Students Break Govt. Iron Curtain

As soon as the news that the students were likely to demonstrate had been carried to the Government, extraordinary activity was shown on the part of authority. Far from Mr. Fraser—that world-faned humanitarian and self-proclaimed defender of the rights of small nations—giving his blessing to the call for peace and United Nations intervention, all the apparatus of the State was brought into play to dampen any expression of the opinion which most New Zea-landers felt.

The President of the Students' Association was summoned to Police Headquarters in an attempt to persuade him to call the demonstration off. In a last desperate measure the police even called at the school where he was teaching. Our "free" press following a "hint" from the Prime Minister's Department refused to publish any announcement (even a paid advertisement) that there was to be a demonstration at all.

Nevertheless, by noon on the 30th several hundred students had lined Up alongside the War Memorial and 60 constables and the Black Maria had lined up at the Central Police Station.

Superintendent Dempsey immediately vetoed the demonstration and made a great show of taking names. No-one took much notice of him and at the scheduled time the procession streamed off down the Quay. Carrying bold banners with such slogans as "Students Demand UNO Action," "Students Demand a Free Indonesia." "Stop Dutch Aggression," etc.. and joined by many watersiders and other unionists, the procession cut through a line of police outside the Magistrates' Court and finally ended up outside the D.I.C. (police at every door) where a large crowd having gathered outside the offices of the Netherlands Legation, it was impossible to proceed further. Here, after the crowd had counted out the Dutch and the police (whose endeavours to seize the banners were unsuccessfull the demonstration ended.