Rioting Continues In Rome And Provinces

Northern Advocate, 22 November 1947, Page 7

Rioting Continues In Rome And Provinces

LONDON, Fri. (1.30 p.m.)—Strikes and rioting continue in south-east Apulia, says the Rome correspondent of the Associated Press. A priest was wounded in Bitonto, where mobs carrying firearms ranged the town all night and part of the day. Armoured cars last night went to the aid of the police trying to maintain control' in Bitonto, Matera and Irsian. Police at Grottaglie, in Taranto Province, appealed for armed reinforcements. Strikes still grip Bari and road blocks have almost or completely isolated many towns throughout the south-east, including Bari. Mobs are defending the road blocks in some places with machine-guns. The Minister of Defence told the Assembly that terrorists blew up two ammunition dumps soon after the Left Wing outbreak in Milan on November 12 and deprived the Milan army garrison of ammunition. PARTY OFFICE WRECKED A bomb exploded in the Christian Democrat Party headquarters at Rome during a black-out caused by the electricity workers’ one-hour strike. Reuters Florence correspondent reports that demonstrators occupied Figline railway station and cut the RomeFlorence service for five hours. Police eventually cleared 2500 demonstrators and made some arrests. The bomb explosion at the Christian Democrat Party headquarters wrecked the office. There were no casualties. Strikers ambushed and machinegunned two lorry-loads of troops near Bari, killing at least two officers and wounding 20 other ranks, says the British United Press Rome correspondent.