DENIAL OF IMPLICATION

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 25 May 1932, Page 9

DENIAL OF IMPLICATION

DEFENCE ON RIOT CHARGES ACCUSED AT AUCKLAND CONCLUSION OF CROWN CASE. (By Telegraph —Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 25. The case for the defence in the Supreme Court trial of the 14 men accused of rioting on April 14 opened this morning. The case for 11 of the accused was opened by counsel, who said the prime object of the demonstration on Apiil 14 was to draw attention to destitution and distress amongst unemployed and to discuss remedies. Misguided persons who burst into the town hall were the people responsible for starting the disturbance and not the men and women who took pai't in tiie procession, among whom were the accused. . . ' “Not one of these men participated in the rioting oi* looting and evidence will be called to prove it,” said counsel. There were some very grave errors of identity on the part of the police, due to the difficulty of identifying any particular person.

START OF THE TROUBLE.

The first witness for the deien.es was Frederick T. Lark, 'president of the Auckland Provincial Unemployed Association. He described how the procession was marshalled up to the Town Hall and said the first attack he saw made was immediately alter James Edwards had been struck by a police baton. The crowd was a surgintr mass and any man in it had no chance of getting'put. Witness, cross-examined by die Crown Prosecutor, admitted he had spoken from the same platform as three of the accused. The Crown Prosecutor: And principles of Communism had been enunciated from that platform ? Witness: If you mean humamtarianism, I would say yes. Witness said he got his position by democratic election and it would be very difficult for one man to obtain single control of the association. He denied having advocated violence. The Crown Prosecutor; When you were coming up Queen Street did you notice a window had been broken. Witness; Yes. , , , What steps did you take ?—T took steps any reasonable man would take. I kept the procession moving. _ The unemployed were not in any way connected with the window-smash-in°\ continued witness. He was not a member of the Communist 1 arty.

WISDOM ADVISED. Devereaux and Bourbeau, two of the accused, also gave evidence absolutely denying police allegations. Bourbeau denied having warned a constable W the morning that tlhe demonstrators that nkdrt would 'be armed. He s.aid the constable told him the police were goino- to get right into it and -witness replied it would be better if the castable used wisdom and did not talk like that.