Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954)(about) |
Previous issue
Friday 19 June 1931
Next issue
of 4
Next page
Send to:
|
2 corrections, most recently by anonymous - Show corrections
Eviction Riot at Newtown
HEAVILY BARRICADED DOORS
ARE FORCED BY THE POLIGE 18 ARRESTS ARE MADE
ONLOOKER COLLAPSES AND DIES 14 Anti-Evictionists and 8 Police
Receive Ambulance Treatment
Sydney, Friday.
Police fired: 15 shots during a battle with anti-evictionists at a house in Union-street, Newtown, to-day,and battering down heavily-barricaded doors with axes gained entrance to the building. Fourteen anti-evictionists and eight police required ambulance at- tention after the riot had boen quelled, and 18 arrests were made.
An onlooker, whose nam.is not yet known, collapsed and died from n lieart attack- when the battle j was nt its height.. - -
Tho eviction order, which had boon issued sonieStime ORO, was to expire ot 4 o'clock to morrow, and notices call- ing u meeting at 10 o'clock tó-day had; beon posted iii various parts of' the district. A huge crowd gathered ¡ri Union-street., and Communist ? ad- dresses were made. Tho speeches ceased at ll ' o'clock, but a largo number of people remained in the vicinity ot thc house. Later a motor bu» filled with'police appeared on tho scone, and if waB followed by patrol ears and motor cycles. As the police - jumped froio tho bus they were met by a fusilnde 0f stones'ond: seve- ral wore struck.
A number, of rhen on "the .baleen?' of the house urged tho crowd on. and tho crowd continued' to throw 'atonía, The position was looUiiig lso' .iRly .tbnt an order to draw revolvers wns given and .several shots were fired nt tho woodwork ot tho top of tho balcony.
Tho defenders on the balcony dashed ¡tito tho house, and anning thomselvos with bricks, sticks, and'iron bars stood
inside tho doors and windows, which wero barricaded with . barbed yore, sandbags, and galvanised iron. '.(lie barricades, however, were smashed down and Constnblo Kelly, of Newtown, nttemptcd -to forco his : way ' into tho building. Ho was struck a heavy blow . on :.. the . hoad . with a stick- and foll '. to tho ground. The police, however, gnineil ontrnnco to tho building and a norco hand to hand enrounter occurred in'tho kitchen and bedrooms. Furniture and crockery,were badly damaged. The de- fenders eventually-, took, refuse upsti> irs mid hurled stones ht tho-polico as they endeavored to mount tho stairs.
The gos was somehow turned on in a downstairs room, and immy of the combatants on both sides were almost overcome, before it whV turned off àiifl the ..windows and fanlight smashed to allow the gas to escape. ' Tho battle lasted 20 minutes, and then tho police were left in complete 'control."
-Tho crowd;outside, however, was very antagonistic and as policé, bleeding from wounds, were'lcd''outside, they- were loudly hooted; ; Tho defenders were
then handcuffed1 and escorted from tho building ,to tho police..patrol waggon and- driven, airuy.-. Tho house, presen ted nrromnrKnblo sight, after' reaco had been restored. Along tho balcony wepe piles of brickB,- iron bars, and stones, while tho open spaces above tho. rail ina wer« netted with barbed, w'T. "