RIOT CHARGES

Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1932, Page 6

RIOT CHARGES

CASE pfi ..DEFENCE* (By Press Association)

j ' : f ;! AUCKLAND, May 25. Thevcasie for the defence in the Supreme, .Court trial ol fourteen men accused of (rioting on April 14, opened this •nio-rnling, after fifty witm sse* had been heart! for the-Crown.

The case o.’ eleven accused was opened bv counsel, who said the prime obi the demonstration on April 14 .to draw attention to the destitution,.and diskless amongst unemployed, and to discuss remedies. The misguided persons who’ burst, into the Town Hall were the people responsible for starting the disturbance and not tin men and women who took part in the .. procession, amongst whom, were accused. Not one. of . these men participated in rioting or looting and evidence would Ijo called to prove it. There were some very grave errors of identity on the 'part of the police, due to difficulty of identifying any particular person.

EVIDENCE FOR DEFENCE. ,SJ 7. • , °- 3 AUCKLAND, May 25. Tile‘first witness for the defence wak 'Frederick Lark, president of the Auckland Provincial Unemployed Association. He described how the procession -Kvas marshalled up to the Town liall, and said the first attack he saw ■; made was immediately after Janies Edwards had been struck by a policej baton. ./file eirowd .was a surging mass and ahy„.man in it dyad no chance of getting onto AVit-ness .Cross-examined by the Crown Prosecutor:, admitted he had -spoken ftrom. the same platform as three of accused, “and the principles of Communism had been enunciated from that platform.” Witness—lf .you mean humanitarianism, I would say iyes. Witness said, he got his position liy democratic election, and it would be very difficult for one man- to obtain single control of the association. He denied havinjg.-. advocated violence. ■ Crown Prosecutor —When you were coming up Queen Street did you notice’ a window had been broken. Witness—Yes. What- steps did you take? Witness—l took the -steps any reasonable] man would take. I kept the procession moving. The unemployed were not in an way connected with the window smashing. He was not a mehiper of the Communist Party.