Rumania Closes Universities After Attack on Anti-semites’ Foe

The Rumanian Cabinet decided today to close all universities and students’ quarters for an indefinite period following the stabbing of Dr. Trajan Bratu, dean of Jassy University, in a suspected anti-Semitic Iron Guardist plot.

Dean Bratu, said to have been marked for death by the Iron Guardists because of his opposition to their activities, was not expected to live. He recently expelled students guilty of anti-Semitic disturbances at Jassy University.

The Cabinet also decided to enforce more strictly the law prohibiting the wearing of uniforms by civilians. At the same time the Government wrote to Patriarch Miron Christea, leader of the Orthodox Church, asking him to instruct priests to abstain from anti-Semitic propaganda and not to participate in political activities. Patriarch Miron had recently showed signs of sympathy with the Iron Guard movement and other Nazi organizations.

Another decision adopted at this morning’s Cabinet meeting provides for the dissolution and prohibition of all freemason organizations, and restriction of employment of foreigners and members of national minorities for “protection of native labor.” The ban on freemason organizations will probably be applied to B’nai B’rith, international Jewish fraternal order. The minorities affected by the labor restrictions include Jews, Hungarians and Germans.

Fifty-six extremist students were jailed today as a result of the stabbing yesterday, the Havas News Agency reported. Most of them are members of the Iron Guard.

Possibility of further trouble was seen in the action of the anti-Fascist National Peasant Party, of which Bratu is a member and under whose regime he was Senate President, in appealing to its semi-military Peasant Guard to protect members from Iron Guard attacks, Havas said.

The Cabinet decided to sponsor a law requiring universities to expel students participating in political demonstrations or joining political organizations.