Communist efforts to exploit the first anniversary of the slaying of 49 Arabs in Kfar Kassem village led today to a police crackdown in which many Communists were arrested following a clash with police in the streets of Nazareth.
The demonstrations were organized by local Communists to mark the anniversary of the killings which occurred on the eve of the Sinai operation but police issued a ban against any meetings.
Emile Habibi, a Communist member of Knesset, reportedly headed the demonstrators. Police had orders to use force in dispersing the demonstration.
The clash was the second Communist-inspired effort to gain political capital from the Kfar Kassem slayings. The first was an attempt by Tewfik Toubi, also a Communist deputy, to break into the Arab village despite a police cordon. He claimed, after he was forcibly prevented from entering, that he was assaulted by police.
The Attorney General reportedly was considering revocation of Toubi’s parliamentary immunity to permit action against the deputy on charges of attacking police on duty.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
