Evening star., 1953-11-06
Court BedIam Flares
Al Trial Of Students
In Guy Fawkes Riots
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Associoted Press
LONDON, Nov. 6.-Shouting,
hymn-singing, university stu
dents turned famed Bow street
court into a bedlam today when
hearings began on mass arrests
resulting from one of the most
riotous Guy Fawkes nights in
London history.
Singing Onward, Christian
Soldiers" they marched through
the packed and Uttered Covent
Garden market area, strewing
exploding firecrackers in their
wake and tried to rush the doors
of the court when they were
thrown open.
Policemen, standing shoulder
to shoulder, barred their way.
200 Students in Court.
AS the milling boys and girls
were pushed back, huge fire
cracker scared out of the crowd
and landed beside a policeman.
He kicked it against the court
steps where it exploded with a
great bang.
the police finally managed to
clear a space and the more than
200 students arrested last night
were ushered into the court, all
charged with ''wantonly dis
charging a f1rework in the
street"
Once inside the courts two
chambers, most of the students
pleaded guilty and paid sinai!
fines.
Some snarled proceedings by
insisting on calling witnesses
from among the shouting. jeer-
ing throng outSide-an almost
impossible job.
Resist Drive on Statue.
The hearings were the after
math of a wild outburSt last
night in London's plush West
End, climaXed by a march of
10000 university students and
other young people on the
Houses of Parliament.
In Piccadilly Circus, heart of
London night life, IS bobbies
resisted assaults on the famous
statue of Eros-Greek god of
love - which dominates the
traffic circle. Climbing the
statue is favorite stunt of cele-
brating Britons.
One group of revelers wheeled
up wood-canvas mock fire
engine and tried to lay ladder
against the statue. They were
beaten off.
Several policemen were
scorched by flrecrackers and
Roman candles. One small girl
was badly burned.
1t Starts Calmly.
The annual celebration-in
honor of 17th century English
man who tried to blow up the
Houses of Parliament-started
off calmly with millions of
Britons dancing around bonfires.
burning effigieS of "the Guy"
and drinking ale.
The rioting erupted. student
spokeSmen claimed, after police
had refused them a permit for
a big procession and bonfire.
A police spokesman denied such
permission had been withheld |
and said the only restriction
was an old one forbidding pro-
cessions or meetings within a
mile of Parliament while the I
lawmakers are in session. /
AS police fought off student .
attacks on the Eros statue and
hauled off apparent ringleaders
to Jail, the mob surged out of
Piccadilly Circus with the cry
"On to Parliament"
Shrieking, throwing fire crack
erS and claShing repeatedly with
police. the students fought their
way through a mile of streets to .
the locked gates of Parliament
yard.
Some of the marchers de-
toured enroute into Downing
Street and tossed f1recrackers
against the windows of No. 10.
Prime Minister ChurchilPS Off
cial residence.
Unable to penetrate the police
Gordon at the Parliament build
ingS, the crowd then tried to
march to Buckingham Palace.
But mounted policemen thwart-
ed them.
Guy Fawkes night commemo-
rates the attempt by a Roman
Catholic plotter of that name
to blow up King James and
his legislators as the monarch
opened Parliament November S,
1905. The plotters bought a
house near Westminster Palace,
dug tunnel under the road and
filled the vault under the House
of Lords chamber with gun
powder. The plot was uncovered
the night before the scheduled
big bang, however. Guy was
captured and beheaded with sew
eral of his co-conspirators.