NAVY USES TEAR GAS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22133, 23 September 1946, Page 5

NAVY USES TEAR GAS

JEWISH MIGRANT SHIP BOARDED ATTEMPT TO RUN BLOCKADE HOSES USED AGAINST RESISTERS (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (11 a.m.) JERUSALEM, September 22. Royal Navy personnel were forced to use tear gas when they boarded a ship carrying 600 illegal Jewish immigrants which was trying to run the British blockade of northern Palestine. Fighting ensued with water hoses being used against the immigrants. The ship, whose motors had broken down when she was intercepted, was later towed to Haifa. It is officially stated that one Jewish illegal immigrant was killed and several other immigrants and British ratings slightly injured when the Jews aboard the ship Palmach resisted a boarding party. The naval men used five tear-gas grenades to quell "very strong resistance.” ' The Falmach is at present lying off Haifa. Their trans-ship-ment to a Liberty ship for transfer to Cyprus is expected to begin to-morrow.

A communique stated that between 890 and 900 immigrants were violently hostile when the naval party went aboard under a rain of missiles. One shot fired into the air failed to quell the riot. The Palmach was hailed by H.M.S. Rowena and warned that if further resistance occurred tear gas would be used.

ALMOST STOPPED

TREK BY JEWS EUROPEANREFUGEES U.S. GENERAL’S COMMENT (10 a.m.) BERLIN, Sept. 22. Lieut.-General McNarney, commander of the United States forces in Germany, announced that the underground trek of refugees across Europe to Palestine, which was almost at a standstill as a result of Britain’s clamping down on the movement of illegal immigrants across Germany, had to all intents and purposes stopped. The chairman of the Hebrew Committee of National Liberation, Mr. Samuel Merlin, stated in Paris that he was very surprised at General McNarney’s statement which, he hoped, would immediately be withdrawn. “I don’t think anything will stop the Jews getting through,” he said.

Reuter’s correspondent says the Committee of ( National Liberation has acknowledged its affiliation with the Irgun Zvai Leumi-