NEW DICTATOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23413, 31 January 1938, Page 9

NEW DICTATOR

GREEK GOVERNMENT GENERAL METAXAS IN POWER BANISHMENT OF OPPONENTS ELIMINATION OF ANARCHIST ELEMENTS

(United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright)

ATHENS, Jan. 28,

(Received Jan. 30, at 6.30 p.m.)

The newspapers publish a Government statement announcing the arrest and banishment from Athens in the last few days of all leading Opposition politicians. The statement read: “The dictatorial Metaxas regime has abandoned its previous measures and has entered on a new period of severity, which, without pity, will operate' against those disturbing the peace.”

.The sudden announcement of the assumption of dictatorship by the Prime Minister (General Mataxas) is the climax of a week of crisis. All former Opposition leaders recently issued a proclamation sharply criticising the Government’s economic, financial, and home policy, and calling on the people to recover their sovereign rights. This led the Government to round up its opponents, Former parliamentarians were interned on remote islands. Party Leaders Banished Those banished include M. Sophulis, Leader of the Liberal Party,' M. Theodokis, Leader of the Nationalist Monarchist Party; M. Kaphandaris, Leader of the Progressives; and M, Michalokopulos, Leader of the Independent Republicans and a former Foreign Minister. The Government statement issued to-day says: “The people have forgotten the first insurrections and hatreds, but the old parties refuse to let bygones be bvgones, and have united to work destruction. They have become allied with criminal elements and wretched gangster politicians.”

Comparison with Italy

A later message says that there is no local opposition, to General Metaxas. It is felt that what has happened does not materially change affairs in Greece, but is a mere change in form. The King is not likely to be affected, as th* regime now compares with Italy’s