Evening star., 1934-06-24

been present at the invitation of the
organizers and Sir Oswald preferred
that the task of quelling disorder
should be left with his Black Shirts.
The result was a display of hooligan-
ism and brutality which shocked pub
lie opinion, filled the columns of the
press with denunciations and brought
the Black Shirt movement to the bar
Of the House Of Commons
1t is not suggested that there was
not great provocation from the Com
munists, who were determined to
wreck the meeting, but the Black
Shirts were generally condemned for
the savagery with which they attacked
the opposition and the government
has been called upon from all quarters
to deal drastically with o menace to
public order which, II left unchal-
lenged, would create O kind of civil
Communists such as preceded the Hit
Ter coup in Germany.
The government Is quite alive to the
necessity Of nipping in the bud this
threat to free speech and free institu-
tions. It has announced its intention
Of arming itself with additional
executive powers to prevent the re-
currence Of the scenes that disgraced
Olympia, whether they are created by
the hooligans of the right or the
hooligans Of the left. So far as the de-
fense Of free speech and the rights of
public meeting are concerned, this
should not be dificult. 1t can be OBJ
tanned by giving the police the same
duty Of preserving order within walls
as without.
Under existing law the police can
not be oficially present at public
meetings without consent Of the Or
ganizers, or in the event Of being
called in to deal with actual disorder.
But henceforth 1t Is assumed that it
will be their duty to be present where,
as In this case, disorder Is not merely
anticipated, but notoriously organ
ized. No one questions that If the
Black Shirt stewards had been with
drawn from Olympia. and a few po-
licemen had been distributed about
the building in their place, public
order would have been maintained
and the rights of free speech pre-
served.
But the problem before the govern
ment goes deeper than the mainte-
nance of order at public meetings, or
in the streets. Mosleyism, it Is real
tied by all section Of responsible opin-
ion, must be frontally and drastically
suppressed. It is o new and alien
phenomenon in British politics. While
pursuing nominally constitutional
aims, it sets out to attain those aims
by the help of semi-military organ
ization and display. It Is private
ern1y which claims powers parallel
with those Of the police to exercise
force in the maintenance Of order. II
that claim Is allowed, then the Com
munists, who have an equally disrup-
tive goal in view, will be justified In
organizing rival army on the pre-
tence of keeping the peace" And the
end will be chaos.
The true note is struck by the home
secretary when he says, THE govern
ment is certainly not prepared to al
low the responsibility for the main
tenance of order and the preservation
of our free institutions to be usurped
by any private or irresponsible body" "
In this declaration, as the debate in
the House of Commons showed, he
has behind him the well-nigh unan-
imous support Of Parliament. II could
not well be otherwise. For II private
armies are tolerated, parliamentary
J government itself Is under notice to
quit
(copyyixht. ls3z)