TROUBLE AHEAD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20129, 24 April 1928, Page 7

TROUBLE AHEAD

BRITAIN IN EGYPT Legislation for Senate Creates Misgivings PROTECTION OF FOREIGNERS [ By Telegraph—Per Press Assn.—Copyright j (By Radio) RUGBY, April 22. The text of the proposed assemlies law, which is to come before the Egyptian Senate on April 30, has reached London, and is the subject of unfavourable comment in the Press. When the Egyptian Government rejected the draft Anglo-Egyptian Treaty which had been negotiated by Sarwat I’asha and Sir Austen Chamberlain, they were reminded in the communication sent at the beginning of last month that the British Government could not permit the discharge of their responsibility for the protection of foreigners in Egypt to be endangered by Egyptian legislation. The present Bill is regarded by the . ress as having the effeect of facilitating political agitation, and weakening the hands of those whose duty it is to maintain order. Among the clauses which attract comment are those which stipulate that police officers may attend a meeting, but can only dissolve it in two cases, firstly, if the committee responsible for the meeting requests in writing that this should be done, or, secondly, in the case of grave disorder, in which event the meeting can be resumed if calm is considered to have been restored. Lighter penalties are imposed on demonstrators who co: travene the law than on officials dissolving a meeting in cases other than i those indicated in the Bill. Police Action Retarded. The terms of the whole measure are reported to have created misgivings among foreign residents in Egypt and among the Egyptian populace, who would have to wait for a definite breach of the peace before they could take any executive action. The Times says that Zaghlul Pasha himself considered that the existing law of public meetings required strengthening rather than relaxation, and it can only be supposed chat extremists in or behind the Wafd Party have simply made up their minds to impose an irresponsible gesture upon the Egyptian Government. Political exchanges in Egypt have almost always been accompanied by anti-for-eign rioting. There are fuily 100,000 foreign residents in Egyptian towns, and others, especially Greeks, are scattered about the countryside. . The value of their property is considerable and in times of trouble they are regularly menaced by local roughs, whom the Egyptian authorities have always found a difficulty in restraining, and whom they will hardly be able to restrain at all if the Public Meetings Bill becomes law. Until

the proposed law has been definitely passed by the Senate and passed by King Fuad there is always the hope that wiser counsels will prevail at the last moment, and that even the wilder spirits will realise that some gestures are neither dignified nor prudent. The 22nd April, 1928, Assemblages Bill as projected by the Egyptian Government receives further severe criticisms in the London Sunday Press. The Sunday Times says: “The most objectionable feature of the measure is that it not only linccnses all kinds of assemblies and processions, hut provides for severe penalties against the police for interference unless an actual breach of the peace occurs. It thus debars the authorities from exercising preventive powers as a precaution in doubtful circumstances, and also paralyses the police from taking action because of the fear of penalties.” “A Dangerous Farce.” The Observer describes 'the provisions of the Bill as a dangerous farce, and adds: “By an almost unbelievable chain of perversity the Bill would not only discourage the local police from preventing disorder, but would penalise them if they took almost any preventive measure whatsoever. An Egyptian policeman is to be fined £1 in some cases, and £3O in others if he interferes with the holding of assemblies likely to lead to disorder. If he allows disorder to run its course he is to be regarded as a good and faithful servant of the new order. The Observer adds that there is yet time to withdraw the Bill before damage is done.