THE youth the topic of conversation in workplaces and pubs throughout Socialist Challenge here presents basic questions socialists will have answer weeks and months.
Is the rioting' Surely socialists don't support looting and destruction of property?
Violent outbursts by the most oppressed are inevitable. of people are filled with rage at the daily injustice which they have to put up with, when they are driven to desperation by the hopelessness of their lives, then outbreaks of violence always OCCUr.
Throughout fiance of authority has been the motor force for British parliament only has any authority because it organisea a civil war against conquer it.
Women only won the vote because they organised a militant campaign on the streets.
It is no rioters nave police the existing order, to police the misery that capitalism and the 1 ones nave created.
Yes, the youth rebellion is justified — to rebel against a system that offers them nothing.
The looted shops because they lack the jobs and money to buy congoods. there is the productive capacity for everyone to have a decent But instead a few are rich, and many are desperate. understandable. don't think that witn ine ponce or looung shop:
are that wao thange el con.
change unless pressed stand up and fight. The the exploited youth tave Sarice Socialists can only rejoice.
Doesn't the rioting the gover timell new repressive measures tougher anti-riot laws, banand police eces, men of marches, new courts The Tories and the ruling class don't need a reason to new repressive laws. lie: pond this repression is the only way they know to control society.
brought in the Prevention of terrorism Act, people to be held without trial, the new prevent They armed whole sections of the police, created the Special Patrol Group and so on.
The ruling class will always rebellion is the land.
view UlI it. which to in the coming justified?
The society When millions history dechange. BUNC quo.
the king to accident that the the - their role is to defend and the youth are right youth of today have In this society and Looting is perfectly skirmishes No. come and do it.
make bring in bring in because they HOUS which enables Act to picketing. be able to find an excuse for stepping repression. cidentally, isn't it amazing how quickly virtually every police force in Britain got new riot gear? In fact, they already had The present uprising were But aren't the police just trying to keep the peace and defend property! they defend the black communities if the attacking them?
police aren't defending everyone That is a fiction. They are there that society includes unemploymcal, talism, poverty.
The police's job is to ensure that those who protest against such conditions don't threaten these who are bankers, foe them bosses, the Tory rich. The cops are there to protect the status The police aren't interested in defending the black munities against racists — more often they defend the racists. The attitude of the fran. callen racists and ante When fascists confront one another, the police invariably invoke the Public Order Act to ban marches. If they were serious about defending the black community stopping would prosecute and arrest the National HTONT Movement leaders under Race Relations Act.
But they never political reasons. ana racists may de an occasional nuisance for them, but they regard the blacks and the labour movement cucules.
Will laws stop uprisings?
Already youth have been tear or arrest will not prevent them mobilising on the streets.
demonstrations in Southall in 79, hundreds of Asian youth were tried and many sent to jail. But still Southall centre of militancy.
than 3 millon there loyed, long as the youth, especially the black and Asian given no future and harassed by the cops there will be trouble. More repression, harsher laws, could even make the situation have been caused sible parents is one ludicrous Secretary Whitelaw.
The youth rebel because they In -enough' Led.
is often preparec Won't youth stop July it ucull al, equally.
joyed bankers, No.
Conpolice racists and antithey the do for The fascists tens and as their other the Thousanes arrested jobs.
ana ine all lascist protits, is a there are more youth. a1 c are the most oppressed and because they have least ic lose. Whenever the mass of ordinary people say ana start lo youin are always the courageous, the most determin.
In the black communities it the youth do parents think ought to be done, but lack the determination or organisation.
When the fascists attacked the community in Southall on 3 was the youth responded and area. If they are outside of the control of their parents, then in general it is a good rather than a bad thing. Let anyone who enfoeir parents say the ollositey being 'controlled' Isn't 'community policing' the answer?
ConnElly policing
more blacks in the police force, more bobbies on the beat. Is just a velvet glove to hide the iron fist. It is an attempt to get sections of the black and Asian communities keeping themselves order, rather than having riot police do it.
No kind of policing is going to create more jobs, rebuild the inner cities or restore British industry. It is only the complete transformation of the priorities of society — away from a society based on profit to one based on peoples needs - which will reate the possibility of solving these problems.
Britain's cities massive programme of public works to rebuild them.
of thousands unemployed building workers millions of bricks building stockpiled, the means exist to do the jobs.
industry millions of pounds pumped in to it to renew investment and create tens of thousands of new With billions of pounds being spent on nuclear missiles, banks making huge the means exist to get on with it.
Our Front Cover her head.
Sir Philip Knights Midlands on Monday ingham Labour Pari had acted in a provo: But the coice Pau! a= = ecutive o'the la: ="= 'enough is fight, most who are their who defended the collaborate need of materials needs ter!
THIS week's front cover features a picture of Socialist Challenge supporter Pauline Roe after being batoned by Special Patrol Group cops in Hands. worth, Birmingham. Pauline later had 16 stitches in She was clubbed three times by the SPG thugs. While on the ground she heard one say. you done to her? Let's get ou: of here quick We need to kick out the Tories and get socialist policies working - the sooner the bet'What have the Wes:
years. people in almost every major town in England have taken to the streets in battles with police which are virtually unprecedented in the past 50 The smugness of the Tories about their ability to control the social effects of their catastrophic economic urgent talks are going on about how to deal with the crisis.
These on-the-spot reports from Socialist Challenge correspondents give some idea of what is happening on the streets and some of the facts which are emerging about police activity in particular. Friday 10 A WEEK after the successful resistance to the skinhead invasion of Southall on 3 July rumours of further skinhead attacks reached a peak Police contributed to these rumours more than anyone else On 10 July police asked parents to escort their children home from school and asked local