§ 118. Sir WILLIAM BYLESasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the conduct of the police during a riot at South Place, Finsbury, on Saturday after a No-Conscription meeting; whether he is aware that men and women leaving the meeting were severely and roughly handled by a large crowd which had been allowed to collect, were pelted with stones and struck on the head with sticks, and subjected to abusive language even from the police themselves; and what explanation he can offer for the failure of the authorities to protect unoffending citizens and to preserve reasonable order in the public streets of the capital?
Mr. H. SAMUELI have made inquiry, and I find that the City Police had made adequate provision for the maintenance of order. The police could not, of course, prevent the crowd from expressing their disapproval of the meeting vocally; but 1535 when the throwing of sand and oranges began it was at once stopped by the police, and they took steps to protect the persons leaving the meeting. So far as they know, no stones were thrown or sticks used, and no person made any complaint of being injured.
§ Mr. STANTONShame! They ought to.