HUMAN FREEDOM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26078, 15 February 1946, Page 5

HUMAN FREEDOM

PLEA FOR REFUGEES DANGERS OF PROPAGANDA (N.ZP.A. Special Correspondent! LONDON, Feb. 13. An eloquent speech on the freedom and rights of refugees was made by Mr Fraser to the General Assembly during the debate in which Russian amendments were defeated. Mr Fraser agreed with Mr Vyshinsky that there was no such thing as complete freedom. Freedom to commit crime, ignore sanitation, or things that would impinge on the freedom of neighbours, was “ not oven worth talking about,” but it was a different thing to give every citizen the maximum of freedom consistent with the freedom of all other citizens That was a very precious possession, and had to be safeguarded. Mr Fraser said they would have to guard against the raising up of a system that would inevitably prove tyrannical to the masses of the people of the world. They had to watch that by building up protection against the shadow of fear and threats; they were not losing the substance of the freedom that the world had fought for and millions had died for. It was recommended that a special committee of the Social and Economic Council be established to deal with the problem of refugees. This international body would have full power to deal with circumstances in any place in any country at any time. Danger of Propaganda Referring to the first Russian amendment to ensure that refugee camps should not be transformed into centres of propaganda hostile to States that were members of the United Nations, Mr Fraser said everybody agreed that the American Third Army did a good job when it stopped those who were conspiring against Poland in Jugoslavia recently. Asking where propaganda became a danger and a menace to countries, Mr Fraser instanced Poles who fought in Italy, Many were killed and others were still there. “ Surely their use as a military force must end,” he said. Asking what would have happened in world history without tolerance, Mr Fraser said it was not tolerance that brought war, but intolerance, tyranny, deification of the State, and the State personified in one man. “The doctrine of Mussolini was that he was going to preside at the burial of the corpse of liberty,” he said. “It was his corpse that was buried, but not soon enough. That is my honest sentiment about him.” Honesty of Thought Mr Fraser had no word for' the war criminal, and added that he would not even give a trial to some of those on trial at Nuremberg to-day. But the point was that honesty of thought should not be stifled, even in a dispossessed person or in people who left their country and dared to think against the Government in that country and say it was not a good Government, that it ought to be displaced and expressed the opinion that they could have a better Government. The way to correct wrong propaganda was by giving facts. The whole conception of care for refugees was that they should have as good condi tions as possible to live in for as short a time as possible. When it came to setting their opponents over them and placing them at the mercy of those who opposed them, the United Nations surely could not stand for that. Mr Fraser submitted that the Russian third amendment, that quislings and war criminals should not be regarded as refugees was unnecessary. The policy of the United Nations on this question was already decided. He believed that the international body tc be established would do the job efficiently. and, in addition to safeguarding the United Nations, would also see that human rights were not infringed, that the dignity of the refugees would be observed, 44 and that the four freedoms which our peoples fought for are not submerged and trampled under foot.” “ Privilege of Centuries ” That had been the privilege of refugees throughout the centuries. “No country,” Mr Fraser continued, “that has gloried in the liberty of free countries can possibly be a party to agreeing to anything that will prevent the exercise by every human being as an essential part of the dignity of the person and of human rights, his claim to human rights. Nobody can be a party to preventing him enjoying the Four Freedoms.” The second Russian amendment, that refugees and displaced persons’ camps should be staffed by representatives of the States to which they belonged, Mr Fraser declared to be “almost appalling.” He added, “The conception that refugees who were opposed to the Government of their country should be put under the subjection of those whom they opposed does not bear a moment’s examination. No man who believes in freedom could possibly agree to that.” Mr Fraser agreed that the Government to which they belonged should have the right to enter the camps to tell the people where they were wrong, and that they would be safe, happy and successful there.