0003160 *G.F. 316
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leader of the delegation, YEUNG Kwong, Chairman of the F.T.U. and
Chairman of the All Circles Committee. The statement said inter alia
that "Trench must shoulder all serious consequences arising from his
attitude".
12.
In other parts of the Colony an anti-Government poster
campaign preaching sedition and disaffection gathered momentum and
loudspeaker broadcasts from various C.P.G. owned premises, including
the Bank of China, began. These broadcasts were particularly
vitriolic and vituperative.
It became obvious that the communists
were attempting by every means in their power to exert as much
pressure as possible on Government and the Police Force and,
in particular, to provoke the latter into making some move in
retaliation which could be used as fuel for the continuation of the
struggle. It was clear that the local communists believed (in spite
of the support given to them by the statement from Pekint) that
for the time being at least they would have to go it alone and that
they were fully prepared and confident that they could do so
successfully on the Macau pattern.
13.
On the evening of the 20th May, Government decided to call
a halt to the Government House attacks and announced that the law.
relating to the banning of disorderly processions and unlawful
gatherings would be strictly enforced. However, on the morning
of 21st Lay, attempts to march on Government House in strength were
renewed and when they were prevented, the Central District of Hong
Kong became the focal point for rioting. By the middle of the
morning, organised groups of communists had assembled at the bottom
of Garden Road, where police were barring the way. They were
stopped and informed that they would be permitted to visit
Government House provided they split up into orderly parties of not
more than twenty. This they refused to do and the crowd began to
swell despite attempts by the Police to disperse them peacefully.
After hurling abuse at the Folice, the mood of the crowd became
ugly; between 1 and 2 p.m. violence erupted and a umber of windows
were broken in queen's Road Central. The rest of the afternoon
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