MARTIAL LAW IN ATHENS

Southland Times, Issue 25538, 5 December 1944, Page 5

MARTIAL LAW IN ATHENS

RIOTS IN GREEK CAPITAL APPEAL BY LEADER FOR UNITY (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 4. The British Military Government has put Athens and its port of Piraeus under martial law following the riots which broke out in the city yesterday between the police and members of the EAM, the Left Wing political organization. More shooting incidents have been reported and casualties have occurred. Athens is a city without lights and telephones in some parts. An inquiry has been ordered into the shooting outside the Palace in Athens. The police claim that someone from behind the ranks of the demonstrators opened fire first. M. Georges Papandreou is believed to be determined to continue as Prime Minister, says the Athens correspondent of Reuter’s. He is still conferring to fill the six Ministerial vacancies. M. Papandreou in a broadcast to the nation recounted all the measures taken to co-operate with the extreme Left and preserve national unity and added: “Suddenly the crisis arose when the EAM militia on Friday should have handed over authority to the new national guard. We remained steadfast in our efforts to unity and avoid civil war. LEFT LEADERS BLAMED “Today our conscience is clear,” said M. Papandreou. “All responsibility rests on the leaders of the extreme Left. These elements have again prevailed. It seems they accepted the existence of the Government of national unity but on the conditions that the material force remained in their hands.” M. Papandreou said that the intransigents then rose in protest when the time came for disbanding: “They, by armed demonstrations, a general strike and the re-establishment of the central committee, are leading the country into civil war. They are falsely accusing the Government of preparing for Fascism, threatening the liberties of the people and turning to reaction. “The Cabinet unanimously approved the law for the reorganization of our Army, so when the Army is thus being reorganized, how can we be leading to Fascism? We remain deadly enemies of Fascism and are standard bearers of freedom and social justice.” M. Papandreou appealed to young Greeks to refrain from stabbing their own country through the heart. He warned that Greece could not survive blows from her children. RIOTS REPORTED IN ROME Disturbance At Royalist Meeting LONDON, December 3. Rioting swayed through the centre of Rome at noon today when squads of Communists and Republican youths, armed with wooden hammers and other primitive weapons, attacked similar groups of Royalists leaving the first big Royalist meeting held in liberated Rome. Mounted police rode into the crowd after foot police had failed to disperse the rioters. NEW GREEK MINISTERS APPOINTED (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 4 The Cairo radio says that according to an Athens report, five new Greek Ministers have been appointed to replace the six Left Wing EAM Ministers who resigned on Saturday. They are: M. Lambrianides (Agriculture), M. Kartalis (National Economy), M. Sbarounis (Finance), M. Sideris (Labour) and M. Stephanopoulos (Public Works).