United Kingdom - Ireland
Feb. 02, 1958 - Housing Minister forced to quit meeting.: The Minister of Housing, Mr. Henry Brooke, took shelter in a back room at Holborn hall, London last night, when a booing, shouting mob, protesting against the Rent Act, stormed the platform he was speaking form. The meeting broke up in disorder. The microphone Mr. Brooke tried to speak from was torn from from its plug, and came back seconds later as a missile. The Union jack spread across the platform table was trampled as Tory Party officials fought the mob of Fascists and Communists.The table was wrenched to the floor, and demonstrators stood on it and tried to address the audience. Chairs and bottles were used as weapons. Police broke up the fighting. Photo shows as crowds surge towards the platform, off comes the cloth and down comes the microphone - during last night's rowdy meeting at Holborn Hall
