Evening star., 1947-12-12
Police in Jeeps
Charge Strikers
In RomeStreets
Crowds Chanting Red
Anthem Driven From
Foreign Office
By the Assoeiofed Press

police riot squads, swinging
clubs, charged surging crowds
today, in the heart of strike
bound Rome, as throngs chanted
the Communist anthem, Red
Flag"
Police quickly cleared the crowds,
in the Piazza Colonna, from their
concentration point below the win
dows of the Italian Foreign Office.
The crowd gave way, jeering and
hooting.
Two Associated Press photog-
raphers from the United States, j.
Walter Green and Frank Noel, were
struck on the head by police clubs,
but suffered no serious injury. They
continued working after identifying
themselves.
Rome's general strike, now in it's
second day, appeared to have loos-
ened its grip somewhat, despite the
determination of the Communist
controlled Chamber of Labor to pur-
sue it to the bitter end. Strong
arm police measures weakened the
strikers effectiveness as Premier
Alcide de Gasperi's Christian Demo-
cratic government pressed for set
tlement.
Leftists Are Angered.
The most vigorous police action
was at the Piazza Colonna, and
Leftists were angered and embit-
tered. At one point, Pietro Nenni,
the leader of the Socialists pro-
Communist wing, and Giuliano Pa
jetta, a Communist member of the
Constituent Assembly, were mixed
up in fracas after attempting to
demonstrate with police. Neither
was injured.
In the Constituent Assembly Men,
nj demanded to know the nature of
police orders with regard to Piazza
Colonna. Inter Minister Mario Scel-
ba replied that police were in
structed to prevent gatherings in
the vicinity of the government Of
fees. His reply brought catcalls and
cries of Mis-" new epithet formed
from the initials of the avowedly
Fascist Party, the Italian Social
Movement.
A mile away from the Piazza
Colonna other crowds were dispersed
by police at Piazza Fiume. Police
drove their jeeps on the sidewalks,
swinging clubs as they progressed.
Some demonstrators were arrested.
A Communist Party section has Of
fees in Piazza Fiume.
Bystanders Rouse Police.
Groups of idle bystanders had
aroused the policemen by jeering,
whistling and shouting insults at
those detailed to protect private
vehicles which were pressed into
service to relieve the shortage of
transportation.
Two uniformed police officers
armed with carbines and truncheons
were assigned to each half-ton truck
converted to passenger service.
These have become Rome's only
transport system, just as they were
in the early months of the city's
liberation.
Throughout Rome jeep loads OF
police circulated constantly. Other
officers, walking three or four
abreast and brandishing truncheons,
kept demonstrators on the move in
the main thoroughfares.
About noon demonstrators tried to
impede the trucks at the Piazza Ar
gentina, two blocks from Communist
headquarters, but they were quickly
dispersed by police.
The Ministry Of Interior an
nounced that 28 persons were ar
rested when demonstrators erected q
road block on one of Rome's bridges
in the Via Nomentana. Another 40
or so demonstrators were arrested in
the Piazza Colonna.
Y Police in Jeeps Charge Throng.
In the Piazza Risorgimento, near
the Vatican walls, police in jeeps
charged a throng of demonstrators,
breaking one youths leg and knock
ing down a woman who was selling
black market cigarettes. Rome's
black marketeers are not participat-
ing in the strike.
Dispatches from Milan said the
stock exchange in that city was
invaded again today by demon
strators, compelling it to suspend
it's session.
In contrast to yesterdays almost
complete paralysis of normal COM
mercial activity, some cafes, bars
and small shops opened for business.
The Christian Democrat section
of the Chamber of Labor, which
opposed the strike but was voted
down by the Communist-Socialist
majority, continued to scatter leaf
lets today urging workers to stay
on the job.
Partisans Reported Marching.
Tension in the italian capital was
increased by reports that 10000 war
time Communist partisans were con-
verging on the city from the north
and that violence might be in the
ofing
II Popolo, newspaper of the domi-
nant Christian Democratic Party,
published a hand-set strike edition.
This charged the stoppage was
(See ITALY, Page A-7.)