The Springbok tour has prodictably been cancelled-after a little manoeuvring and counter manoeuvring by the Labour Government and the Chicket Council. However, we should not let the occasion go by without attempting to gain some clarification of where we stand with regard to the South African regime. To this end The Red Mole is publishing a leafiet which was to have been distributed on the demot The mass mobilisation against the S.A. cricket tour marks an important step forward in British politics. Tens of thousands of young people will be taking part in extra parliamentary politics for the first time But to anyone who is serious about why they are demonstrating, the most important questions have not been answered. How is it possible for groups with such diverse politics as several Conservative M.P.s, many members of the Labour Party including Wilson himself, the Liberals and their youngor brethren as well as the radicalised youth vanguard to line up together in opposition to the tour? The answer to this lies in the particular class interests they represent. Yes, let us stop the tour; but above all, let us be clear about the political nature not only of our shady "'allies" but even more of the South African State.
Why do the Conservatives and others in The Fair Cricket Campaign oppose the tour?
These people are interested in opposing apartheid both in Britain and in South Africa itself only because it upsets stability. Many of them are directors of companies with large investments in South Africa-companies which derive vast profits from the super-exploitation of black labour (British companies have invested over E1,000 million in South Africa and are the mainstay and chief beneficiary of that regime's hideous intornal policyl. For them it is a tactical question, They are afraid. of you.
match can radicalise large numbers of people into asking questions which go far beyond crickut.
Why does Wilson oppose the tour?
This is real hypocrisy. It's so easy to give verbal opposition to the tour so he can keep up us, the most important aim is to work in his anti-opartheid facede while lishing out at demonstrators with the police to protect his law-and order flank in the election period. But what has the Labour Government really done? Firstly, it has pot in any way challenged the very basis of apartheid the capitalist economic base of South African society. On the contrary, it has encouraged British owned companias to invest there. Secondly, it has accepted completely South Africa's key position as an a contre for the spread and consolidation of white domination, first economically and second politically, into the black African states to the north. This needs weapons. Of course the Labour Government has made a big show of not selling arms direct to South Africa. But al through NATO's long tantacles, it has been easy to direct arms to South Africa and Portuguese imperialism, b) ICI certainly, and probably other companies too, have been encouraged by the Government to set up What about the Liberals?
There can be no doubt that they are sincere about being anti-apartheid. But what does that mean? What are we to make of the fact that most of the English speaking South Africansand they comprise the biggest industrialists in that country-art against opartheid too. What we hive to understand is that the bourgeoisic in South Africa is split between the Afrikaans who control the ruling Nationalist Party, and the English-speaking saction. The fatter, in their attempt to gain power, have made a bloc with Some black organisations whom they control completely politically. These people see very clearly that the continuation of apartheid carries with it the great danger for them] of independent revolutionary action by the black majority: revolutionary action which would threaten the whole basis of capitalism in South Africa. For there is one thing we must not forget or we shall be side tracked: there are many countries in the world where apartheid does not exist. There are many where racialism is unintelligible to the population. But oppression still exists in these countries, exploitation of man by man for the profit of a few still exists in the countrles and there, as everywhere else, the oppressor must be fought by an awakened people.
The real struggle in South Africa is not only for the removal of apartheid though of course this is an integral pert of it. Under the present system, an African subsists in the reserves and can only get work in the towns for a year at a time, and oven then he goes where he is sent funder the iniquitous pass system) and has no choice but to accept what wages he is given. If more black workers were allowed to work, they would undercut the much higher wages of the white workers, And this is what these "Liberals" Afraid that even demonstrating against a cricket would like. For just to abolish aparthaid would still leave us with a capitalist South Africa, able to utilise cheap black labour much more "rationally" than at present-but a South Africa with a veneer of respectable parlim parliamentary democracy.
We must have no truck with such fakers. For solidarity with the forces in South Africa capable of mobilising the great mass of the people to fight independently for their own liberation. We cannot see this liberation only in terms of abolishing apartheid. The black people of South Africa have a greater destiny than overthrowing apartheid only to find they remain exploited as workers and peasants in a country controlled by foreign capitalism.
Liberation starts from recognising that the outpost of British and American imperialism, s* black prople of South Africa are not just blacks, but are immigrant workers, landless peasants and and small plot-holders, If it is to sueceed, it must lie along the road of socialist revolution.
Stop Apartheid's Representatives Playing Cricket!
End the Exploitation of Black S.A. Labour by Foreign Capital!
Full Solidarity to the Emerging S.A. Revolution and with the Freedom Fighters in Portuguese Territory!
palestine ga-Statement on sonstration of Sorting which appeared the march of May 17th stinian freedom fighters, e to make known the La rally and march the Metro ce behaved with hostility and towards the marchers. The march begun when the Secretary of the cav Lvdan. was arrested an 3 may that the Magistrate on his intered a plea of "not guilty", despite made by the police. * constantly harassed the hock, mpidly restricted their moveed attempted to otherwise intimidate I so dictate their course and method of Be end of the march, the police mand and roughly trealed the Palestinian ers while treating with a velvet glove it demonstrators who had lined the onder to provoke the PSC sympathisers. of the latter were severely bruned by I punches emanating indiscriminately ranks of the police 1 centre, on Seturday -clete struggles in Stafford, roup, now about 10 weeks old, sees itself a is support role i tenants" grievances and fights Wage a revolutionary movement in Stafford ent pupil democracy. sid 21 year-old Mr. apprentice at Dorma Casels, Stafford, who called the Circle's first meetin There are a lot of pe grievances over such Did school uniforms."
BAT Of Th up.
Me. Pailthorie said that none of the group wanted to use violeece either as a meant or an eno. but w IT SIER CATEREY up strikes, out scabs The rising militancy of workers in British industry is clearly evident from the current figures for strikes. The number of days Tost" through strike action in the first quarter of 1970 was close on 2% million, a rise of around 40% compared with the first quarter of 1969itself a marked upturn on previous figures. The actual number of stoppages is up by nearly 50% and the number of workers involved by nearly 30%. It should be noted that the official figures* do not include the 22,000 dockers who struck on March 17th as a protest against the Government's proposals for port nationalisation The bourgeois press of course mourns the loss of production and becomes hysterical at the thought of "outside agitators"" (especially when they are insidel. This is of course a welltried technique for cresting division and confusion, and weakening support for strikers. But what the popular press in particular prefer to ignore is the increase in days lost through unemployment. This too continues on a steady upward plod, and is now the highest since the Second World War: it is now 2.7% of the workforce, standing at 624,000. In certain regions such as Wales, Scotland, Northern England, the figure stands at over 4%, and Northern Ireland 7% In all regions the percentage unemployed of women is higher than for men. The figures for strikes are interesting enough even though Get ole, 182 Polite De Rid, London Rottom The - per doses. Antial subscription By 2/- fat an individual copy!
till 7 p.m. ngulrics to d) Apart from physical violence against the PSC supporters, the police empaged in verbal rovocation, often racialist in tone, against th alestinians and Arabs in the crowd. On son occations they caused great indignation by tearing up Palestinian flags and symbols as an overt affront to the feelings of the marchers. particularly the Palestinians among them. c) When scuffles broke out hetween the PSC supporters and the Zionists, after the march had dispersed, the police almost invariably arrested the former while treating the latter very lightly. •) Press reports of un Minnocent bystunder" being hurt by a PSC supporter are completely false. The person in question is a well-known leader of a Zionist thug group and had himself initiated the distarbance in which he was hurt. Once again the authorities in Britain expose their belligerent attitude towards revolutionary and progressive movements, towards supporters of anti-imperialist struggles, and towards overseas workers and students. This is not all surprising in view of the fact that in the same ay that the State of Israel is a protege o vestern imperialism, so are local Zionists thi protege of the British Establishment. The Executive Committee, Palestine Solidarity Campaign. c/o G.U.A.S., 4 Chesterfield Gdns., London W.1.
Chief Superint lent Harold Wright. chief of Statford potion, said of Saturday's march: Nobody med to us that there i office wil be on duty. y trouble. Suffic the Baminchem International Marxist Group.
we think the greatest support will come from Sufford Labour Party Fas been informally porter worspoor. But support was refused, the Stafford Red Circle has a hard core of 12 members the mid thirties, gather at the White Lion pablic hous in Lichfield Road, Stifford, for Circle meetings or workerk an En ih Electric apprentice and a planne La it firstly that advocate political revolution in the Soviet bloc at wel ar in capitalist countries and they "support the pountries, [Reprinted from the Staffordshire Advertiser, 14th May 1970).
they do not fairly reflect political stoppages, but what is also important is the continuing trand towards open confrontation between rank and file organisations and the official union machinery. The most glaring example of the day is the Pilkington strike which has extended to battles with police and scabs. A foretaste of this was evident in the Hull Trawlerman's strike (See Mole No. 3).
Trade union official leaders are becoming increasingly nervous at the growth of rank and File activity, such that the leadership of th eneral and Municipal Workers Union whic openly betrayed the Pilkington workers are contemplating lodging a substantial pay claim on behalf of for rather to forestall) their members in municipal services. If the St. Helens Glass Strike is remotely representative of changes in the mood of workers, the Lord Coopers*" of this world will have a stormy time ahead.
From District Line Mole (N.U.R.) •See Employment and Productivity Gazette • Lord Cooper is the "Teader" of the GMWU When he received his peerage, the union magazine, anxious to please no doubt, carried a full colour glossy picture of him in his robes on Its front page. The comments from union members on sesing this can be imegined.
Control Factory Road, Londoo N.T.6.
KEY BOOKS LTD specialise in Socialist, Commucist, led Male socker. 25 Eas Street, Birt late column Be cannot be exch Prime Minister Fidel Cistro and several hundred thousand chestine Cubani atasted the elevan Cuban fishermen frasd after being held for right deys by Alphe-66-an anti-revolutionary group hased in Miami-on Tueidey night Say 11 The eleven men flew in a speciel Cuban plane fror hames where they were held on May 10 after their fishing boats wra sunk by Alpha 66 gunboats.
Dr. Castro drove with the fishermen for 15 miles Be crowds to a ceremany outside th emer US Embery in Havana where more tha 200,000 chanting, dencing Cubens greeted thim with Swiss diplomat Kari Kunsiker, and the Embessy nightwatchman. They were there for three days and nights ith nothing 10 eat but nuts and dried plums and wer d out of the bullding by a Cuban Foreign Ministr cemen and two doctors on Manday ing night-long negotiations by the Swiss Ambasador Alfred Fischli ged a Swiss Governman sote ithe Swiss Government handles US Affairs in The demonstration outside the building vas beginning: latrines, tents, and food and water were ch night. On Saturday (May 16)
nats t that ting the eight-store gally. The Swiss officials US interests in Cuba. The newspaper Did it would be difficult to control the crowd LOURTE CHECOU THE HO CRU + Imperialist symbols. "Diplomstic immunity is one tacred than the lives and peaceful wark of uerrillas cappured afar the attempted invasion of astern Cube lost month (Aprill, But Castro refused ARXIST YOUTH JOURNAL-Isme No. 1 includ omen's Liberation: Whatis Scienifie Socialion The adary School Strude; The State of the Studen The British Socnet Police Subscription 57- for 12 Issues, 8/- Sor 6 issues, past free. Chequ yable to A. J. Leaton Write: Marxist Youth Joama 19 Gotham Stroet, Leicester LE2 ONA.
But in new pristed formalof socialist women of the Not in' Committee. A subscriptic sues (bi-mently) Send s THE RED MOLE,182 Pentonville Road, London NI.
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W. Europe: 13 per year. fishermen were freed. "The hand of the revol wil be hard, firm and inflexible with its enemies said. The Government of Cuba coincts fully and definitively any blackmail by the CiA and its agents which attempts to use the Cuban fichermen as Resident Onvaldo Dorticos summoned the 5v bassador in Havane and informed him of Cub demands. He also sammoned British Ambassador Richard Sykes and informed him that count solutionary organisations and the US CIA wer sing smell British quays and ilands off the Cult sent to launch anti-Cuban activities. The Presiden norned Britain to take sseps so prevent thes activities, otherwise "the Government of Cubie woul relevant mesaree" Cuba in prepared to tele will he direct intervention in the British istands to stop the exiles" activities if Britain did not do so The Alpha 66 invasion last month consisted of 13 men, Tour were Kuled and the out Bire capturso They had landed near Barassa town on the north coast of Oriente Province, tipped automatic weapors sippiled by the United States ARmy. Five Cuben soldiers were killed and one suaded by the querril It the funeral of the dead soldiers, Castro wi that new insion attempts would suffer worse defeat than the Bay of Pigs Invesion in 1961. Nixon has now assigned the Pentagon, sadiy known for its crimes in the world, the organisation and recruitment of mercenaries for new aggressive plans aghinst ou *And he edded, "11 Mr. Nixon and the band of criminals composing the Pentagon and the CIA" had not loarnad from the bustine they have receivod in Vietnern and Leos, They would have more in Cuba."
LENIN Centenary irtue of Red Mole, Copies availeb Cobas OSPAAl. Posters 12V" x 21". Printed in fall colour.
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The Red Mole 1-15 June 1970 Pace 3
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