29 Oct 1933 - Riots in Palestine

Rioting occurred in Jaffa, Palestine, yesterday afternoon, and a com-munique was issued by the High Com-

missioner of Palestine.

It states that an Arab Executive Committee announced their Intention to hold, on October 27, a political de-monstration in Jaffa, similar to that disallowed in Jerusalem on October 13. The High Commissioner received the President and members of the Arab Executive on October 25, and informed them that no political procession or demonstration would be allowed In Jaffa, but that members of the exe-cutive would be permitted to proceed to the District Office ard there hand in a protest or manifesto to the Distri"* Commissioner for transmission to His Excellency.

Despite the High Commissioner's prohibition, a procession was formed yesterday in the neighborhood of the

Government O mee in Jaffa. It *<*gan to move, and was ordered to disperse. This injunction was disobeyed, and the police were assaulted. The police were compelled to make a baton charge to disperse the mob. which. however, re-formed, and again attack-ed the police. Shots were fired from ihe crowd at the pnllce. who "*¿re ^omn«>lIed in self-defence to fire a few rounds under control. After an hour

and a half the rioters were dispersed by the police, and quiet was restored.

Reports show that the police through-out displayed great control and for-bearance. The military were not called upon, as the police had the situation in hand.

The "Daily Mail's" correspondent at Jaffa reported that 20 persons were killed in disturbances which occurred where the armies of

Richard Coeur De Lion, Alexander .

and Napoleon once fought.

The police carried 200 rounds of ammunition and used special stee' shields to ward off blows and missiles. Barbed wire surrounded public build-ings and strategic points. The police confiscated the weapons of everyone entering the city and stopped and

searched cars.

Heavy detachments barred the ap-proaches to the Central Square, where the drone of Mohammedans praying in the mosque suddenly became an exci-ted roar as thousands of Arabs surged .through the gates into the square Mounted police fruitlessly essayed to charge, but the horses slipped on the

asphalt.

A constable was dragged from his horse and was beaten with bottles

and chairs taken from a cafe, j When the police eventually fired

volleys the massed Arabs fled and j

many were crushed and trampled

underfoot. An unexploded bomb |

was found after the retreat.

Last night the curfew was ordered for 8 o'clock, and was enforced by hun-dreds of police, who were assisted by the Trans-Jordan frontier force. The Jewish suburb of Tel Aviv, the centre of jewry in Palestine, containing 60,000 Jews, more than half the city's popu-lation, was specially guarded.

The disturbances were the culmina-tion of Arab resentment at the inten-sification of Jewish migration follow-ing the Jews* ejection from Germany The antagonism is also becoming antiBritish owing to the belief that Britain ls responsible for the Jewish influx and acquisition of land. The British forces are regarded as adequate to deal with any situation.

Disturbances occurred at Haifa, where the police fired in the air to dis-perse a mob excited by the news from

Jaffa.

As a result of the Jaffa disturb-ances, a crowd attacked a police station in Jerusalem. Baton charges were fruitless, so the police fired, killing two persons and

wounding several others.

One policeman was stabbed. Similar rioting occurred at. Nablus, a crowd attacking the railway station. The police fired, killing one person. Fur-ther disturbances are expected rtien the dead rioters are burled.

The Air Force rushed a squadron of aeroplanes from Egypt.