HANDS Badges: 20p+ 11½ p&p. Bulk so. quest. From PO Box LORCOM anciose money/cheques/postal order made Socialist Challenge.
Solidarity Solidarnosc Birmingham Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o Roger Murray, 11. Ring 021-773 5396.
Glasgow Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o lan McCalman, 18 Mossgiel Rd, Glasgow, G43. Ring 041-632 1839.
Greater Manchester Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o Jon Silberman, Crete St, Oldham, Lancs. Ring 061-620 2885. Eastern Europe Solidarity Campaign, 10 Park Drive, London NW11. Ring 01-458 1501. Labour Focus on Eastern Europe, Box 23, 136 Kingsland High St, London E8.
Polish Solidarity Campaign, 69 Edinburgh Rd, London E13.
Solidarnosc Trade Union Working Group in UK, 64 Philbeach Gardens, Earls Court, London SWS. Ring 01-373 3492.
Labour Solidarity operative Bank, 110 Leman St, London E1.
Revolution/Socialist Challenge Solidarity with Solidarnosc Leicester: Thur 28 Jan, 7.30pm, Socialist Centre, High St, Leicester.
Acton: Fri 29 Jan, 7.30pm Co-op Hall, Acton High St.
Birmingham: Mon 1 Feb, 7.30pm at Other Bookshop, Digbeth.
Hemel: Tues 2 Feb, 7.30pm Friends Meeting House, Hemel.
East London:
Library, Dalston Junction.
North London: Fri 5 Feb, 7pm at Roebuck pub, Tottenham Court Rd.
now oy the secona ealton.
Just 25p or 20p for sup outers orders.
Committees 28 Blackford Road, Birmingham 51 Montrose House, Fund, c/o CoWed 3 Feb, 7.30pm at Dalston GENERAL Jaruzelski and Ronald Reagan have both this week shown their utter contempt for the Polish workers. Jaruzelski told the Polish parliament that martial law would stay until the workers stopped resisting. And Reagan lined up various reactionaries from the worlds of politics and 'entertainment' to sing the praises of peace and freedom in the 'Let Poland be Poland' TV bonanza:
Jaruzelski's speech to parliament grimly warned that there would be no it. ting of the draconian martial an unt1 the end of next month at the earliest, and then only 'acts of illegality' had ceased the workers resistance has been crushed. He also confirmed that pullig workers in key industries under directly military rule would not be lifted at all for the foreseeable future.
Martial law was 'necessary evil' to avoid civil war, he claimed, exPlaining thal ine govern intended to pursue its apocation to the inter national Monetary Fund.
The IMF's will dustilly now be added to the crackdown on democratic rights as another attack on the Polish workers.
But Jaruzelski did not get things all his own way men in the puppet sham sham Some enve Catholic Mes 'independent' MPs resigned in protest over the backing of martial law, and others heckled the General during his speech.
Reagan meanwhile was planning the SICKeSt SnOW on earth' (make sure you miss it for this weekend's TV networks. 'Let Poland be Poland' threatens to bring together Frank Sinatra aver Homeward in Polish, , Charles Heston KIK Douglas and other well-known friends of democracy and freedom.
Top of the bill will be political leaders like Thatcher and Schmidt. Star of the show will be a representative of the Turkish military junta who will explain the merits of free trade unions to the Polish people trom experience of crushing them.
Even the right wing US labour federation, the AFL-CIO. is reported to have pulled out of organising rallies supporting the Polish workers same day, because of the sick showbiz hypocrisy of the TV show The treachery Reagan administration's choice of this weekend for their extravaganza is made worse because in Europe appealed for this Saturday to be a solidarity day the Polish WorKers.
In Poland the repres STOl and workers' resistance continue. Three workers at the Ursus tractor plant were sentenced last week to between three and three and a half years jail for strike activity against martial law'; five militants in Wroclaw were arrested for allegedly producing the underground paper From Day to Day; in the same cikindergarten Leaner. complained that children were being asked to spy on their parents by the security police Unconfirmed reports speak of almost half the workers at Une Gdansk shipyards having been sacked for refusal to sign the government's loyalty oath; pontica been purged of all 'unreliable' statt: and the purge of dissidents within the communist Party goe on. Elsewhere workers are waiting to be purged. In the factory near • Warsaw some 740 o Lne party members threw away their party cards.
On 13 January, month after the military crackdown, the first nameeting LS e Solidarnosc underground took place in Gdansk. with all the major Solidarnosc nonenee supporters on 13/14 February If you would like to come see your local SC supporters or write te Socialist Challenge school, PO Box 50, London NI.
leaders still free The succumne resolved unanoere could be no co-operation with the government until all internees were released martial law was lifted and the government had made a commitment to continuing genuine dialogue with Solidarnosc.
Across the country a batch of government graffiti has appeared. 'Wrona skona' die INRON 'the Crow will • die' are the in itials of the Military Coun cil, WRONA is Polish for a crow). just the workers who are fighting back against the regime. A petition protesting against methods used to in timidate and enslave society' has been signed by 120 intellectuals and artists, including film director Andrzej Wajda of Man of Iron and Man of Mar ble fame And a leading liberal Stefan Bratkowski, head of the suspended Journalists' Association, has written an open letter from hiding protesting against martial law He claimed that the military rulers had no popular support. a single honest man who is respected by the nation has backed the military coup, he said.
SOUTH Wales area executive of the National Union of Miners has added its condemnation of martial law in Poland. Its declaration was overwhelmingly endorsed at its 5 January lodge officials, which also backed the national strike call against the NUM vice president Des 'We decided to send a condemnation of martial law and the imprisonment of trade unionists in Poland to the Polish Ambassador We are also seeking a personal We will re quest a visit to Poland itself to investigate the conditions of trade unionists, particularly the miners, with whom 'Although we don't believe all the news coverage we've seen, there is substance to it. If there is nothing behind these reports then Polish our request to see Martial law is a crime anywhere especially when the rights of trade unions are unions is of great concern to us. Reagan and Thatcher are using Poland to assassinate any way of socialist life We don't want to much that it will Some people 'Reagan is in no position to criticise what is going on in Poland when his government is backing repression in places like El Salvador As for Thatcher defending trade union rights we know what that means for us with Teb