CO129-497 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 505

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During the morning, Tuesday, the 23rd, it was noticed from Shameen that motor-cars passing along Shakee Street— the street on the Canton side of the creek separating the island from the city-were distributing circulars and leaflets, which later on proved to be inflammatory pamphlets calling upon all and sundry to rise against the foreigners and drive them out of Shameen.

The procession commenced shortly after 2 o'clock, and I personally watched the demonstration from the verandah of the "Victoria Hotel,” facing Shakee, from the beginning, and was therefore an eye-witness of all that happened. The procession was headed by mounted and dismounted police, and then came on sections consisting of various units com- prising students of different schools, labourers, boy scouts, and a sprinkling of girl students, all waving flags and banners and shouting towards Shameen. One of the last units was headed by a brass band of small boys, this being said to be the Canton Christian College students.

Up to this time the procession was perfectly orderly and just resembled any ordinary similar political demonstration in Europe, in fact so much so that I remarked to a bystander on the orderly behaviour of the crowd. But at this point the aspect changed. After the Christian College students had passed there was a gap in the procession of about a hundred yards, and then came a unit flying a huge red flag and a red flag with a yellow star and scythe (said to be the Soviet ban- ner). This unit, consisting apparently of labourers, gesticu- lated more threateningly towards Shameen and yelled fiercer than their predecessors, and the next I saw was that a fully armed military force with arms at the slope and led by mounted officers followed in their rear. When these had reached up to the corner of the lane leading into the city from Messrs. Li & Fung's, I suddenly saw the Chinese crowd of

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Body, and in particular the British and French Consular Representatives, that the firing had started from Shameen and that therefore the foreign authorities were responsible for the affair, I have availed myself of this opportunity to bring before His Danish Majesty's Government the actual facts as seen by myself. There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that the affair was prearranged; and the fact that fully armed troops in great numbers took part in an otherwise peaceful demonstration precludes any doubt as to the intentions of the organizers, for which the Chinese Government must be held responsible, the more so as they were previously warned against the consequences of such an action,

(Sd.) WALLACE J. HANSEN,

Consul.

ROYAL DANISH CONSULATE AT CANTON, 25th June, 1925.

APPENDIX H.

Statement by Mr. C. J. B. Hellstrom, Swedish Consul, Canton.

I was present in Shameen and saw the procession on the 23rd June. It was unquestionably arranged by the Bolsheviks for propaganda purposes with all the skill at their disposal. First came various guilds of workers, schools, students and peasants, and while they went along a remark was passed that the procession was extraordinarily peaceful. But when the rear of the procession came nearer, they were worked up into a frenzy by agitators who were running on both sides of the procession. The people yelled and shouted against Shameen, waving their flags, and just before the troops were a number of boy scouts who were worked up by the agitators

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