§ 40. Mr. NEWBOLDasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information regarding the arrest of four executive members of the Egyptian General Federation of Trade Unions, at a strike demonstration at Alexandria on the 18th March last; for what alleged offence these four have been arrested; whether their arrest is connected with the fact that they are members of the executive of the Egyptian Communist party; under what authority the offices of the General Federation of Trade Unions and of the Communist party 27 were closed after the removal of all papers and documents; and are the four arrested trade union leaders to be tried by a court-martial where Egyptian lawyers are forbidden, and only British lawyers are permitted, to plead?
§ Mr. McNEILLThe only information I have on this subject is that, on 18th March, Husni el Orabi and three other leaders of the Egyptian Communist party were arrested for having organised a public demonstration on that day, in defiance of a formal warning from the Egyptian police, who raided the headquarters of the party, and seized all papers. I have no information in regard to the last part of the question.