Menahem Beigin, Herut leader, addressing a meeting in Haifa today, threatened that if the Mapai Party interferes with the rightwing movement’s projected demonstration in Tel Aviv against the reparations negotiations with Germany, the Herut would “reply to force with force.”
Mr. Beigin was commenting on the fact that the pro-government Mapai Party has begun organizing industrial workers in volunteer units to “protect the government and party institutions” in the event that the right-wing demonstration leads to violence. Meir Argov, Mapai Party secretary, pledged that the workers recruited by the Labor Party would not interfere with the Herut demonstration “if it passes quietly.
The date of the demonstration has not been announced, but will take place on the day that the negotiations open. Herut leaders have stated that they will seek official permission to hold the rally, but will hold it regardless of whether they receive permission or not. In view of the tension that has arisen as a result of the Herut plans, the authorities are reported to have taken special precautions to avert clashes.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
