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Hungarian University Cities Permanent Battlefield of Anti-semitic War

October 26, 1928
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(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The Hungarian University cities continue to be the battlefield of anti-Semitic warfare against the small number of Jewish students admitted to the colleges this year.

The newspapers have introduced a permanent feature captioned “From the Anti-Semitic Battlefield.” wherein the news of the anti-Semitic demonstrations is given. Usually, nothing happens in the forenoon, but in the aftenoon hours the fights are resumed. Up to today no one has any idea as to when and how the government will restore order in the colleges.

Both the university authorities and the police seem to be surprisingly powerless toward the hundreds of nationalistic students, the government doing nothing except issue threats couched in conciliatory terms.

The anti-Semitic demonstrations continued yesterday on a large scale in Debreezin where they resulted in much damage to Jewish property. All stores in principal thoroughfares are closed today due to the fear of a renewed attack. Similarily Jewish homes were kept locked and shutters closed. The city authorities urged the police to increase its patrols. The police detachments did not succeed until today to penetrate into the Agriculture College where five hundred students were driven by the police last night. Siege was waged by the police.

Of the several hundred students held only three who resisted the police were held the rest having been released after identification. The College of Agriculture granted a “leave of absence” to seventeen Jewish students, declaring that the authorities were unable to provide special protection for every Jewish student.

In Parliament Deputy Bela Fabian submitted the material on the basis of which he formulated his charges against the Understate Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, Sztranyavsky. The documents deal with the anti-Semitic bomb attack made in Scongrad in 1923 and confirmed the charge that in due time a secret report was submitted by the Chief of Police of Scongrad giving the names of the perpetrators and proving their guilt. However, the trial was not reopened, it was declared because the investigation was not completed Deputies on the opposition benches exclaimed that during two years nothing has happened and no witness was interrogated. Minister of the Interior Bela Szitovsky threatened that he will insist upon Fabian giving satisfaction for his insult to the government. Deputy Fabian replied that the government may start court proceedings against him since he has already submitted proof of his charges.

The Parliamentary Committee on Immunity decided that the Scongrad documents have nothing to do with the present case and therefore ordered entry in the records that Fabian did not substantiate his charges. The government party representatives, however, were dissatisfied with the Committee’s decision, insisting that Fabian be excluded from the House for one session as punishment.

LORD MELCHETT SAILS FOR ENGLAND

Lord Mechett, Anglo Jewish leader, sailed for England aboard the Mauretania after several weeks visit to this country and Canada.

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