repression (about which much has been said, and which we must ceaselessly take up), but the qualitative nature of this repression: who is it primarily directed against, and what are its objectives?
In the short term, the massive repression which Pinochet and Co, are carrying out has an obvious purpose: to nip in the bad all attempts at, all possibility of, resistance to the coup. Given the level of mobilisation of the masses, and the importance of the organisations of the Jeft and the extreme-left, this made it necessary to strike quickly and hard to dismantle the organisations of the left, both political and trade union, to liquidate physically their cadres and most active multants, This is certainly an essential aspect of this repression: it aims at the systematic destruction the physical liquidation, of the organised Chilean workers movement. But, and this has rarely been stressed before now, the repression goes beyond this: the policy of repression is not only aimed at the destruction of the organised workers' movement, but is direcled against the entire working class.
For example, how is the repression carried out in the factories? After having crushed the various centres of resistance in the factories, the Farrell Dobbs, prominent American Trotskyist and former Teamster organiser, has documented the classic struggle in the "30s to organise the mid-Western truck drivers in his books Teamster Rebellion and Teamster Power, The entire working class community - the drivers, their wives and children, other workers, small sbopkeepers in the working class districts were all mobilised to carry on the fight agrinst the employers and the state. Since that time the Teamsters, like the rest of the American Jabour movement, have become restricted to Ibe organisation of the economic bargaining power of the workers.
The Teamsters, however, seem to have gone that bit further down the hill than most Amencan unions, Not only does it bave well known associations with the Mafia, but it has been caught up in the spider weh of the Watergate revelations. It is reputed to have dumped a 'suitcase full' of money into Nixon's clection campaign fund. Former Teamsters president Jimmy Hotfa, jalled for diverling the Teamsters pension fund into the operations of the Mafia, was released through Executive Clemency' at the beight of the fund raising military arrested-and often executed on the spot-the officials and local leaders of the left-wing parties, along with the administrators appointed by the Popular Unity Government. They appointed the former owners and manag eis as administrators. Then they called together the workers, organising virtual general assemb lies... but with the participation of armed troops.
WORKING CLASS UNDER ATTACK In many cases, either following denunciations extracted under threats of violence, or after turbulent mass meetings, an execution squad went to work under the cycs of the general assembly, shooting known or identified ring leaders who were present. Afterwards the workers were told that only the docile and the non-political would be re employed. In the most important firms all sympathisers, supporters or militants of the Popular Unity ALTUES WETE LAMESEU The leaders of the MIR (Movement of the Revolutionary Left!, trade union officials, and members of the Communist Party Contral Committee still on the spot all agree that today at least 30% of the Chilean working class has been dismissed from employment, is without work, has no hope of finding any, and is reduced to poverty or starvation. When activities of the aptly named CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President).
GANDHI AND ZAPATA But if the Teamsters are intluenced by Nixon and the Mafia, Cesar Chavez, the leader of the UFW, claims to be inspired by Gandhi and Zapata. In fact his politics owe much more to Gandhi than to the Mexican guerrilla leader. Chavez is a catholic, a pacifist, and a believer in Distributism, be. the more equitable distribution of weulth through worker ownership. The staff of the UFw is made up in large part of well-meaning liberals, and its cause is supported broadly by liberal currents in churches. In fact, although the militancy and idealism of the UFW leadership contrast sbarply with the rest of the American trade union movement, it would have heen unable to survive were it not for the fact that it receives the backing of a solid section of the bourgeois politicul order. The very fact that the UFW was confronting the Teamsters meant that the political rivalry between pertain sections of the Democratic Party and the US labour movement, on the onc. hand, and the Nixoa/Teamsters alliance, on the other, gave extra impetus to the UFW's frail it is realised that prices have risen in 15 days by 400% to 6003, that they are due to rise by 1800% betwoen now and the end of the year, it becomes clear that the expression 'starvation' is to be taken in its most literal sense.
Beyond the organised workers movement, it is really the working class as a clas -which is hit by the repression and which the military literally wishes to demobilise and dismember. (One sector has been almost west totally spared the repression: the copper mines which account for 80% of exports, There none of the social gains have been abolished, and even the trade union officials adhering to Popular Unity-a minonty-have been left untouched. The big bourgeoisic and imperialisin know how to be mercitul when their fundamental interests are at stake.)
Today, no matter what possible developments may lie in the future, there can he little doubt that the leatures of the Santiago repime-the repression, the political aims (openly proclaimed or not), the mass support of the small and middle capitalists (even if not organised in a mass party, as was the case in Europe of the 30%) are those of a fascist regime, such as exists nowbere else in contemporary Latin ALICTILE craft.
Early in the struggles the leadership of the AFLCO dumped its own suitcase fill of money into the UFW's badly hit funds. The American trade union leaders are a fairiy hard bitten bunch, and were undoubtedly more strongiy molivated by opposition to the Teamsters than by sympathy for a section of the wretched of the earth.
BOYCOTT The Teamsters' tactics ensured that the struggle could not have been won in the grape fields. UFW pickets were met by squads of paid Teamster thugs. Afler two workers had been killed and many injured as a result of Teamster provocations, Chavex pulled the pickets out of the grape valleys, and concentrated on organising a grape boycolt in the ciles.
The boycott movement grew rapidly, aided by the influence of a number of bourgeois politicians such as Edward Kennedy, but also involving large numbers of radicalised young people. The combined weight of the boycott movement. the AFL CIO, and the anti-Nixon politicians seems to have hecome loo much tor Kristian Lund, who wae working with a forestry project in the south of Chile, was imprisoned by the military in the mass round-ups that fotlowed the coup, He was hald in the Valdivia municipal prison, along with 500 political prisoners. Excapt three Bracilians and one Ecundorian, ise was the only foreigner. The ages of the prisoners range • 15 гр В0.
When Lund was ralnasad, the other prisoners askod him to take out a statement to the world press. The text was circulated in English by Lund and follows in full It was dated 29 September. Lund can be contacted through the Chilsan Committee, LBV, Gamla Brogata No. 29 v, 5-111:20 Stockholm, Sweden.
In the first week after the coop, the military arrested people indiscriminately, not even knowing what ques tions to ask them, In this period torture was not wed but because of the sheer frenzy of the putschists, il.treatment was general, resulting in many deeths. Many officers got their men drunk so they could boat the prisoners without stopping to think. Later on, the military began to concoct false evidence against the Victims in en attempt to preserve its guod name. The junta has said that there and not going to be any political prisoners, and so sentences are being handed down for robbery, assault, and other such alleged ellences, In the second tele, the junta started to ger 8 better ides of the kind of people they should look for. Then they changed from ill-treatment to systematie torture sometime cun under the supervision of doctor.
Besides mental torture, the follawing types of physi i fortune ware employed: dectric shocksin the ears • the beck of the neck, nipples, and swual organs;
beatings on the cars cantil the serdrume burst: purp repeaterly jobbing the nyulide with finger; teering off fingernails: putting borning ciperettes into the ears, beating with rubber truncheons: pricking with needles. Prisonars heve elst been Torced to run with crushed gossin their shoes.
In none of the trials has any of the soouied hed e change to cofend himseif. The situation is worst for the poor, who hava no moncy, do not understand the kind of language that is used, und heve no contac The Junts hes abolished ail human rights. Everything that was legal is now illege, and people are baing sentenced for what was legal before; In every workers strilos, there is a seed of revolution i -vity right wing and capitalist argenisation, the send of festisin, In order to deload Thair interests against iht demands of the workers, the capitalin ara compe led to act like lescints.
In prison there is tosal so idarity among the members Whet happened in Chileis the result of the reformist betrayal of the working class. The reformist element in the Allende government yes deterinined to wooin civil ver at any what, in recity this meant etting the fascists prepere and lesving the workan unmady. the markers were inid to set down and wait while the retormists looked after the cause of sociallem, These meformists did nor understand that it is the workers themselves who must mahe the revalution, not the leadin, Socialism can anly ber wor through crushing the bourgedis state, What happened in Chile did not happen because of the will of the Chinan people bit of the Fascists, the military junta, and the U5 imperialists Finely, we went to declare thet the Chilaun people will never surrender, 1o wail fight until the fascists have been overshrown. There is reeletanen, and it wil contines astong as the jur ta is in power.
the Teamsters, and they tore up the contracts they had signed with the growers. Some of the threatened to take the Teamsters Lo court, A spokesman for the Teamsters cynically commented: "They haven't a chance - they aren't worth the paper they're written on.' Although the UFW struggle reflects the inability of the American working class to break out of the urena of capitalist politics, it does indicate the potential of immense class struggles. These can transform the face of the working class movement as the crisis of American capitalism deepens.
The radicalisation of oppressed nationa minorities in the US - blacks, Puerto Ricans, Chicaos -which led to the creation of militant nationalist movements, is more and more being translated into multancy at the point of production.
They are thus contributing to the re-awakening traditions of class solidarity within the American working class, and posing forms of strugale and ideas which go beyond the general level of working class consciousness, When the history of the decade is written, the rise of the UFW will be seen as a mark of the revival of the militant American working class.
GAVIN ROBINSON
posodxs pue paseu Apet 33000126 10 1501 200 40330 Cu colos sin e o se passo aq o e sem uso ag po de pode sora opos passame BRO DER DANDO DE EM MOD NOS DE HA чморноц pengusta ue aoj pa@roges -a Cossa 1 para deu desape do 0s 000