UGLY CLASH IN LONDON

Chronicle (Levin), 21 March 1949, Page 5

UGLY CLASH IN LONDON

W,Z,p.A,

Reuter ,

Mounted Police Battle With Gommunists

Qopyright)

Received Monday, 1-1,40 .a.m. LONDGN, M^rch 20, Mounted poAce charged a crowd of Conimunist suppprters in East Endi s blitzed1 streets tonight du-ring demonstrations which ' the Gommunists staged against a march of Sir Qswald Mosley's union moveraeht in the Ridley Road, Palston, East Endi area, wfiich has been the scene of many previous c'lashes between Mosley supporters and antiFascists. One hund'red: pplicg, part of a large force drawn from aL parts of London, hattled with the crowd attempting to break into Ridley Road and cleared the area, leaving about 150 union supporters around the loudspeakpr van which led the march. iShortly before the march began, 2000 anti-Fascists lined Kingsland Road, the main thoroughfare of ■East End, shouting "Down With Fascism" • and "They shall not march." • - The crowd threw fireworks at the horses as mounted police galloped up and down tne road atterhpting ^o break them up. The police, in a last-minute decision, diveried the march. from hostile Kingsland Road and sent it through a back street, preceded by a poiice radio car and a three-ton lorry, and flanked by police at intervals of one yard. In the rear were dozens of mounted poiice, 200 police on foot and three motorloads of constables, Five thousand. men, wo.mcn and children joined the trek in pursuit, the procession blocking all traffic. At West Green, Tottenham — the London terminal of the Mosley march — a dozeni Communist speakers ad'dressed the crowds from hastily-erected stands. Debris Thrown At Police Two thousand people converged on Tottenham Town Hall, where it was rumoured' that the union movement would hoid a meeang and when scores of police attempted to disperse them the crowds nurlgd large chunks of concrete, stones, hundreds of steel ball bearings^ giass marbles and broken glass" to impede the progress of the mounted police by stieking in the horses' hooves. Hundreds of people outside the Town Hall surged over the War Memorial and knocked wreaths off it. The police dispersed them after a half-hour. One man was arrested. In one area during the march a crowd of 300 fought a. ten-minute scuffle with 80 policemen. In another corner a crowd Pf 5000 held

up tour buses for 20 .nunutes. Stones were thrown and the bus windows 'brpken. The crowd stopped another bus, let the air out of the tyres and forced the passengers -to ieave. * • - i - •• - ' -r- > In half a dozen places hand-to-hand seuff-les occurred between rival factions. Elsewhere Communist an-d union movement supporters brushed shoulders, distributing pamphlets and news sheets. • The Home Secretary, Mr". Chuter Ede, on March 18 rejected a. request from a deputation of mayors, town clerks and CommOners representlng the East London borcughs affeeted, that he should ban the march because of the public disorder it might cause.