VIOLENCE IN EGYPT

Evening Star, Issue 25724, 22 February 1946, Page 5

VIOLENCE IN EGYPT

Anti-British Riots

HUGE CROWD ATTACKS BARRACKS Cathedral Desecrated—Clubs Ransacked

17 Deaths—3oo Casualties

Rec. 10.55 a'.m.)) LONDON, Feb. 21. Anti-British riots have broken out in Egypt. British troops at Kasr El Nil Barracks opened fire on a huge crowd of demonstrators who were trying to force a way inside, and, according to an unconfirmed report, 10 were tilled and 20 wounded. The crowd) began throwing lighted torches into the barracks, where there "was grave danger of the building catching fire, as it has a wooden roof. The troops were forced to reopen fire with machine guns. Demonstrators at Ismalia Square attacked the New Zealand member of Unrra, Bruce Watts, who was wearing both New Zealand and Unrra flashes. They dragged him out of a gharry, but the police carried him to safety. Watts, who was slightly injured, wryly commented: " I have come here to help the people, and they try to kill me."

Three people were killed when the R.AJT. and the police opened fire on a mob which set on fire an R.A.F. administrative building. The crowd also stoned and set on fire R.C.A.F. headquarters, and attacked the New Zealand Troops' Club in the centre of the city. South African Guards fired into the air when the crowd stoned the South African Air headquarters. Members of the R.A.F. drove off others attempting to burn the Lady Tedder Club. The rioters this afternoon were smashing more suspected ipro-British shops and shouting: "Zionists and Arabs against the British.'' The crowds broke into the Catholic Women's League Club in the basement of St. Joseph's Church, and removed and- set on fire the furniture. They also broke the windows of All Saints' Cathedral, looted the Bishop's House, and set on fire the Cathedral hall.

"Down With the Conqueror"

Crowds in Alexandria attacked naval headquarters and tore down the White Ensign. They also beat up and wounded some Europeans. Eight British casualties are reported at Alexandria, where sporadic incidents occurred throughout the city. Most of the casualties were military policemen, who were stoned as they patrolled the streets. / Anti-British slogans were chalked on the walls throughout the city. A crowd of 70,000 gathered at Abdin Palace square in Cairo after the strike, had closed shops and factories throughout the city. They shouted "evacuation of British troops or bloodshed"; and " down with England; down with the conqueror." Two, Egyptian army tanks and 20 armoured cars and six lorryloads of

soldiers stood by the square as a precautionary measure. The crowds poured through the city, waving flags and banners. Sudanese and Egyptians chaired one another as evidence of Nile Valley unity. The demonstrators, en route to the palace carried one victim of British fire in a handbarrow, singing, praying and waving a bloodstained handkerchief. There were further clashes between British troops and the demonstrators at Babel Hadid Barracks, headquarters of the military police. The crowd stoned the barracks, and the military fired, wounding several. The mob set on fire Cecil House, the Victory Club, and Connaught House, which are all British Army hostels. They threw out furniture and belongings and stoned the fire brigade, but the fires were put out.

A Determined Attack

The attack against Kasr El Nil BarTacks began when the crowd tried to stop three lorries going to the barracks over a bridge, says Router's Cairo correspondent, who witnessed the incident. The first driver reversed and escaped, the second stopped, and the driver was dragged out by the crowd, who were armed with sticks. " I saw the driver lying in front of the barracks, but I do not know whether he was dead or not." Immediately after this British troops began to fire, as the crowd were throwing missiles of all kinds into the barracks. " Two of the lorries were set on fire, and every car passing through the smoke-filled square outside the barracks was attacked. The square was one mass of swaying bodies. The crowd tried to break in, and forced the gates; hut the troops managed to close them. The ammunition on one lorry exploded, driving the crowd back.

An Egyptian ambulance drove in, but the mob prevented it from picking up the casualties. The police, without avail, tried to persuade the crowd to disperse. .While the battle was going on, Egyptian troops arrived. The crowd got hold off an American staff car and smashed it with sticks. The driver was pursued by hundreds of Egyptians. An armoured car then arrived with more troops, and the crowds swarmed around them. During the afternoon there was a lull in the firing, but great crowds massed in the centre of the square, 200 yards from the gates of the barracks. More Egyptian troops arrived,, and a senior officer, trying to parley with the crowd, was booed, till the police escorted him away. Finally the crowd began to melt, as a whole battalion of Egyptian troops parked vehicles in a double row, cutting off the mob from the barracks, while a cordon of police, seven deep, barred the road to the British Embassy.

Armoured Cars Out

The British and * Egyptian military authorities are keeping in close touch, says (Reuter's Cairo correspondent. Meanwhile British and Egyptian armoured cars are patrolling the streets after a day's rioting, in which unconfirmed reports state that 17 -were killed And 300 injured. The British so far iave taken steps to protect Britishoccupied buildings only when the Egyptians appeared unable to do so. The Egyptian authorities confiscated the Wafdlst newspaper, ' Albalagh,' on the grounds that it contained an article calculated to incite further disorders. The Egyptian State broadcasting system was forbidden to broadcast any news of the day's happenings. In the attack against the Lady Tedder Club, 20 airmen held off the rioters

with tommyguna until Egyptian troops took up their positions. Other members of the R.A.F. are guarding the block behind the Tedder Club with tommyguns. The rioters also attacked the R.A.F.'s desert purchasing organisation opposite Shepheards. All Saints' Cathedral presented a remarkable picture to-night. The rioters attempted to set fire to the oaken doors and the floor was littered with knives and other objects used to smash windows. Chairs were broken and piled up for bonfires in th* Cathedral Hall. In the bishop's house drawers were ransacked and crockery smashed. A number of British wcmwu live in Oeeir House pension. The rioters broke in, ransacked the rooms, and threw the furniture into the street.