GREAT BRITAIN: Truncheon Charges

What English constables call their “truncheons” became clubs with a vengeance last week as jobless men were beaten back and down in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Croydon, Westham and North Shields by what Victorian novelists used to call “the arm of the law in blue.”

Out-of-workers battled with bottles. In London a smart Bobby dodged a bottle-blow, let it knock out Out-of-Worker James Cunningham. Into the breach as James Cunningham went down stepped Rev. J. C. Putterill, prominent social reformer. “Come on men!” he roared and led 3,000 jobless on a window-smashing spree through the London district of Stratford.

In Liverpool’s once sedate City Council Hall, lusty Communist Councilmen sang “The Red Flag” as they obtained passage for a highly radical civic measure, only to have the Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor, Mr. J. C. Cross shout, “There is no quorum!” This quashed the measure, provoked pandemonium. Rallying round the Right Worshipful Mr. Cross, loyal councilmen sang “God Save The King,” to which tune the police cracked many a crown, restored order.

In North Shields, police first blocked a jobless march on the offices of the Public Assistance Committee. Thwarted, the marchers tried to hold a public meeting in the public street. When constables charged with drawn truncheons a well-aimed bottle caught a constable full in the left eye, sent him hurrying to hospital while the truncheon charge went on, dispersed the jobless, but not for long.

Massing again, they started window-smashing. Dispersed by a second truncheon charge, they massed once more outside the North Shields police station, shouted, “We want to see the Chief Constable!”

“I won’t see them!” he snapped. Promptly brickbats, bottles and paving stones flew. “Charge, men!” he ordered, and for the third time that day North Shields’ police put on a smacking, effective truncheon charge. . . .

Observers, scanning similar (though less grave) riot reports from Birmingham, Birkenhead. Croydon and other centres concluded that as winter comes the British jobless are getting mass-ugly, losing what trust they had in the MacDonald National Government, turning again to the British Labor Party which last week held its annual congress (see below).