is expected to arrive in Britain at the Labour Government's invitation for a state visit between 4 and 7 May. But a recent meeting of the Labour Party NEC passed a resolution 'deploring the fact that the head of one of the most repressive regimes in Latin America should be welcomed to this country'.
of a military dictatorship since 1964. The famous 'economic miracle' which has been praised so much by the international bourgeoisie has a simple explanation - it is based on a brutal lowering of working class wages since 1964. and a consequent growth of infant mortality, diseases, plagues and starvation for the working masses as a whole.
following facts: in 1965 a worker had to put in 78 minutes of work to obtain one kilo of bread, while in 1969 he needed 147 minutes; one kilo of rice took 75 minutes of work to earn in 1965, and 107 in 1969. This is accompanied by brutal repression - strikes are banned, there is only one legal opposition party, and all basic democratic rights are denied. There are thousands of political prisoners who are torture that the [UN Human Rights technical corps are constantly devising ever more esoteric and vicious punish1,081 political prisoners tortured. Torture is as common as in 1972.' cases eliminated by the notorious acall squads The Times ran an editorial headed (27 February). Behind the hypofree the 25 November itical freedom' and Geisel's so-called good intentions, The Times Chairman of the Anglo-Brazilian Parliamentary Group, who admits dised Brazil has been under the yoke tion to the visit.
An idea of this is given by the mobilisation. 'BRAZIL: Perhaps the most completely documented example of institutionalised Sub-] Commission has received. The government and police have made constant use or cearn saudas to enminate cruel Left-wing critics or simple criminals. Torture scnools, instructors and a specialisec ment An Amnesty report of 1972 named Workers in Peru.
- The Sunday Times, 14 March 1976 tortured systematically and in many No need to wonder, though, why *It would be wrong to stop this visit' critical noises about a growing 'polclearly shares the concern put more explicitly by Labour MP Ben Ford, orders for warships being jeoparThis is the same type of pressure that led the Labour Government to send the submarines to the Chilean dictatorship. Once again it is Foreign Secretary Callaghan who is to the fore, strongly urging the Brazilian butcher to ignore the Labour NEC and go ahead with his state visit as planned This is clearly a visit that has to be stopped. The best way to begin the campaign is for all the forces who have been involved in the Chile Solidarity Campaign, in particular in the trade unions, to come together through the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to mobilise opposiAll those on the Labour NEC who voted against the visit should be urged to back such a Those involved in the CSC should remember that it is the Brazilian military dictatorship which has PRESIDENT GEISEL provided Pinochet with the blueprint for his 'economic model - as well as with the trained torturers who have helped to set up the Chilean torture centres. If Geisel's visit goes ahead it will be regarded as a sign of approval by. the reactionary forces throughout South America.
"Export-led growth has been the main plank of Brazil's economic managers. A succession of technocrats supplied a sophisticated economic policy that took advantage of the eager inflow of destitute peasants into ine towns. and or tne mu tary's ability to keep their wages under control when they got there. The "index ation" of wages to the cost of living was arranged in a way that never gave workers full compensation, but the indexation of savings and financial claims did."
- The Economist, 13 March 1976 That is why it must be stopped now with a campaign to demand that the Labour Government immediately implements the NEC decision to cancel its invitation.