Five hundred and fifty visaless Jewish immigrants today staged a sit-down strike at Famagusta, Cyprus, after they were herded off two ressels which were to have taken them back to Palestine to await their velease under the monthly immigration quota, it was reported here in dispatches from the island.
The refugees had embarked aboard the Empire Rest and the Empire Comfort, when the authorities decided to take them off and search the vessels, apparently fearing that bombs had been placed on them. The authorities, late today, had made no announcement of the finding of explosives aboard the ships.
The situation in the internment camps became extremely tense today when the immigrants were returned. Members of camp committees said that they would not be responsible for developments if the Jews were held up more than 24 hours. The announcement of the delay in sailing said that it would be effective “until further notice.”
British naval quarters in Haifa announced that the Empire Lifeguard, sunk yesterday by an explosion shortly after it disembarked 300 visaless Jews returning from Eyprus, was raised after two hours. However, news photographers have not been permitted to view the vessel.
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.
