Zelea Codreanu’s Father Arrested: Iron Guard Candidate in Parliamentary by Election: Will Be Kept in

Professor Ion Zelea Codreanu, the father of Deputy Zelea Codreanu, the leader of the Iron Guard, who is standing as Iron Guard candidate in the Parliamentary by-election at Tutova, has been arrested in connection with disturbances which have taken place there.

A big mass meeting of the Iron Guard had been called for this week in the district, but it has now been prohibited by the authorities, and Professor Codreanu’s arrest was carried out on the orders of the Military Commandant. It is understood that he will be kept in custody till the polling day, which has been fixed for April 3rd.

The Iron Guards have been conducting a violent anti-Jewish agitation in Barlad, the principal town of the Tutova region, and in the neighbouring villages, and the situation had begun to look very menacing. All detachments of the Iron Guard brought into the district from outside, some even from Bessarabia, have been cleared out of the district by the authorities, and all demonstrations have been prohibited.

In 1927, after the pogrom in Oradeo Mare, the Liberal Government of the day suppressed the antisemitic League of Christian Defence, headed by Deputy Professor Cuza and Deputy Zelea Codreanu. Despite repeated threats by the League that continued suppression would lead to a violent outburst, the League remained suspended till the Maniu Government came into power at the end of 1928, and acting on the principle of freedom of speech and action, withdrew the suspension order and again gave the League and its kindred bodies, the Iron Guard and the Archangel Michael, the right to conduct their activities.

At the time of the Oradeo Mare excesses the Roumanian Government through the Foreign Minister of the time, M. Titulescu, who is now Ambassador in London, notified the Joint Foreign Committee in London that the following sanctions had been taken by the Government: Over 100 students had been sentenced to imprisonment; other prosecutions were pending; the university authorities eliminated as a disciplinary measure 380 students for the whole year, implying the loss of examinations; a certain number of students had been excluded from the Homes and University Canteens; the civil and military authorities who had failed in their duties had been punished either by dismissals or transfers; the material damage had been compensated; the Government, the Parliament, the University Senate and the press condemned the attitude taken by the students.