from a Brussells
correspondent.
Brussels, April 10th -- Groups of Belgian young socialists, members of the National Federation of Young Guard Socialists, challenged American vice~President H. Humphrey during his visit to this city yesterday, Heavily reinforced riot police and mobile gendarme units deployed all through the area failed to keep the demonstrators from infiltrating the thin crowd of spectators and shouting their slogans and emphasizing them with rotten eggs and tomatoes. Humphrey made his quick and well guerded public appearance at the tomb of the unknown soldier béfore a very small audience of what appeared to be mostly employees of American firms here and part of the American colony. As his limousine approached the tomb he was greeted with the anti-war ’ slogans and protests against American action in Vietnam. The riot police moved quickly and clubbed the demonstrators to the ground. Plain clothes men were everywhere in the crowd and helped the police capture fifty-one of the demonstrators who were hauled off to the local bastille. Arrested were many activists and leaders of the FNGS as well as activists of the local young communists who follow the pro-Maoist group of J. Grippa here. The official Communist Party and its youth group stayed away from this scene and had a small protest meeting in another part of the town. The viciousness of the police was a reflection of the extreme nervousness of the authorities during Humphrey's short visit. Every public appearance of his in Europe has been marked by vigorous protest and.wide indications of popular: dislike. In fact it has been widely recognized in the European press that the many demonstrations held during Humphrey's visit accurately reflect the popular feeling of dislike for the American aggression in Vietnam. His public appearance at the tomb here had all the aspects of a quick run into "enemy territory" and a quick retreat. In fact near panic developed when at the conclusion of the ceremony the chaffeur of his limousine could not get started as he had dropped the keys. The FNGS are the intiators of the international youth conference held last month to co-ordinate the anti-Vietnam war action on a European wide scale. Together with 12 other European vanguard youth organizations they have set up a new European organization to plan and co-ordinate their actions in defence of the Vietnamese revolution, as well as campaigns against NATO.