"Vive Hitler"

Paris palpitated with reports last week that in French North Africa the Arabs were "rising" against the Jews. Instanter Jewish Premier Leon Blum rushed home from Geneva and summoned to Paris by plane Governor General of Algeria Georges Le Beau. Consternation increased as Minister of Interior Roger Salengro confided to reporters that he feared "a veritable war of religions is breaking out in North Africa!"

The facts behind this Blum cabinet hubbub were that in Algiers a Jew who had confessed to murdering an Arab was lynched by a mob of 300 Arabs. In Gafsa, Tunisia, 2,000 Arabs rampaged through the Jewish quarter, wrecking homes and shops, seriously wounding one Senegalese policeman, and in some streets raising cries of "Vive Hitler!"

In Algiers, eager Communist and Socialist elements joined with Arabs in turbulent antics such as flinging stones at random among a junketing party of mayors from all parts of Algeria. Result: a proclamation of what amounted to martial law and further turbulence at Constantine and Oran. In Paris demonstrative war veterans filled the Champs Elysees with shouts of "Blum to the gallows!" and "Down with the Jews!"

Later some 40,000 spectators wildly cheered 15,000 marching members of the Croix de Feu, giving the Fascist salute derisively at police. Ensued a free fight in which cafe patrons hurled water syphons, tables & chairs at police who hurled them back. Significantly, when the Gardes Mobiles marched in to restore order, these grim troopers were cheered with cries of "France for the French!" while the police were booed as tainted with the Socialist, Communist and Jewish aura of the Popular Front.

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