DEALING WITH COMMUNISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21786, 31 July 1934, Page 9

DEALING WITH COMMUNISTS

THE FRENCH WAY TAKEN “ FOR A RIDE.” PARIS, July 20. A new method of dealing with Communists who try to turn political meet iiigs into riots has just , been tried by the Lille police. They took the “ Reds ” for a ride—though not in the grim American sense of the term. The occasion was a meeting addressed by M. Ybarnegaray, a deputy of the [light. The police had expected trouble owing to the decision of partisans of the Extreme Left to hold a demonstration. Though the meeting went off very quetly groups of Communists collected outside the hall when the proceedings closed, and started a wild disturbance. As : they began to make themselves a nuisance the police simply shepherded them into motor lorries. The Communists did not even suffer the “ martyrdom ” of arrest which they sought. . Instead they were merely driven put into the country. When they had reached a quiet spot nearly twenty miles from the scene'of the disturbance they were releasd and told that they were free to go home. As the police did not offer free transport on the return journey the rabid “ Reds ” hud time to consider as they made their way homewards whether the game of dabbling in politics was really worth the candle. The superfluous energy which many of them had planned to spend oh a demonstration was worked off by a good long walk.