HC Deb 31 May 1946 vol 423 cc1487-9
Mr. Sidney Silverman (By Private Notice)

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has any statement to make about clashes and casualties reported today between Jewish displaced persons at Belsen and British troops, whether he is aware that these conflicts are the result of a decision by military government to prevent by the use of British and Polish armed forces ingress and egress to and from the camp, and what steps he proposes to take.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. John Hynd)

I have made preliminary inquiries and find that the incident arose in the following way. During the last two or three weeks there has been a very serious increase in crime, including rape, robbery and murder, in the area around Bergen Belsen camp. After consultation with the police, the Military Commander decided that it was essential to deny ingress to and egress from the camp, whilst investigations were carried out.

A proclamation in Polish, German and English was posted and British infantry, not Polish troops, were used to cordon off the camp. The troops available were not sufficient to keep the camp closed, and Jews not only crossed and recrossed the boundaries of the camp but staged demonstrations and processions. The main procession marched to the gates of the camp in an attempt to force their way through the soldiers. The troops exercised the utmost restraint. There was no shooting whatsoever, but a British police officer used a low-pressure fire hose on the demonstrators until ordered not to do so by a British military officer. The only casualty was a British soldier slightly injured by a stone thrown by one of the demonstrators. There was no serious disorder.

Mr. Silverman

Can my hon. Friend say whether the cordon round the camp has now been lifted?

Mr. Hynd

I have no official information on that, but I am informed that the cordon at the camp was lifted yesterday.

Earl Winterton

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the person's in this camp are under arrangement to go to America, or are they there indefinitely?

Mr. Hynd

The final disposal of the people in this camp, both Poles and Polish Jews, has not yet been finally decided.

Mr. Silverman

Is my hon. Friend aware that the speed and energy with which he has acted at very short notice, for which I am very grateful, has probably prevented a catastrophe which we should all have deplored? Will he impress upon the authorities on the spot that these people have lived through years of unimaginable horror, that their future is still dark and obscure, and that there is a limit to human endurance, even theirs?

Mr. Janner

Will the Chancellor of the Duchy give instructions that very careful consideration will be given to the conditions of these heroic men and women in view of the very serious difficulties they have had to pass? These people have now been in camp for over a year. They are almost in despair because they have no indication that they are to have access to Palestine, which they want to enter as speedily as possible.

Mr. Hynd

While we thoroughly appreciate the difficulties and the psychology which must develop among these unfortunate people in the conditions under which they have had to live, at the same time it is only fair to say that the accommodation, food, and amenities which have been provided and are now available are a burden upon ourselves. In reply to the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. Silverman), I should not like it to be thought that there has been anything of a particularly unusual character about these incidents, or that the fact that the incident is closed is due to any intervention on my part. What I have conveyed to the House is the story of what has happened. So far as I know, and according to unofficial information, I think that the incident is closed, that the camp is no longer cor-dened off, and that there have been no casualties except that of a British soldier hit by a stone thrown by one of the demonstrators.