Slovakian Anti-semitic Rioters Will Be Severely Punished, Says Government Official

The anti-Semitic rict in the Slovakian town of Topolcany, during which 68 Jews were injured, will be thoroughly investigated and the perpetraters punished, Karol Schmidke, co-chairman of the Slovak National Council, stated in an interview with the Bratislava newspaper Pravda.

“The events (at Topolcany) were dep-orable and completely indefensible,”Mr. Schmidke said. “They bring to light the remainders of fascist ideclogy which will have to be eradicated at all costs. I will do everything in my power to have the occurrences thoroughly investigated, and to punish severely those involved. We will start a systematic campaign against the remainders of fascism, which taught the people to hate their Jewish fellow-citizens. We will prosecute everyone who tries to undermine our democratic republic through acts of racial hatred.”

The incident at Topolcany was discussed here today in conversations between Leo Herman, of the Keren Haeysod, who is a leader of Czech Jews abroad, and government officials. Mr. Herman plans to confer with the authorities on problems affecting the Jewish Agency’s activities here and the Prague Jewish community council.

He told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the authorities were aware of the unfavorable impression created abroad by the anti-Jewish disturbances in Slovakia, and hoped that the recent condemnation of such activities by the Cabinet would put a stop to them. Mr. Herman participated in conferences between various ministries and leaders of the Jewish community, and said that he had found sympathetic understanding of Jewish needs.

Mr. Herman also met with Zionist leaders, whom he assured, on the basis of his talks with various officials, that no obstacles would be placed in the way of the Czechoslovak Zionists resuming their activities.