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Anti-jewish Excesses Continue All over Poland: Outbreaks at Lomza Sosnowiece Posen Cracow and Lember

November 16, 1931
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Anti-Jewish excesses have taken place at Lomza, Sosnowiece, Posen and Cracow, the Polish Telegraphic Agency, the official Polish news agency, states to-day.

At Lomza, it says, Christian students at the School of Mathematics attacked Jews passing through the streets. The Jews resisted, and many people were wounded on both sides.

The District Chief has held a conference with all the School Directors, to induce them to calm down the students. He also received a delegation of the Jewish Community and asked them to quieten the Jews, so that they should not proceed to reprisals, and that the authorities should be able to carry out their duty of preserving order.

At Sosnowiece a crowd of about 3,000 people collected in the evening on the outskirts of the town, about 40 per cent. of them students, and including a large number of Communists, and attempted to hold an anti-Jewish demonstrations. The police soon dispersed the crowd, however, arresting nine students and two Communists. Two people were slightly wounded and several windows were smashed.

In Posen a group of young people attempted during the evening to break into the Jewish quarter, but the police dispersed them before they were able to do any serious damage.

In Cracow, although the Rector of the University issued an appeal to the students to keep order, a body of students went through the Jewish streets last night, smashing windows, especially in the cafes Bristol, Royal and Roma.

Lemberg University has again been closed down after the renewed attacks on Jewish students there. Lemberg City Council has unanimously adopted a resolution at its meeting held to-day calling upon the student youth to keep order.

In to-day’s issue, the Bundist paper, the “Volkscajtung”, reports from Vilna that the Jewish Community there has already registered the names of 150 Jews who have been injured in the anti-Jewish disturbances, and that it is estimated that another 100 have been injured, who have not yet been registered.

The authorities have is sued a statement declaring that if any further excesses occur, the participants will be put before a court martial.

The National Democratic Press states that it has received information that the Government is drawing up a list of all students who have been arrested in connection with the anti-Jewish disturbances, and that they will all be called up immediately for military service.

The Government is reported to have asked the Vilna Police Chief to resign his post because he failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the disturbances, and it is said that he will also be placed before a disciplinary court.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has been on the long distance telephone to Lomza, and has been informed that the Lomza Yeshivah has been closed, because further attacks are feared. The windows at the Club of the Brith Trumpeldor Organisation have been smashed. The Jewish population of Lomza is feeling very dispirited because of the outbreaks.

In Warsaw bands of National Democratic students waited last night outside the Philharmonic Hall, where there was a big concert in progress, and as the audience was coming out they attacked all those whom they took to be Jews.

The alarm was soon raised, however, and police arrived on the scens, when the aggressors fled.

Another attempt was made to-day by National Democratic students to drive the Jewish art students out of the Academy of Art, and five Jewish students were injured in the fighting.

An anti-Jewish student meeting has also been held at the Conservatoire of Music, but it passed without any disorder.

Memorial services for Stanislaw Waclawski, the National Democratic student who was killed in the fighting at Vilna University, were held here separately this morning by the students belonging to the Government Party and by the National Democratic students. After the service, the National Democratic students attempted to hold a demonstration, but they were dispersed by the police.

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