[5,000 marched in London - but the union…]

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5,000 marched in London - but the union banners were still too few 55IL 37257 "IF it is necessary to split the Labour Party, then it should be over the issue of war and peace" , said Les Huckfield MP, angrily denouncing the Labour Party leadership in a speech to a local anti-war meeting in Coventry last Friday, 21st.

Since the British invasion of the islands, the Labour front-bench has sunk its quibbles with the Tories and turned on Labour's anti-war wing. 33 Labour MPs voted against the war last week, three were sacked from front bench jobs, and another has since resigned in protest at Labour's pro-war policy.

Anti-war

In the ranks of the labour movement, however, antiwar feeling is growing. The problem, as with the strong tide in the labour movement last year against Britain's military occupation of Northern Ireland, is translating resolutions into action.

The demonstrations last weekend were the biggest yet, but still far too weak in terms of labour movement mobilisation.

5,000 marched in London, with a scattering of trade union and Labour Party banners. 600 marched in Leeds, where 20,000 leaflets and 1,000 posters had been distributed by the local anti-war committee.

THE Committee for Human Rights in Argentina, group including political refugees from the Galtieri regime, has come out against the war. They headline their statement: •This war has nothing to do with the interests of people of any nation"

They support Argentina's claim to the Falklands Malvinas. Socialist Organiser would argue that the rights and wrongs of 150 years ago cannot justify imposing that claim on the islanders by force. The Committee insists that it was not the Argentine people who decided on the invasion.

The Committee Concludes inat "all democratic people" should "put WORK AT LAST 1,500 marched in Edinburgh. The local Stop the War Committee which ncludes CND, IMG, SWP Socialist Organiser - and others, is planning to follow up with regular public leafleting.

In Glasgow there were 1,000. Although the proposal for the march had been initiated by a local pressure" on the government to stop the war.

Socialist Organiser argues that the way to give this effect is a working class struggle to stop Thatcher's war and kick out the Tories, coupled with solidarity with the Argentine workers against Galtieri.

Contact: CHRA, C O CARILA, 29 islington Park St., London N1 9QB. [01-359 2270].

A HISTORIC claim to the territory of the Falklands by the Argentinian people has been used by the Military Junta to divert the attention of the opposition to the regime from the internal social problems when they were at their highest point.

*Put a resolution through your trade union or Labour Party branch.

«This .. condemns Thatcher's war in the South Atlantic and resolves to campaign for the immediate withdrawal of the fleet and blacking of work for the war effort"

*Send copies Labour Party NEC or your union executive .- and to Socialist Organiser so that we can publicise it.

*Send anti-war letters to the local press signed by local labour movement activists, Labour councillors, or people from your workplace. Socialist Organiser supporter, the strength of the local Communist Party ensured its control over the organisation and the slogan of the march: 'Stop the war, negotiate' On the 200-strong Manchester march there were banners from Manchester City Labour Party, Ardwick Labour_ Party, and Salford Trades Council. Central ManThe very difficult economic situation is no longer accepted by Argentinians. The questions of the 'Disappeared' people, and the freedom of political prisoners, are still present and go together with the people's struggle for better conditions of life.

Throughout the past six years, the country's military rulers have never wanted to hear the views of che Argentinian peopie, and have even silenced those who dared to make their voice heard.

The Argentinians have always considered the islands a part of territory. Since they were occupied by the Brit sh in 1833,, every, goyer. ment *Set up a local ad hoc committee - with the single slogan "Withdraw the Fleet Now!" Groups within the committee should be free to have their own slogans in addition.

*Get the committee solidly based in the local labour movement. Draw in other groups like CND and Latin American solidarity groups.

Visible

*Make the committee active and visible, with mass street leafleting, pickets out~to chester Labour Party has passed • a resolution calling for withdrawal of the fleet and blacking of war work, and committing itself to organise street meetings.

Councillor

Local Labour councillor and SO supporter Pete Keenlyside is putting a resoland political party has claimed sovereignty.

That has been ratified recently by the Asamblea Permanente por los Derechos Humanos, Madres de Plaza de Mayo, Familiares de Desaparecidos y Presos Politicos [human rights groups] and the Nobel prizewinner Perez Esquivel.

The Junta, taking advantage of this belief, will try to use it as a means to gain consensus from some political sectors, offering participation in the process, in order to silence them on the major political problems: the orgy of killing, kidnapping and torture by official and unofficial security forces before and after thecoup...*i.. side Army Recruiting Offices, maximum distribution of anti-war posters (use this week's SO centre page), and public meetings.

*Where • you have contacts in unions which could take industrial direct action against the war, produce special leaflets and resolutions arguing for such action.

*Mobilise for all the antiwar demonstrations. Mobilise for anti-Reagan demonstrations with placards and banners against the South Atlantic war. ution to the Manchester City Labour Group condemning the war.

In Nottingham 400 came out against the war last Saturday.

Anti-war committees are being formed, and activities started, elsewhere too.

In Coventry the ad hoc committee is calling a street meeting on Saturday 29th No one can speak in the name of democracy if the 20,000 disappeared are forgotten.

To justify the military aggression, the British government have suddenly "discovered" the Argentinian regime to be one of the most bloody dictatorships in South America. But they were selling arms they knew were going to be used for internal repression.

Business

They were more interested in making business than defending humar rights.

At the same time they are getting' aloser to the THE CUm I tota action and a public meeting on June 11. In Leicester the Trades Council has resolved to campaign for withdrawal of the fleet and for working class action (including strikes) to disrupt the war effort.

In Bristol 200 attended a public meeting called by Bristol West CLP on Friday 21st. In Oxford the Trades Council has come out against the war and will be sending a speaker to an anti-war public meeting on Wednesday 26th.

Islington South and Central CLPs have voted for withdrawal of the fleet, and a resolution has been put down in Islington Council Labour Group.

At the Open University 270 of the staff signed a letter to the press against the war.

A number of unions nationally have come out for withdrawal of the fleet. And in unions supporting the war minority voices have been raised against it.

APEX conference passed an Executive motion backing the Task Force by a five-toone majority. But a composite emergency motion from N.W. London, Preston and Holborn, calling for an immediate ceasefire, return of the task force, and the intervention of the UN, was moved.

And Socialist Organiser supporter Richard Paine put other equally vicious dictatorship, Pinochet, with the aim of gaining some help against Galtieri.

Britain also refers to the self-determination of the islanders, when they, as employees of the Falkland Islands Company, have never had any kind of consideration and their position is similar to that of medieval serfs: they live in tied cottages belonging to the company, which they have to leave when they reach retirement age.

Two months ago Lord Carrington, in his talks with the Argentinian gotermert seemed to -are COLE NIGGER SO ment has 'sent the. task MAR INCONAHA a motion from the Coventry GEC (weekly) branch calling for withdrawal of the fleet and solidarity with the Argentine working class against the war.

Some unions are directly involved in the war. The National Union of Seamen has members on the requis itioned merchant ships in the fleet. TGWU members on the docks handle war supplies. A cable ship with the fleet has a volunteer crew of Post Office Engineering Union members.

Before this cable ship sailed, the POEU National Executive went aboard to wish the crew good luck. But some POEU members are arguing that trade unionists should refuse to cooperate with the war effort.

To divide the trades unions and Labour Parties in Britain from the pro-war line of their leadership is the only way of fighting for unity of the labour movement internationally. Only by opposing Thatcher's war can British workers lay the basis for unity with the Argentine working class.

An appeal from members in exile of the Argentine CGT union federation to the TUC, proposing discussions on common action for a peaceful settlement, still remains unanswered. But unity with Argentine workers, not unity with Thatcher, should be our slogan.

Carrington force to defend the islands.

In no way can this bellicose campaign, followed by a real military confrontation, be justified.

We are definitely againss the war. Both governmerss are using it to soire dbat nezapbees Te seFi := 1-TE2 E EI = T E[ I ] ™ IE vicunai

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WITHDRAW THE FLEET! HORA *Black all supplies and work for Thatcher's Fleet! *On the streets against the war! *Withdraw the Fleet! means at our disposal. here at home. We must fight this enemy with all the In this war, our enemy is the Tory government Reagan to use armed force against the opponents of Britain and the USA, encouraging Thatcher and It will strengthen militarism and the arms drive in ism, and creating conditions where Thatcher might rallying workers behind the flag of British imperial- their hand against trade union struggles at home, It will leave the Tories cock-a-hoop, strengthening class - will be nothing but a defeat for British that is a victory for Thatcher and the British ruling A victory in the Falklands for the British Fleet -WAR! STUPI STOP THE Orga

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Thursday 27 May, 1982

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MARCENTINA SAYS