BRITISH COMMUNISTS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 November 1925, Page 5

BRITISH COMMUNISTS

FIVE SENT TO PRISON. GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY. WHAT THE JUDGE SAID. BY CABLE—PEESS ASSOCIATION—COPYEHIGT LONDON, Nov. 25. Found guilty on all counts of a conspiracy to incite mutiny and on charges of sedition, five of the Communist leaders' arrested in the lightning raids launched by the police in London and the provinces have been sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. They are: Albert Inkpen (secretary ot the party), W. Rust (secretary of the Young Communists’ League), Harry Pollitt, Gallagher and Hannington Seven others found guilty refused to be bound over and were sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. Each Communist prisoner wore a red rosette.

The judge, in sentencing the prisoners, said it was obvious from the evidence that they were members of an illegal party carrying on illegal work in Eng'ancT, and it must lie stopped. The five, who were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, had been convicted before. The judge said he was not anxious, it' he could avoid it, to send the other seven to prison. Those who promised to have nothing mor e to do with this association would be bound over to good behaviour. The judge asked each of the seven whether they would lie bound over. Each replied emphatically in the negative.

Mr Ramsay MacDonald' (Leader of the Labour Party), Mr J. H. Thomas, and Mr Phi 1 lip Snowden and other members of the Labour .Party have tabled a motion to be discussed in the House of Commons on Tuesday that the action of the Government in initiating the prosecution of certain members of the Communist Party was a violation of the traditional British rights of freedom of speech and publication of opinion.