IN LAST week's Socialist Challenge, Alasdair Beal, a member of the CND national council, criticised both myself and paper on two points in relation to the labour movement ference.
He wonders thought we achieved when overturned the decision of the conference organising committee not to take resolutions, and he takes us to task for our atOn the first point, Challente supporters wrong.
there were more than delegated to the conference abided by the organising committee decision not to consider resolutions. Indeed, Colans. one or our supportels and a member of the organising Collulled. spoke for the committee to advise against taking resolutions.
But we would put Alasdair ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND people marched to the Washington Pentagon, headquarters of he US military, on 3 May to protest against United States' intervention in El Salvador.The march organised by lobilisation and the 3 May Coalition was the biggest demonstration foreign policy since the anti-Vietnam war movement.
Among the marchers were representatives of a number of labour movement organisations, including public sector workers, hospital and auto workers. Bút prominent among the marchers were also large numbers of proportion youth, blacks and Latinos.
American observers noted Prich st number high school students new antiwar generation.' Among the speakers best received by the vast was Herbert Daughtrey of the National Black United Front, linked the struggle of blacks in America with the fight aginst US aggression We're fired up e said 'and we won't take no more'. Mad also deounced threats gainst Grenada and the ro-South Africa stance of Reagan He said the government "mad' to support the Beal's allegation in The last national council of CND was treated to a series of accusations about the Challenge disruption CND officers. No attempt to Ram with us ta ben lots. these CND coming. d and led porters initiated and WC and it was a fight get CND to support the labour movement conference.
Harm Alasdair Socialist In the course of this fight we being forward Socialist Workers Party at the the hostility of CND officers to planning meetir Martin the idea of the conference, the SWP wanted us to 'go it alone'. They wanted Challenge/SWP/Manchester against the Missiles conference. But we said no. we wanted a genuine CND the Peoples Anti-War against American apartheid regime.
The biggest cheer of the day was given to Arnoldo Ramos, the representative of the Revolutionary Front (FDR) of El Salvador.
Paul O'Dwyer, former York city council president, was given warm reception when he denounced British repression in Ireland and supported the stand of hunger striker Bobby Sands. Huge The huge turn out for the demonstration browni together the increasing op position to the Reagan administration, policy both on domestic and foreign Issues. Many carried placards demanding 'money for jobs, not for war'.
Supporters of the US Socialist Workers Party sold 1500 copies of their newspaper The Militant, and distributed thousands of leaflets explaining their case agalst harassment by the FBI and other government agencies. (see page context. which would involve important forces in the labour movement.
So we perseveted in trying to inSocialist volve CND.
committee had been establishcomplaints ed, Socialist porters argued for a statement of policy and a vote of the con- LO by seven votes to six.
be extremely after a long discussion decided that it would only harm and confuse the conference to raise this question at the conference.
Appeal
Faced with Since no been sent beforehand, resolutions put to the would only lead to confusion.
Socialist In the ference voted for resolutions to be put, came forward conference ference was treated to less than inspiring discussing Once the final organising Challenge ane:
In this we were supWe warned that this would unpopular, resolutions had conbecame obvious but the con'Suez canal Ismailiya speeches from the RCT saying that we should be and rom received long the Sparticists, denouncing us issues again.
Naturally, position STOP lateralism.
CRUISE was MISSILES confusion contradictory all for supporting imperialism!
As the conference went on, fact that dele- self-proclaimed gates were gesting increasingly wrangling. moved by Mediterranean Sea Gaza iEytam myself, was the only resolutior inat no one voted against. anc and loud applause precisely because it got conference back the Evasion tioned in either the CND press missiles, statement on the conference or in the two acounts of the conference published by the SWP The second point raised b Alasdair Beal is that of the multiargued that it impossible to both, and doing so only causes - we think that this is a crucial issue facing CND.
Saying that the two aren't enables endless doubletalk and confusion. The confusion it causes is shown by that Michae Foot, unilateralist, appointed Brynmoor John, multilateralist and supporter of Cruise missiles, as his defence Tel Aviy WEST BANK Jeruşalem spokesperson. Both based themselves on Labour con ference decisions since it passed resolutions in favour of both The necessity to on the fight for unilateralism is shown by the recent Guardian survey, which showed that while a majority opposed Cruise and Trident only minority favoured unilateral nuclear Mixing ,up unilateral and multilateral 089mm men creates the basis for evasion -the kind of evasion that was all too evident when Michael Foot refused to give clear answers in unilateral disarmament in his recent Panorama This kind of slipping and sliding has to be fought against shall have to force a future Labour, government to disarm as many supporters of CND realise: That fight should start now.
THE blanket bans im. posed on political Posedly to counter the prospect or violence or fascist demonstrations, taking toll labour movement activities.
The April EI Salvador demonstration was substantially disrup. ticularly badly hit is CND. ted by the ban but Its three-day march planned for June would fall victim to a three month bar on marches in Scotland blanket bans on demonstrations continue, it will be virtually impossible for CND to maintain the momentum of its campaign. therefore challenging the bans in the courts. They aim to have the ban on demonstrations imposed Metropolitan Police Com April declared illegal OUT NOW!
Tony Benn for Deputy rastesT selling Laboul Party • get yours from Chesearer Group, , c/o PO Box 50 London 2XP 20p each (plus 11½ p postage) bulk rates avaldole.
Socialist Challonge 7 May 1981, PAR? 1!
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weat Appeal, > Port Said
ONE HUNDRED SIXTY!
Area to be evacuated by April, 1982
BRIAN HERON, London CND challenges marchers' ban