THE EGYPTIAN TROUBLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 15

THE EGYPTIAN TROUBLE.

ATTEMPT TO FOUND A MUSSULMAN EMPIRE. (By Cable.) CAIRO, April 12. General Allenby's announcement of the release of Said Pasha and other deported men who had been interned at Malta led to enthusiastic demonstrations in Cairo and Alexandria, recalling Mafeking Night in London. All classes of Egyptians paraded the streets, singing, dancing, and shouting "Vive l'Angleterre " and "Vive Allenby." An unfortunate incident occurred in the Opera House at Cairo. The mob came into collision with British, soldiers, and there were several casualties, including two soldiers wounded. . April 13. General Allenby is handling the situation with such tact that a recrudescence of serious trouble is unlikely. The murder of five British soldiers on Thursday greatly affected the troops, but they continue to show admirable restraint. The economic situation in the provinces is acute, but generally calm. April 14. Intimidation, with a tendency to fanaticism, continues in Egypt. Arrangements have been made to bring some women and children from the danger zone to England. Mobile columns are moving in _ the Nile delta. The centre of the sedition is the Elalad (? Ahzar) Moslem University, in Cairo. The Egyptian police thus far are unaffected, but seditious articles in the native press are having an effect. One of the most striking features < of the demonstrations was the participation of many Egyptian women. A most unusual incident was at a harem, when a lady addressed a large gathering outside the Sultaij's palace. It is not anticipated that the harem ladies will be drawn into the arena of politics. Armenians' houses were systematically searched out by the mob and attacked. The Armenians were terrorised, and all are now placed under military protection, 13 Nationalist leaders being sent to Marseilles. It is hoped that their departure will help to calm the people's passions. _ The mob at Cairo killed five British soldiers, including two unarmed Indians. At Alexandria the mob attacked the troops, who fired, killed 17 and wounding many. Order was finally restored. Four hundred arrests were made at Assiout in connection with the recenti riots and plundering. LONDON, April 13. Uneasiness in political circles in London is caused by some of the latest messages from Egypt, indicating a growingly aggressive Nationalist spirit. One report state sthat some demonstrators at Cairo insulted British officers. On the other hand, General Allenby's lenient measures prevent bloodshed, and are reported to be successful in maintaining order. April 14. ' The Sunday Express Cairo correspondent states that Coptic priests participated in frenzied demonstrations, proving that the disturbances are national ana not religious. All religious differences were forgotten. There were many processions, the natives shrieking, "Loftg live Liberty; Long live Other reports from Cairo emphasise the seriousness of the rioting, in which 58 people were killed. The mob's excesses necessitated the military firing. The outbreaks are sometimes antiBritish, but mostly against the Armenians and Greeks. April 16. Extra troops have been despatched to Egypt, where the situation is more serious. April 18. The Egyptian situation is reported to be of the gravest. The Nationalists are seeking to found a Mussulman Empire, with the Khalifa stationed at Cairo.