“RED THURSDAY.”

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17964, 8 March 1930, Page 7

“RED THURSDAY.”

COMMUNISTS ACTIVE.

DEMONSTRATIONS IN BRITAIN

“A FEW BROKEN HEADS.” United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel.—Copyright. LONDON, March G. “ Reel Thursday,” which was organised throughout the world by Communists as an international unemployed day, appears to have achieved nothing beyond several broken heads here and there, in the .course of the universal breaking up by the poLice of various demonstrations. The whole thing was a fiasco. London's storm centre was Tower Hill, to wiliich was made a procession with banners, and where about 500 persons gathered. A section attempted to rush in the direction of the Mansion House. They came up against a body of mounted police. There was a general melee, in which five ■' people were injured slightly. The crowd finally reassembled at Tower Hill, where Tom Mann, vicepresident of the Workers' Union, flamboyantly spoke of the “ cowards and incompetents ” dn the Labour Government.

At Glasgow 200 persons made a procession to the City Chambers. Two of them were arrested when attempting to make speeches and two others, who attempted to rescue them, were also taken inlo custody, after which the remainder broke up into groups and discussed their grievances. In Manchester the police broke up the demonstration, and five persons were arrested. These were later fined 40s each.

Reports from all the European centres reveal similar episodes. At Paris the police were so strongly reinforced that demonstrations were impossible. To give an idea of .their watchfulness, three persons who were found sticking bills were arrested. At Berlin the police, with rubber truncheons, rapidly dispersed a, crowd of 2000 strong which had assembled in the centre of the oily. They began to stone the police, who used revolvers, and killed two of them. .-At Warsaw a handful of Communists tried in vain to stir up a crowd of unemployed, hut they were arrested before they were successful. In Vienna seven persons were arrested when they attempted to break through the police cordon. A procession of 1500 demonstrators was jeered.