SPAIN: Since Castilblanco

Terror of the dictatorship of paunchy Miguel Primo de Rivera was the quick-triggered, shiny-hatted Guardia Civil. Since the foundation of the Republic those formidable constables have been meek as lambs. Fortnight ago a riot broke out in Castilblanco. Four of the Guardia Civil lost their lives, and since then they have stood no more nonsense. After Castilblanco there were a half-dozen clashes between guards and strikers throughout Spain. Twenty-four people were killed; in one stretch of 48 hours eleven citizens died, 60 were wounded. In the Cortes. Socialist deputies threatened a general strike and attacked the civil guard as terrorists. Premier Manuel Azana threw wide his arms soothingly:

”All this passionate outcry is an effort to unseat the government. The civil guards are neither a political nor a social influence but a police force. They will be dealt with accordingly.”