54 A SERIES ON THE DOUKHOBOR

PROBLEM IN B.C. ¥)

3—MARY GIENGER SUICIDE -

Grief has killed others

after children seized

By BERT WHYTE

The suicide last week of Mrs. Mary Gienger, Doukhobor mother whose nine-
year-old daughter is held by the government in New Denver, turned the spotlight on
the Social Credit government’s policy of forcibly detaining Freedomite children from
the age of seven to fifteen in this special “school”. A shocked public is beginning
to realize that the Socred “big stick” plan for forced education has proven a dismal

failure, and will have to be replaced by a
future. _

Paul Fofomoff, 68 (shown in top photo with family) suf-

fered a heart attack and died just five minutes after
police had sized his two grandchildren and taken them to New
Denver. ‘Bottom photo shows Fofomoff’s funeral. :

more lenient and sensible policy.in the near

Some 3,000 Freedomites who
attended the three-day funeral
proceedings believe that the
government’s action jin seizing
and holding 89 children was
the cause of Mrs. Gienger’s
death. She was found hanging
from a beam in her home, a
letter from her daugher Patsy
nearby.

The government made a
hurried attempt to exonerate
itself. Premier Bennett said
the incarcerated children
would be released if parents
agreed to send them to school
—ignoring the fact that RCMP,
en government orders, seized
the children precisely because
the parents objected to them
attending public
religious grounds.

schools. on

The Sons of Freedom sect
believes that the method of
teaching history in our schools

glorifies war. As pacifists, they -

oppose all wars, and base their
right to conduct their own
schooling of children on the
“Mennonite Privilege” of 1873,
an Ottawa statement of policy
made applicable to the Douk-
hobors entering Canada in
1899. :

Clause 1 of the “Mennnonite

Privilege” grants the Doukho- ,

bors “an entire exemption
frem any military service,’
while Clause 10 promises “the
fullest privileges of exercis-
ing their religious principles

- without any kind of moles-
tation or restrictions whatever,
and, the same privileges to ed-
ucation of their children in
schools.” :

% it 505

The death of Mrs. Gienger
is not the only tragedy result-
ing from the “kidnapping” of
Freedomite children by the,
authorities.

When I was in Nelson re-
cently on a fact-finding trip

% On January 18, 1955, little Kathleene Nazaroff was set
by the police and taken to New Denver. Her grié ¢)

stricken grandmother, Mrs. Florence A. Abrosimoft (a0

died just nine days later, on January 27. :

I learned of several grand-
parents of seized children who

died from shock shortly after
the RCMP raids.

“My father, Paul Fofomoff,
died of a heart attack within
one hour after my children
were taken away by the po-

ws
lice,” said Mrs. Helen voir}

of Passmore.

“The police grabbed mY we
children, Fred and Paul, G
big raid February. 1, 1959, a

plump, round-faced mot

Continued on page 7
See DOUKHOBORS

August 2, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAG@ |