A near-riot occurred at Pier 59, Hudson River, late Tuesday night when a crowd of liberal Hungarians living in New York, members of the Anti-Horthy League, demonstrated against the Horthy regime in Hungary on the arrival of the steamer Olympic, bringing the 500 members of the Hungarian delegation which came to unveil the memorial to Louis Kossuth at Riverside Drive and 113th St this morning.
About 100 members of the delegation are Jews, including the two Jewish democratic deputies, Dr. Ernest Brody and Bela Fabian, who is known for his duels with anti-Semitic leaders in Hungary, and Professor Joseph Belassa.
Newspapermen who were looking for Hejjas, the notorious leader of the anti-Jewish terror in Hungary, who was reported to be a member of the delegation, were told that Dr. S. Hejjas is not to be identified with Lieutenant Hejjas, leader of the Hungarian Race Purifiers.
The purpose of the delegation was “to bring to the United States a message of fraternity and good will,” Baron Sigmund Perenyi, the spokesman, declared. Other members of the delegation are Count Paul Bethien, twenty-five members of the Hungarian Parliament, Count Julius Wlassich, head of the House of Lords, city and State officials, editors, bankers, farmers and peasants.
Carrying banners reading “Will Mayor Walker Shake Hands with Hejjas, the Mass Murderer?” “Get Out, You Bloody Murderers of Hungarian Workers and Peasantsl” and “Kossuth Monument-Horthy Monument!” a crowd of members of the Anti-Horthy League assembled at the pier an hour before the Olympic docked and began jeering as the steamer came up to the pier.
More than one hundred motorcycle and mounted policemen, patrolmen, detectives and members of the Bomb Squad were called out to keep order. Within a short time shots had been fired, persons tranpled, rocks thrown, the explosion of photographer’s flashlight had caused bomb scare, nightsticks had been free used and ambulances had been called.
After the street about the pier have been cleared in ten minutes’ fighting, the visitors were taken in motorbuses to the hotels at which reservations had been made. There were about 1,000 jeering shouting, hissing persons outside the Knickerbocker. All were dispersed be the police riding up and down the side walk.
Hugo Gellert, artist and an official of the Anti-Horthy League, said he and his wife and a group including Doroth Day, Franklin Spier and Michael Gold were manhandled by police as the walked back and forth in West Street
In the melee, a one-armed labore Jeseph Nagy, forty-five, of New Brums wick, N.J. was arrested. Police said he was carrying a 32-calibre unloaded revolver.
Members of the Anti-Horthy League who charge the main purpose of the pi## grims is to attempt to raise a $150,000,000 loan in the United States for the Horthy Government, said an anti-Horth mass meeting would be held tonight in the Central Opera House.
The delegation was received at City Hall by Mayor Walker yesterday. A strong guard was assigned to keep order.
A guard of uniformed and plain clothes policemen was stationed at the three botels where the delegation is stopping.
Several non-Jewish members of the delegation, headed by Count Perenyi, and the Jewish members, many of them in Orthodox Jewish garb, were invited by the First Hungarian Congregation, Oha? Zedek, to attend Sabbath services at the synagogue.
The rank and file of the Jewish members of the delegation declined to comment on the situation of the Jews in Hungary. The leaders, however, including deputies Fabian and Brody and Pro fessor Barlassa, declared that the situation is improving. Deputy Fabian expressed his belief that the Hungarian people are not anti-Semitic and that anti Semitism, which has been found to be “not paying”, will disappear as Bolshevism has disappeared. The fact that Jewish deputies were included in the parliamentary delegation is an indication of the changing conditions. Such an appointment would have been impossible several years ago, he stated.
Dr. Brody declared that although he is a member of the opposition and has fought against the numerus clausus which he considers a misfortune for Hungary, he is primarily an Hungarian patriot. “My life begins and ends with love for my country,” he declared. “No foreign intervention is desirable in the matter of the numerous clauses which,” he said, “is a purely internal matter” Count Perinea pointed to the presence of Jews in the delegation and asserted that he has even been a friend of the Jews. “The Communist Jews” were blamed by him for the situation created in Hungary.
Paul Petry, assistant secretary in the Ministry of Education, when interviewed by the representative of the Jewish Daily bulletin, denied that the present mnen is clauses law is a discriminatory measure against Jews. The contention of the Jewish deputies that the present law does not practically abolish the anti-Jewish discrimination is not correct, he said. Before, only a limited number of Jewish students could be admitted, while now when a Jewish student’s application is rejected, he will be able to appeal to the government which will make the decision Notwithstanding the limitations, the Jewish students constitute 14% of the general number of students, while the
“Don’t population is only 6%.
“Don’t speak ill of us?’ Mr. Petty Pleaded. “We are suppressed anyway and we need the sympathy of the world”
It was stated yesterday that the initiator the movement to erect a monument to Louts Kossuth, the George Washing-ton of Hungray, was the late Gaza D. Berko, formerly Berkowitz, editor of the Hungarian newspaper, “Nepsava” published in New York. Berko was Hungarian Jew who joined the Presbyterian church. He died several months ago.
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