nominated by and friends of the Israeli Here again the land confiscations served as a catalyst in a process which had been going on for some time. • What was the role played by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in both these events?
The PLO did not play an important role at the organisational level. Of course people say that they support the PLO, but this is a national decWhat really happened is that it was leaderships at a local level which called for people to demonstrate. The PLO seit baved ony a small ane ratner vague role in the recent upsurge.
• So how are the Arab cadres who were most active in the events organised, then?
They are all organised in the left coalition known as the National Front. F think it is fair to say that it is headed by the ralestinian communist ranty (Rakah), but I think that practically all the left groups are participating.
The rank and file cadres are the voung and educated Palestinians, who cally in une situation o being without a joo or even tne pros time: for details phone Carl Gardner, 01-278 2377 (working hours). - DR ISRAEL SHAHAK, anti-Zionist militant economic and social oppression, all the jobs offered to Palestinians consist of ine lowest King or work For example, in a recent article in He aren i December »ro on une situation of Arabs in the Israeli construction industry, the writer seriously talks aoout now iris necessary to supeli vise Arabs with Jewish workers because Arab workers cannot read plans or lay a straight line in carpentry and plastering! From this we can see how Zionist ideology in practice relegates the Arab to the lowest and most menial kind of work. Racism is becoming more and more overt.
• Can you give some examples of this from your own experience? You must understand that all aspects of life in Israel are permeated by racism. To give you one example: if in ordinary Hebrew speen, one Wants to say that some work is bad, then the normally used expression is to say 'that is work done by Arabs', or the work is simply referred to as "Arabic' On. the other hand, if one wants to praise somebody colloquially -especially a strong man, a male the expression of praise is 'racist'l In case you don't believe me, I will spell out the Hebrew word. It is Giz'i. Red Weekly 29 April 1976 Furthermore, social situation, in every position, an Arab will have no rights. This occurs every day dna in every aspect of life.
• There have recently been tremendous cuts in the average standard of living due to the Has there been any response by the Israeli population?
that apparently the population is prepared to accept enormous cuts in its living standards before it will most important improvement in the ment, but they do so with apathy.
isolated and defeated. an organisation which can mobilise by itselt is going to improve. And then the workers, and splits up their efforts.
Photo: ANDREW WIARD (Report)
in literally every deteriorating economic situation.
The tragedy of the Israeli situation is rebel. People are grumbling, and they are losing their patriotism (this is a situation. but the maonty or israels are apathetic. ney torow tne Govern Any protests there are - against a factory closing, for instance - can be On the whole the situation can be summarised as follows. Ten or 15 per of the PSOE). cent of the population has it better than ever before. You can see this in the number of imported cars, in the luxurous restaurants. ere. Meanware aroune 85 percent of the population have their situation getting worse and worse.
But still - and on this point I agree with you - without a party or the people, this is not a situation which nationalism is the way in which the Government stops all opposition by for amnesty. proletariat. On 26 March a new opposition grouping, the Coordinacion Democratica (Democratic Coordination), was founded in Spain. Its main significance is that it brings together for the first time the two main class collaborationist opposition fronts, the Democratic Council (dominated by the Communist Party) and the Democratic Convergence (initiated by the social democrats the Fourth International in Spain. It is taken from the 15 April edition of Inprecor, in which can also be found the text of the founding declaration of the Democratic Coordination.
Lin the first place, in view of the ordinacion Democratica (CD) and the prosecution of four of them, including three leaders of workers organisations, we express our solidarity against Francoist repression. and we commit ourselves to the struggle for their release. togemner wit all poncar prisoners, wu strengthening and extending the battle 2On the CD declaration of 26 March 1976, our position is as follows:
tane muncamena meanne ore constitution of the CD consists of outering a pouracal pact to te so-called reformist sectors of the Government and of Francoism in general. This has been explained in various versions by leaders or the bourgeois and workers groups that have signed the declaration.
(b) The political logic of this pact in reality is not a response to the crisis of the Government and the regime and the absence of just and effective solutions to the grave probems or tne county. iris essenmany a response to the relationship of forces that exists in the country between the two fundamental classes of society, the bourgeoisie and the This relationship of forces has been expressed in an offensive of mass action of unprecedented combativity, scope, and organisation, especially since last January. This offensive has not only "burned out the first Government of the Francoist monarchy in three months and revealed the unviability of any project of "reform' of the dictatorship, but has also begun to place a question mark over any possibility of establishing a bourgeois regime in Spain.
Thus the desire of the workers to win their demands, their right to work, their own organisation based on the sovereignty of their assemblies and on me cecion m mese assembne of various types of direct representatives taclerates. represeneave commissons etc.); the deep consciousness of solione between me workme crass anc the other popular layers exploited and oppressed nationally and socially; the extension of the struggle for amnesty and the inclusion of labour amnesty [rehiring of workers sacked for political gates, reasons] within that struggle; the extension of the struggle for the dissolution of the repressive bodies and for extraction of responsibility for the crimes of Francoism; in all, the struggle for the complete liquidation of the dictatorship - all these things already indicate that the objective dynamic of the mobilisation of the masses after the conquest of liberty will clash with any attempt tu restrain it within the limits of a 'truncated democracy concocted according to the recipes of the Spanish bourgeoisie.
The pact that is offered by the CD to the reformers of Francoism has Spanish big capital, the military and imperialism as its real target and has the essential objecrive of holding back this mass dynamic reducing it to limits compatible with the establishment of a bourgeois 'democratic' state in Spain.
(c) On this basis, it is possible to explain why the CD declaration does not pose opposition to the Francoist monarchy in a clear and explicit fashion; it does not clearly and explicitly pose the free exercise of the Spain 11 right of self-determination of all the peoples oppressed under the Spanish state; it does not even allude to the necessity of dissolving the Francoist repressive apparatus; it does not even allude to the economic and social demanes or me workers The constituent elections are posed lor an indetinite future: in the meantime some broad coalition organs of executive power (in which the Francoist "reformers" would be included and at whose head would stand Juan Carlos) will 'guarantee" the defence of political liberties and rights. 3 Consequently, the LCR/ETA-VI totally opposes the political alternatives of the CD. We deny that the 'negotiated break (ruptura pactada) is the road to the overthrow of the dictatorship; that road passes only through the development of the independent action of the working and slogans, without any "short cuts, through their own methods of struggle, their own forms of organisation. It is only this mass action that will guarantee the liquidation of the dictatorship and the exercise of fundamental democratic Now is the time to organise the final assault of the working class and the people against Francoism, to prepare the general strike that will bring down the No "provisional coalition government nas the slightest right to exercise power after the overthrow of the dictatorship. The convocation of elec tions to a constituent assembly by universal suffrage with the right to vote at sixteen years of age must be immediate.
In the face of the desperate manoeuvres of the bourgeoisie in its various political factions in the attempt to resolve its crisis of power, the workame class must mamam compiete maes endence. Our people have paid and are their liberty (Vitoria!) to receive in exchange a neconated caricature oi their rights and demands.
The unity of the workers and people's movement is certainly more necessary struggle, in the assemblies, by the delethe strike committees. This unity requires the common efforts of all workers political parties and groups to extend. strengthen and centralist the united organisations of the mass factories, the workshops, the neighbourhoods, the educational institutions and so on. This unity requires the unconditional defence of the objectives of the workers against the dictatorship and the employers. It is for this unity wat we are nigmang That the workers commissions, MCE[ Communist Movement of Spain]. the Communist Party, the PSOE [Spanish Socialist Workers Party social democrats]. the PTE [Spanish Labour Party, split from (P], and the UGT (PSOE union organisation) appear as signers of the declaration of the CD is an obstacle and not at all a stimulus to the unity of the working class and the people.
We call on all these workers organisations as well as other workers organi sations and parties and the revolutionar nationalist organisations to construct a Down with the Francoist monarchy!
WEEKLY
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Below we publish the communique issued in response to this develop- ment by our comrades of the LCR/ETA-VI, sympathising organisation of