HC Deb 04 March 1889 vol 333 c849
SIR C. RUSSELL (Hackney, S.)

I desire to ask the Home Secretary a Question, of which I have given him private Notice, and which, as it relates to the peace of the metropolis, I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be able to answer—namely, whether it is true that notice was given to Mr. Monro twice, by letter, of the intention to hold a meeting near Cleopatra's Needle yesterday, and Mr. Monro did not intimate any intention of preventing such meeting; whether that meeting was forcibly prevented, and, if so, by what authority, and on what ground; also whether Mr. Hyndman intimated his intention of holding a meeting in Hyde Park, near the Achilles statue; whether, while such meeting was being held, it was forcibly suppressed and whether several assaults were committed by the police?

MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAM (Lanark, N.W.)

May I ask, further, whether Mr. Hyndman was forcibly knocked down and stamped under foot by police; whether another Socialist was knocked down; and whether a German woman was felled to the ground and called a whore by a policeman?

MR. MATTHEWS

It is perfectly obvious it would be impossible to answer a Question of the kind just put to me without notice. The only information I have had certainly would not convey to my mind that anything resembling a disturbance or a collision with the police had occurred.

MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAM

Was the meeting proclaimed, and had the public any means of knowing it would be prevented?

MR. MATTHEWS

I have no information on that point.