WILD CROWD

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1930, Page 8

WILD CROWD

FIVE MEN ARRESTED

SYDNEY DOMAIN RIOT

SYDNEY, January 30,

Another wild not in tiie Sydney Domain, last Sunday afternoon may result in a tightening up of the regulations which permit a certain amount of free speech in that far-famed area, lit was the most serious disturbance 'since the British flag was burned down ten years ago, and ten platforms were wrecked the following Sunday. Excitement reigned from 3 o’clock until 5 o’clock, .and the crowd of about 5000 was always anxious to be in the midst or the trouble. This made the work of a mere handful of police exceedingly difficult but they were able, neverthelss, to effect five arrests. As usual, the Communists were at the back of the affair, which developed with remarkable rapidity. Charles Reeves, organiser of the famous I.W.W was addressing from a platform above which the Red flag was flying, about 1000 people. Through the crowd around the platform moved Mrs Munday, who for some time has been organising the transport to Sydney for a holiday of miners’ children from the northern fields.

Apparently in the belief that plaid clothes police were laughing at the mission of Mrs Munday a storm of .abuse was showered from, the platform on to the. police. The police were called names to which they rightly took exception, and when the abuse was repeated the police on duty in the neighbourhood moved forward towards the platform. The crowd at once closed about them.

The police reached the edge of the platform and seized Reeves and as they did so the weight of the pressing crowd sent the platform crushing to the ground. There was an immediate and excitdd yell fronr the crowd. “Let him go,” they cried. “Why don’t you get out of this, you gang of murderers?” As soon as the platform collapsed with its Red flag, the people who were listening to other speakers concentrated on the scene, and in a few seconds there was a swirling, pushing mob of 4000 or more around the two policemen who were holding Reeves. Other police who rushed to the scene became isolated in small .groups and they were menaced their position bcame precarious. One man was seized when he was in the act of striking a constable, and this only increased the fury of the crowd. When a third m'an was arrested he resisted violently and punched the constable in the face. A woman joined in the battle and attempted to drag the coat from the policeman.

After about ten minutes the police emerged from the struggling throng with four men under arrest, hut their troubles were by no means over. The crowd seemed determined to rescue those who had been taken and Constable Lewis found it necessary to craw a revolver. “Stapd back, there,” he cried. “Clear a passage through.” The effect of the weapon on the crowd was remarkable. They fell back to the right and to the left and the police dragged their prisoners out of the Domain. The men who had been arrested had been handcuffed by now, and the police formed a cordon at the gate 'of the Domain to prevent the crowd from following to the Police Statin

Altogether it was a very unpleasant Sunday afternoon.