COMMUNIST M.P. HIT

Chronicle (Levin), 21 December 1946, Page 5

COMMUNIST M.P. HIT

■ Press Assn.

Assault By Press Reporter ' REPORT TO COMMONS

\By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Pridav, 7.0 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 19. Mr. P. G. Bowles (Labour) speaking in the Oommons toniglit, said it had come to his notiee that a t'ommoner, .Mr. P. Piratin (Communist) , had twiee been physieally assaulted and battered witliin the precincts of the Hbuse. | Tlie Speaker said he would instruct [the Sergeant-at-Arms to aseertain the : facts. "I will make a statemenv tomorrow, " Mr. Driderg sai'll. "1 regret to sav 1 have some knowledge of these events. Tlie person guilty of this re peated assault was a press correspond ent aceredited to the" service of tliis House. " The Sergeant-at-Arms reporting later, said the ineident undoubtedly occurred in the precincts "of the House but tlie evidence appeared coiiflictlng and a fur tlier investigation was required to deterniine the actual facts. Mr. .Speaker then invited Mr. Piratin to make a stateiuent before it was de i-ided whether or not there was a priam facie case.

I Mr. Piratin said there were actually Jtwo assaults. "The Iirst occasion was I in a cafeteria," he said. "This inan lattacked me after usiug olfensive re- | tuarks. 1 struck him. 1 was apologetic I and expressed deep regret but 1 did | what any other member would liave Idone in tlie circunistauces. Ile not onlv [insulted nie but insulted niy race. On the secoiul occasion 90 lninutes later, when the whole niatter as far as 1 was concerned was forgotteu except that 1 was going to make a formal report to the Sergeant-at-Arms, 1 was upstairs to nieet a reporter and as I left the re porters' room this nnui deliberately attacked me while 1 was not in a position to defeiul myself, and struck blows which the House ean see for itselt". A1 though I express deep regret to the House that mv provocatiou incited me i to returu tlie blow on the Jirst oci-asion. j I inust ask the llouse to taho into ac couut the second oci-asion which was iabsolutely unprovoked, and further, | was prenieditated in vicw of the faet [that the inan himself said after tlie Jirst occasion 'wait until 1 get vou nlonc'. " Mr. Piratin added that he was prepared to leave tlie niatter in the hands ot" the House. Mr. Speaker then said he had receiv ed a letler which perhaps, in fairuess to tlie other side, he sliould read. The let ter said: "I dceply regret mv parl in what occurred and ask vou to believe that no disrespect was ever intended to vou or the dignity of the Coinnioiu eitlier individually or collectivelv. I i hope you will be generous enongii to extend to me vour leniencv and i'orgive ness. During the eight years I liave lieen u member of tlie Press gallerv i have never liitherto been involved in any untoward ineident and trust you will believe me when 1 sav 1 will never

allow this to occur again. " Alr. Herbert Morrison said ^rr. Pira tin's account of the.aH'air did leave the issue just a wee bir uncertain as to who played this part and who the other but tlie facts were pretty clear and he hought this was an occasion when tlie House might have a sense of proportion

Mr. Morrison said that as both Mr Piratin and the journalist had express ed regret, he thought tliey might let the matter go at that. Tliey might make terribly heavy weather of it by refer ring it to the committee of privileges. Mr. Churchill said inany would fee' there was great wisdom in Mr. Morrison 's idea that the matter sliould bc oassed oft' but there were serious issues. It was not in favour of niember of Parliament lieing knocked about by strangers wlien in the precincts of tlie Ifouse, It mattered nothiug whethei tliey were Pommunists or Tories, tlie House uiust guard its riglits. He pro posed that the matter sliould go before the committee of privileges. Mr. Speaker tlien said that a prima facie case had been made out. Mr. Morrison .Said he was only trying to get the matter settled amicalily with out I>ad blood but in views of Mr Speaker 's ruling he moved that the matter be referred to tlie committee and ihe House agreed to the motion.