MR. THOMPSONrose for the purpose of putting a question to the right hon. Secretary for the Home Department respecting an unhappy conflict which took place yesterday in the Tower Hamlets, between the police and some persons assembled to discuss political matters. He wished to ask the right hon. Baronet whether he had received any official information respecting those proceedings, and whether he was prepared to state on what authority the police, by violence, unprovoked, as he was informed, undertook the dispersion of the persons so assembled? He was informed that those persons who took an active part in the meetings enjoined the people to exercise entire forbearance, and he was further informed that, with respect to a large meeting in Bishop Bonner's Fields at three o'clock, and continued at five, it was commenced, conducted, and ended without the slightest interruption of the public peace—that the people who attended it were quietly returning to their respective homes—and that, after a large number of them had left the field, the police made an unprovoked attack on those who remained, and did considerable injury to many. He did not stand up there for the purpose of affirming or denying the statements made by persons who were on the spot; but, as a conflict had taken place between the police and the people, it was desirable that the House should have the benefit of any official information of which the Secretary for the Home Department might be in possession.
§ SIR G. GREYsaid, that if the hon. Member had given him notice of his intention to refer to the subject, he would have brought down to the House the documentary evidence which he possessed respecting the meeting, and which led him to believe that the meeting was one of a very different character from that which the hon. Member attributed to it. As to the authority under which the police were acting, he begged to assume to himself the whole of the responsibility. They were 338 acting under instructions directly given to the commissioners of police by himself, not to allow meetings to be held at unseasonable hours, in consequence of the experience of the last week or ten days, which showed that the invariable result of such meetings was injurious to the inhabitants of the districts in which they took place. It always happened that on the breaking up of these meetings acts of violence to persons and property were committed, against which the inhabitants had a right to look to the Government for protection. They had been assured that protection would be afforded them as far as the law was able to protect them; and he believed that the law would be found completely effectual for that purpose. The meeting in Bishop Bonner's Fields, to which the hon. Gentleman had referred, was not interrupted by the police, becaue it was not held at an unseasonable hour; but immediately the meeting broke up an attack was made on a church in the neighbourhood, where it was supposed there were some troops stationed, and where in fact there was a body of police. Some of the windows were broken, and on the police interfering, in the imperative discharge of their duty to disperse the mob that were thus riotously assembled, a severe conflict took place; but he was happy to say, that the police succeeded in dispersing the rioters, not, however, till thirty of them were seriously injured. One policeman was stabbed through the hand, the blow having been aimed at his breast, and upon several others serious injuries were inflicted. In consequence of the experience which Government had had of the nature of these meetings in different parts of the metropolis, without any plausible pretext for their being held in such vast numbers, be had felt it his duty to direct the police not to allow such meetings to assemble—meetings which had justly created alarm in the minds of the peaceable inhabitants of those districts where these large bodies had congregated, and in which districts many most serious breaches of the peace had occurred. He could assure the House and the public that the most effectual measures would be taken by the Government to prevent the recurrence of these tumultuous assemblages.