Fought in Spain, jailed in Finland (press cutting)
013-0093-001 D.W. 23.3.40 FOUGHT IN SPAIN, JAILED IN FINLAND Sir Walter CITRINE, being on friendly terms with the White Government of Finland, is being asked to use his influence to secure immediate release from jail of a leading member of the International Brigade, sentenced to ten years'...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English |
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23 March 1940
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/A652E54E-9A30-44D3-81AA-6B0216B2B815 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/75C8FBBE-7F65-4C0E-B03F-A619001EC6D5 |
| Summary: | 013-0093-001
D.W. 23.3.40 FOUGHT IN SPAIN, JAILED IN FINLAND Sir Walter CITRINE, being on friendly terms with the White Government of Finland, is being asked to use his influence to secure immediate release from jail of a leading member of the International Brigade, sentenced to ten years' imprisonment at Helsinki. Gunnar Ebb is the name of the imprisoned man, and he was at one time the Commander of the Canadian Battalion of the International Brigade. FIGHTER FOR DEMOCRACY Known to all as a fine comrade and fighter for the Spanish democracy, he was one of those many Finns who fled to Canada from General Mannerheim's Tyranny in 1918, and later hastened to join the International Brigade to fight against the "Mannerheims" of Spain. He came from Spain to France with the rest of the Battalion, but was refused readmission to Canada. Then the Daladier Government had him deported from France to Finland. And in Finland the "democratic" "progressive" regime at Helsinki at once had Gunnar Ebb arrested, and sentenced him to ten years — for the crime of having fought for democracy. In his letter to Sir Walter, the secretary of the International Brigade Association describes Ebb as "a magnificent fighter, a sincere lover of freedom ... and a man most worthy of the title of defender of democracy" TREATED AS CRIMINAL " It is an unspeakable thing," the letter continues. " that a man who defended democracy, offering his life, should thus be treated as a criminal in any country which pretends to democracy and liberty. " I am sure you will be anxious to see that this grave injustice is immediately remedied, and that you will help us by making representations to Finnish delegates in London, with whom I am sure you have considerable influence, owing to your close association with their Government which imprisoned Ebb."
292/946/13/93(i) |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |