when opposition journalists feared to speak.
the attention of the world.
In your opinion, what is the cause of the violence The cause of all our problems is the oligarchy -that small nucleus of families who do not concern themselves with the plight of the people, except as source of cheap and plentiful industrial companies, both national and multinational, owe their Salvador. This explains the vehement opposition to any type of reform or union organisation which seeks to improve the conditions of the people.
Thus the concentration of wealth and property brings with it a concentration of political, social and economic power, without which it would be impossible to maintain those privileges.
and its long-term underdevelopment...
The armed forces are protecting the interests of the oligarchy, the economic and political order, under the pretext of defending the interests of national security... armed forces is distorted: instead of serving the true and authentic national interests, it guards the interests of the oligarchy.
What is your opinion of the Bloque Popular Revolucionario, The February', Union and the other oppositional organisations.
It is preciscly hardest against these organisations that I have defended and continue to defend them.... In my third pastoral letter I defended organisation, and, in the name of the Gospel, I committed myself, to support all that is just in their demands and to denounce any attempt to destroy them.
Given the present situation within the country, I believe than ever organisations. I believe that the people must organise themselves; they forces of progress, the forces who will build a genuinely free and just society Organisation is necessary effectively....
But I have also been frank with the popular organisations. That is a service which the Church offers: to indicate possible errors and iniustices.
What path is left open when people are being assassinated for using peaceful means to achieve social justice?
Christians have no fear of combat, they know how to fight, but they of peace. dictatorship threatens human common good of the nation, when it becomes intolerable and closes all channels of dialogue, understanding and rationality then the Church speaks of the legitimate right to insurrectional violence...
To determine the moment of insurrection, to indicate the moment when all the channels dialogue are closed, Church. To the oligarchy I shout a warning: open your hands, give up the reins of power, because the moment will arrive in which your hands will be severed....
Christmas Eve and New Year were tragic in El Salvador: hundreds of people were assassinated by the repressive forces. The press and radio, with Socialist Challerge 3 April 1980 LAST week Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot by an outraged right-winger in San Salvador. Two days before the killing, the Archbishop had made a speech from his pulpit calling on the army to refuse to fire if ordered to gun down civilians. For several years Romero has used the pulpit in San Salvador to plead for justice, democratic rights and equality for the poverty-stricken people of the country. He had denounced the despotic oligarchy and its army which rules the country, advertising its violence from his church Romero won the respect of huge numbers of people in El Salvador. His murder has incited anger across the country. Peasants and agricultural workers flooded to the capital city to pay their last respects. Shortly before the murder Romero was interviewed by Prensa Latina. The excerpts we publish here shed light on the situation in El Salvador and on the outlook of the man whose death has forced El Salvador's bloody dictatorship upon labour.
competitiveness in the wages in E economic, political and social The noble function of the reality truth...
Popular Leagues "28 FAPU, The Democratic Nationalist when the repression has been Icaacl...
society.
the popular Salvadorean the in order to fight change war, preter to speak the Nevertheless, when rights and the —wnel unis occuts, OI this is not the task of the some exceptions, lied about the events. What in your opinion should be the role of the press?
The corruption of the press is part of our sad and reveals complicity the press must act as a channel of information; its mission is to disseminate Lamentably, as you have pointed out, exactly the opposite occurs here: news is manipulated, facts which expose the oligarchy are suppressed, victims are presented as criminals, are falsified and doctored in order to deceive the I have denounced this many times... I have stressed that the press must be an instrument at the service of the people for the transformation of of El Salvador photographs military regime THE assassination last week of Archbishop Oscar Romero has highlighted the massive wave of struggle launched by the workers and peasants of El Salvador in Central America, and the murderous repression with which it has been met.
El Salvador is run by an 'oligarchy' of 14 families, while the mass of the people live in poverty. The regime remains in power by the use of savage repression - it is responsible for more than 4,000 deaths in the past 15 months alone. The oligarchy is backed and financed by the United States. Millions of dollars worth of military aid has been flowing in over the past few months. The US is anxious to prevent the powder keg Romero's assassination follows the murder of more than sixty people during the general strike on 17 March. On 15 October last year a military junta overthrew the previous of General Romero (no relation Archbishop), and incorporated the Christian Democrats as a taking the same revolutionary path as to the "civilian component' of 1 This move, which limited reforms, was si hope of heading off the reforms are too little al attempt to defend t murderous repression.
Military circles, rem attempted to stay in po! working population, ar would involve 'the peac The intentions of the the demonstrators at ( dozens of deaths. Here the situation by Swedi interview with Archbist his assassination.