COMMUNISTS ON TRIAL

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 27 November 1925, Page 2

COMMUNISTS ON TRIAL

Per Freni —CopyrightLONDON, November 25. Albert Inkpin, William C. Rust, Harry Pollitt, William Gallagher, and Walter Hannington, the Communists, who were charged with having simx. January 1, 1924, unlawfully conspired together to utter and publish seditious libels and to incite persons to commit breaches of the Incitement ■to Mutiny Act, 174)7, were sentenced to tweiv. months imprisonment. Other accused, who refused to be bound over, were sentenced to three months imprisonment. Each of the Communist prisoners wore a red rosette. The Judge, in pass ing sentence, said it was obvious from the evidence that they were members of an illegal party, carrying on illegal work in England, and it must be stopped. Th© five who were sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment had been convicted before. The Judge said he was not anxious, if he could avoid it, to send the other sevbn to prison. Those who promised to have nothing more to do with ibis association would be bound over to good behaviour. The Judge asked each of seveli whether they would be boiniu over. Each replied emphatically in the negative. Mr Ramsay Macdonald, Mr J. 11. Thomas and Mr Philip Snowden, and other Labourites have tabled a motion to be discussed in the House of Commons on Tuesday that the action of the Government in initiating prosecutions of certain members of the Communist Party, was a violation of the traditional British rights of freedom of speech and the publication of opinion.