France Faces Civil War Threat

Northern Advocate, 29 November 1947, Page 7

France Faces Civil War Threat

PARIS, Fri. (1 p.m.).—Saying that France faces a.threat of civil war, the British United Press Paris correspondent reports that two armoured divisions are stationed near Versailles ready to move into Paris in the event of serious disturbances. As the strike position becomes worse the Government has decided to recall 80,000 men to military service.

This brings the total strength ol as a precautionary measure to 15 divi- j sions. , The Army Command recently moved an armoured regiment from Germany into northern France in the Arras area. • I Strong forces of police and mobile military forces called up in one week I guards are on the alert in Paris and other main cities. It is understood that M. Schuman ; is tabling a bill in the National As- I sembly tonight providing for temper-1 ary mobilisation of miners, railway-1 men, dockers and postal employees, :

who would be placed under military law. Police riot squads rushed to Austerlitr. station this morning to disperse strikers who jammed the signal mechanism and immobilised trains. Strikers at Vanves,' six miles from Faris. hurled paving stones into the cab of a moving locomotive, injuring the driver. The mail collection section of the Paris postal service is worst; hit by the postal strike. More than 2,500,000 letters are stacked in the chief Paris post office. Letter-boxes in many districts are so full that people cannot get letters into them.