HC Deb 21 July 1954 vol 530 cc1358-9
41. Mr. Patrick Maitland

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to a new series of Egyptian Government broadcasts in Swahili, which were inaugurated by Major Saleh Salem, designed to encourage African, including Mau Mau, hostility to British colonial government; and whether, in particular, his attention has been called to a Swahili broadcast in this series on 10th July which attributed to Kenya spokesmen the fact that British injustice was aiming at breaking the morale of the people of Kenya and of those of all Africa; and whether he will protest to the Egyptian Government which is responsible for that broadcast.

Mr. Nutting

Yes, Sir. Her Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo has been instructed to protest to the Egyptian Government.

Mr. Maitland

I thank my hon. Friend for that reply, but is he aware that on 18th July this offensive and gross libel against our Government in Africa was repeated?

Mr. Nutting

Broadcast programmes are very often repeated. I should have thought that my hon. Friend would have been satisfied to hear that a protest was to be made to the Egyptian Government.

Mr. Paget

Can the hon. Member tell us the proportion of Swahili-speaking Africans with receiving sets capable of picking up Egyptian broadcasts?

Mr. Nutting

That is another question. I think it can be better answered by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Mr. P. Williams

In view of the possibility of broadcasts being re-broadcast, is there any possibility of a protest being re-protested?