chain of perversity, the Bill would not only discourage the local police from preventing disorder, but would penalise them if they took almost any preventive measures whatsoever. The