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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Thousands Mourn Gypsies Killed By Bomb

Compiled From Wire Services

Austrian leaders and busloads of mourners gathered in this southeastern town Saturday to bury four Gypsies killed by a bomb and to denounce the right-wing extremism responsible for it.

The killings have shaken this country and police are under increasing pressure to find the culprits. The government has offered a reward of $270,000 for information leading to an arrest.

State radio said police had received more than 650 calls after the large reward was announced.

The men, aged 18 to 40, were killed when they tried to remove an anti-Gypsy sign that was rigged with a pipe bomb.

Some 2,000 people, who arrived on trains and buses from all over Austria, gathered outside a small modern church, where the four simple wooden coffins were lined up and decorated with white flowers for the funeral Mass.

The number of mourners was far fewer than organizers hoped would come as a sign of protest against right-wing violence.