RIOTS IN EGYPT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18918, 21 January 1936, Page 8

RIOTS IN EGYPT

THE RECENT TROUBLE

PA RTTFTPANT’E VIEW

LETTER, TO NEW ZEALAND

A glimpse of “the other side" of tlie kind of psychology licit produces riots is given in a letter received by an Invercargill girl from a 19-year-old Egyption student in Cairo. The recipient of the letler is one of a number of school girls who, llirotigh a correspondence club, have established pen friendships with young people in various foreign countries. Mow the students-in the reedit Egyptian riots were rouse,! to I heir excesses and their attitude of mind are indicated in the letter, written in a style which lias a savor of its own. “i’ll give the .summary since this 13 November," says the writer. "1 hope you still remember when i have told you that Ibis I3th of November will In* an annual polylie day. The whole students of all the faculties gathered before our faculty. Speeches were delivered here and there and the word ‘revolution’ began to spread like a small piece of lire in a large heap of bash. Speeches then again increased, and we wore entirely inspired with dangerous enthusiasm. Wonderful cheers were then beard. “CATCHING LONG CLUBS"

“The students began to leave the yard of the faculty as if they were a, gigantic mass of iceberg sloping down gradually. The streets were so crowded that all vehicles stopped in I heir places. Our voices as strong as thunder, our hands were ill the air catching long clubs as if we were some nomads going to attack a caravan.

“These numerous groups increased from a while to a while till at last we reached Alxline Square, where, there is the King’s Palace. We all shouted. ‘Give back our rights. Down with England. We want our rule of 1923.’ “Here 1 feel that my heart is broken. 1 feel that, my tears are going to spoil the letter; but, alas, we bad lost two of 11s as a result of our collision with the police. I’ll leave 3 lines to show my mourning and my burning pain.” BULLET PAST HEAD After a blank space the letter continues:—“Our groups were then scattered. A bullet passed very near over my head, but I cleverly escaped. However, 1 am sorry to write that Seif was wounded in bis shoulder because a policeman had healed him with a stick. “On the 14tb we assembled again in the same yard of (lie University and began our revolution. We repeated everything, and the result was that we lost other sincere two. I’ll leave other two lines for the same feeling.”

Another blank space follows and then the letter proceeds:—“On tile 15th there were dangerous precautions that we could not assemble again, but we began to give national funerals. Every individual bad the honor of joining these funerals. Employers stopped work. Judges, lawyers, all protested and shut their offices. Newspapers wore in black color, students were all in mourning, merchants shut their shops. The whole Egypt was sad and calm. CLOSING OF FACULTY “Our facility' is now closed for 17 days and so are the other faculties; but we assemble ill fixed places without the police’s knowledge. Many changes will take place nearly Now 1 am free 111 (lie afternoon and so 1 visit my club every' day whose name is ‘Mosleinan Association for Voung Men.’ “Mv family’s salutations to votir’s. . Wit’ll this letter, the writer enclosed a political cartoon, which lie describes as a “critical picture.” Drawn in a vigorous style it depicts a niild-louking Egyptian being seized by the neck and beaten with a cudgel by a brutal and ferocious policeman. Close by John Bull, not quite his usual British self, is standing between two former Prime Ministers, both disliked, and both attired as policemen. enjoying the spectacle. From the mouth of the persecuted “John Citizen" are issuing some characters which, the

correspondent explains, are an Egyptian cheer meaning "Long live the rule of 1923!" The. unpleasant policeman wieldin'?) the cudgel is none other than the unpopular Prime Minister, Nessim Pasha.