§ Mr. SpeakerI call the hon. Member for Salford, East (Mr. Frank Allaun) now, but he will appreciate that I had not had notice of the trouble before. He proposed to found the complaint on a letter. I must, therefore, ask the hon. Gentleman when he received it, because I must consider the opportunity he had to give me warning.
§ Mr. Frank AllaunIn the post at one o'clock, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerYes.
§ Mr. AllaunThank you, Mr. Speaker.
I wish to raise with you a complaint of breach of privilege. This afternoon many hon. Members in the House received two leaflets and a letter. The leaflets bear the Swastika and a photograph of Hitler, and are so deliberately intended to raise hatred towards coloured and Jewish people that I do not intend to spread this poison by repeating them.
The letter is more serious. It is headed:
To Members of the House of Commons,and I wish to read only the following two sentences from it: 1672The toleration and encouragement by Parliament of the coloured invasion and Jewish domination of Britain and the Racial Relations Bill designed to facilitate this constitutes an act of treason"—and the word "treason" is underlined—against the British nation. We give notice that it will be treated as such in the National Socialist Britain of the future, and those of you primarily responsible will then be brought to trial for this crime.I should like to make it clear, if it needs to be made clear, that this movement has no connection with any Socialist movement, and merely uses that name. The name and address of the organisation are on the letter, so that its authors are known. For these reasons, I suggest that there is a breach of Parliamentary privilege.
§ Mr. SpeakerPerhaps the hon. Member will be good enough to bring to me the letter, or the document, on which his complaint is founded.
§ Copy of letter handed in.
§ Mr. SpeakerI will consider the hon. Gentleman's complaint, and rule upon it tomorrow.
§ Mr. OgdenIs it in order, Mr. Speaker, to ask whether you are aware that several other hon. Members received a similar letter some weeks ago, and that this is not the first time this has happened?
§ Mr. SpeakerI hear what the hon. Gentleman says, but this is the first time that it has been made a matter of complaint in this Chamber. No doubt, if the matter had to be studied, the kind of complaint the hon. Member makes would be examined by whatever authority the House appointed to do so.
§ Mr. Sydney SilvermanI do not know, Mr. Speaker, whether it would be of any assistance to you in considering the matter, and giving us your opinion tomorrow morning, to know that, as far as I know, there is no hon. Member who is likely to be intimidated by the gesticulations of these disgusting people, and it might be a mistake to treat it as of any importance at all.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am not quite sure whether I need even the hon. Gentleman's assurance on that point.