§ 39. Mr. Prittasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that a number of Polish soldiers serving under His Majesty's Command created a disturbance at a public meeting held at Edinburgh on 21st June 1946, under the auspices of the British Council, presided over by the Lord Provost, when they insulted the Polish Ambassador who was addressing the meeting, as a result of which they had to be 780 removed by the police; and what steps he will take to see that they are punished and that similar occurrences are prevented in future.
§ Mr. LawsonI have made full inquiries into this incident, and I am taking what steps I can to prevent a repetition of such incidents.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will be a little tolerant of the feelings of these soldiers, who fought for us in Warsaw and in Italy while ambassadors and ministers of the Polish Government wore sheltering in Russia?
§ Mr. LawsonI trust that I have the virtue of tolerance, generally speaking. This matter, however, involves soldiers who are under our command, and I am sure nobody in this House wants to seethe British soldier, or any other, involved in an uproar at a public' meeting.
§ Mr. PrittWould my right hon. Friend be very little tolerant of incitement of the Poles by hon. Gentlemen opposite?
§ Mr. HoggIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that if it bad been a Conservative meeting, and the soldiers British soldiers, the hon. and learned Gentleman would have been encouraging them?
§ Mr. LawsonAll I can say is that I would apply the rule, whether they were British soldiers or any others, in respect of proper conduct at public meetings.
Mr. GailacherI want to ask the Minister if the time has not come when these men should be relieved from all kind of military service and put under some civil administration, which would be one way to ensure a possibility of their acting as free men?
§ Mr. LawsonAs a matter of fact, the function of the War Office at the present is to take steps for the resettlement of these soldiers.
Major LloydIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the sentiments expressed by these soldiers represent those felt by not only hundreds of thousands of their fellow countrymen but a large number of people in this country?
§ Mr. LawsonThat is poor doctrine to apply this to soldiers just because it can be applied generally.
Vice-Admiral TaylorWould the Minister and his colleagues have the real cause of this disturbance removed by having the conditions in Poland probed?
§ Sir W. DarlingIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Question does not state all the facts of the situation, and that from information which I can place before him, this meeting was of a somewhat provocative character? Is it not also the case that the Polish Consul himself at that meeting charged an Edinburgh citizen, not a Polish soldier, with having said tendentious things and asked a police officer to take his name and have him checked up?
§ Mr. LawsonI know something of the facts of this meeting, and I ask the House to take note of the fact that it is the business of the War Office, where soldiers of any kind are under their command, to see that they do not create an uproar in any way in public meetings.
§ Mr. PrittIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the statements made by the hon. Member for South Edinburgh (Sir W. Darling) are devoid of any truth?
§ Hon. Members: Withdraw.
§ Sir W. DarlingMay I claim your protection, Mr. speaker? My information is based on the Lord Provost of the city. On a point of Order, may I ask the hon. and learned Member for North Hammersmith (Mr. Pritt) to withdraw his statement?
Mr. SpeakerThe atmosphere is very heated today. The hon. and learned Member said that the statement of the hon. Member for South Edinburgh (Sir W. Darling) was not in accordance with the truth. This is not an un parliamentary expression. It is not calling the hon. Member a liar, or anything of that kind; it is merely saying that his statement is inaccurate.