Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

Turn out for Tatchell!

Socialist Organiser no. 120, 17 February 1983 · scan p. 16 · about 608 words

Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 16 →

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.

Scan page 16

OVER 300 LONDON Labour activists out last Saturday, 12th, and even more Sunday to campaign for Peter Tatchell As the Labour campaign gathers momentum, the working class of this South London constituency is shaking. off the effects of the year-long press witch-hunt against Tatchell.

The transformation of Bermondsey CLP into a campaigning party fighting strongly on local issues in defence of working class interests has clearly enthused Labour supporters who had lost interest in the Party during the decades when Mellish was MP and John O'Grady [the 'Real Labour' candidate] leader of SouthPensioners who have benefitted from Bermondsey CLP's active campaigning on their behalf are no less enthusiastic for Peter The campaign by the right-wing 'Real Labour' candidate John O'Grady seems to have made very little impact in the areas outside their base in the Riverside and Dockyard wards, not least because their campaign has centred not on policies but on attacking Peter Their latest stunt has been to write about Tatchell's private life to the tune It is important that Tatchell gets a big majority on February 24. Bermondsey Labour Party has fought the by-election on a ieft-wing programme. Peter Tatchell has become a standard-bearer for important issues over the last year — opposition to the witch-hunt within the Labour Party, extra-parliamentary action, Every vote for Tatchell is a vote against the Labour right. Labour activists throughout London can help win a big Labour vote by joining the canvassing teams during the last week of the campaign and by helping to get the ted by the newspaper article. To date, the Standard has refused to print Keith's letter.

Forty-two MPs have signed a motion calling for an independent inquiry into the death of Colin Roach. Yet two Hackney MPs, Ron Brown (SDP) and Stanley Clinton Davis (Labour) have refused to sign it.

Hackney Council's Police ommittee has ' passed .

notion of no confidence i Stoke Newington police.

They have aso recommended that the Council should not collect the police precept from Hackney ratepayers until the Home Secretary sets up an independent inquiry into Colin's death.

London's black newspaper, The Voice, is oftering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of any person or persons responsible for the death of Colin oach. They insist that the truth of what happened at Stoke Newington Police Station on the night of 12 January must be uncovered.

Dolores Williams, a yous arrested and taken yo Stoke Newington Police Station on January 26. She swore an affidavit afterwards. While she was there, "One plain clothes ••C0• officer said, 'We killed Colin Roach because he would not give us the information we wanted' His colleagues laughed at this remark.

"Ian McNeil (also arrested with Dolores) replied 'It's no laughing matter' The same officer said 'We shot him with a sawn-off shot-gun'"

The pressure for an inquiry is building up, but there needs to be more. Bermondsey by-election. There has to be more support from the local labour movement, and the councillors themselves, on the marches and pickets of Stoke Newington Police Station every Saturday.

Over 50 people have been arrested on marches and pickets demanding a public inquiry, and all those who have supported the inquiry call should now support the Roach Family Support Committee for the wark Council. charges against these people to be dropped.

Send messages of suppor and donations to: The Roach Family Support Tatchell. "Committee, 50 Rectory Road, Stoke Newington, London N16.

* Apology: We should have credited the Colin Roach demo picture last week to Tatchell as an individual.

Humphrey Nemar Old Man's a Dustman'! turned on the in the a song of My

← Contents of Socialist Organiser no. 120

Something wrong on this page? Tell us →