The prisoners, among them Father Patrick Fell, a priest well known for his work in Irish relief further men in the north on the same charge' (conspiracy "to cause by an explosive substance, an police raids appeared in court again in Coventry on Wednesday.
organisations, were again remanded in custody.
explosion in the United Kingdom"). Police mounted a massive security operation for the court appearance, manning the entrances in force and surrounding the area with marksmen. It took only twenty minutes for the prisoners to arrive at the court from Winston Green Jail in Birminghain, as police had cordoned off the whole route.
INTIMIDATION Since the first raids on 13 April, when armed police swooped at dawn on the homes of people suspected of being sympathisers of the Frish Republican movement, intimidation has been systematically stepped up. Over 50 homes in the Cov. entry area have now been raided. Friends of the accused have been picked up after visiting them in prison, and in some cases this has meant a twice-weekly interrogation by the police.
Among the homes visited by the police in the first raids wis 27 Paynes Lane, the Coventry headquarters of the International Marxist Group. Hems taken away included IMG documents and photographs. These latter showed one of the police involved in the raid as the only Englishman present when mombers of the RUC and Scottish troops attacked a party of Warwick students at a Civil Rights rally in the north of Ireland in March 1972. The Special Branch man who removed the prints remarked: *Not bad. But they are not as good as the ones we've got of you lot. TWO AIMS This repression has two definite and related aims First, to intin date Irish people resident in Britain Father Parrick Fell Police opposed bail, citing the arrest of "two from giving any support to the struggle of the oppressed minority at home. Second, to intimidate those British revolutionaries who are prepared to fight in the British labour inovement for solidarity with the Irish struggle.
These aims can only be defeated if the broadest possible unity against the repression is forged within the labour movement, particularly mong the organised groups of the revolutionary left. The joint meeting in London held by the IMG, the SLL and the 15 was a big step forward in this respect. In Coventry • defence committee has been set up to campaign in support of the six accused. At the moment it is crying to arrange regular visits for the prisoners, as well as sending them cigarettes, books, fond, ete It also hopes to raise the fare from Ireland for the mother of the youngest accused, who is 17 years old. A picket will be held outside the court in Birmingham when the case finally proceeds to trial. Details of this and of the work of the defence committee can be obtained from: Defence Committee, 27 Paynes Lane, how policy of the General Council for the coming months thn preparations already anderwas for talks with the Government on the very question that proveked the May Day strikes: the way laws! ti other words, the purpose of the Day of Action for Feather and ca is 10 cunceal their determiration to alive a struggle to smash the say taws, behind some colourlof deronstrations and wince speacher:
BREATHING SPACE The tallure of the first bottles to treak Tho pay laws has given the Government a breathing space no thing more. The union leaderships' refusa to organise a united oftenshe against phase 2 menh that tho next big nationel confrontation will probably on postponed until the third phase of the lows canes in later this yoar, police. The chair was taken by Gery Lawless (second left).
support for the Shrewsbury building workers. all the three organisations concerned.
Betfast Ten and Stoke Newington Five.
he done to fight back against repression.
sections. Only three days after the wave of police raids, on Monday 16 April, 800 people packed London's Conway Hall to bear Gerry Healy of the SLL (second right), Duncan Hallas of IS (left) aud Tariq Ali of the IMG (right) stress the need for united action to defend militants facing attacks from the Among the speakers from the floor was Jim Kemp (foreground!, a mem ber of the London Joint Sites Executive Committee, who called for full This is being taken up by Appeals were abo made for the The size of the meeting and the enthusiastic response of the audience to appeals for united action in defence of victimised militants shows what can What is important is that the en tire movement be mobilised every time that the State strikes at any of its FREE MAY DAY