N.Z. Girl at "Red" Rally In Prague
THE interesting experience of attending a Communist-domin-ated youth rally in Prague last year as a member of the Young, Conservatives in England fell to a Wellington girl, Miss Joan Lamburd, who has just returned from an , ex£ended visit abroad. Ninety peiwcent. of the youn^g people, present were • Communists. • " • •
' ' » "The festival drew • about 1500 participants I'rom Britain; of whom 1000 were Commun- . :sts," said Miss Lamburd. ."The Conservatives had deci;^ed it vvould be a good thing to send an essentiaily 'Right Wing' group * to' a definitely 'Left Wing' gathering. •" So 250 Young Conservatives went. , There were six New Zealanders, but only two were officially .from the Dominion." The World" Youth Festival, as it was called, was attended by British, Americans, Europeans, Asiatics and coloured people. There were 69 nations taking part one way or another. Miss Lamburd told how the festival originated. Following a' world youth conference in London three years ago, the World Federation of Democratic Youth was formed and branches came into ■ operation throughout the world. It was the federation which decided to hold the festival in Prague. "While the World Federation of Democratic Youth sounds democratic, it is not democracy in the way' British people know it. The Communist idea of 'democratic' is some thing quite different," she ' said. | "At the rally I had some. extremely interesting talks with represenlatives from different countries. I spoke to Communists mainly see^ ing 90 per.cent. of those present were Communists. They had a way of 'wearing' down an opponent in argument, which often made one want to give ud.
"On the fiiial day of the festival, a .crowd of 30,000 representatives of countries far and wide with flags and banners marched through the streets past thousands of people. I felt very proud to be British when we heard - 'Long Live England' being shouted at us by the Czechs. We came to a halt at Wenceslas ! Place. Mr. Benes spoke to us and it was translated into the four main languages." Miss -Lamburd has riow taken up her post again with the .National Broadcasting Service. f
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Chronicle (Levin), 31 March 1948, Page 7
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351N.Z. Girl at "Red" Rally In Prague Chronicle (Levin), 31 March 1948, Page 7
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