Greymouth Gives Reds Fireworks

Northern Advocate, 25 May 1949, Page 4

Greymouth Gives Reds Fireworks

GREYMOUTH, Wed. (P.A,)— Fireworks, constant interjection? and counting out tinned a Communist Party open air meeting last night into an uproar without parallel in Greymouth in recent years. Police intervention was necessary on several occasions to restrain a few members of the crowd, who commenced to use violent language to the speakers, as a general rule, a strong force of police stood carefully aloof. At the end of the meeting, however, when a large section of the crowd of almost 400 spontaneously sang a few bars of the. National Anthem, police officers moved in to see that the speakers were able to leave their improvised platform without molestation, which appeared likely from the general temper of a section of the crowd. “PROTEST MEETING” The meeting was termed a “protest meeting” by e Communist Party, by reason of the fact that efforts to secure a hall in Greymouth had failed and it was necesssary for the organisers to speak in ,the open on a cold winter night. Due to the hostility of a section of the crowd the principal speakers, Mr V Wilcoic, Dominion organiser, and Mr H. McLeod, South Island organ-' iser for the Communist Party, were heard by most of the audience only in isolated patches, and little better treatment was accorded local Communist speakers. Messrs Wilcox and McLeod have been addressing district meetings in the past week. There have been no other reported hositle incidents.