LAST WEEK Spanish two days after the GRAPO, have been gagged.
coup.
international 'strategy of tension'. THE PHRASE strategy of tension onionated in italy, Allowen its meaning has been extended to incuce ine operatons or ler-wing organisations, it describes a conscious onentanon oy une vanous fascist groups towards an escalapolitica violence until bourgeois democracy becomes unworkable and the army is forced to stabilise capitalist IHECTVCHICLU TUIC An integral part of this strategy is the existence of a large network of fascist sympathisers within the army and the security forces.
The present violence in Italy coincides with the trial arising trom the Milan bomo attacks or 1969, which marked the beginning or ine strategy or tension. necem events follow the same pattern. Violence ov the uenis answered by demonstrations. Fascists openec tire on a cemonstagon stast week seriously wounding three people.
*Even active, class-conscious trade striking workers.
unionists - even nose wno nave led strikes and truintuiness to ty reporang, which is not accorded to the press.
was now speaker at the second of the IMG's themselves Marxism & the Mass Media for- views!
ums, introduced his survey on TV coverage of industrial disputes. He drivers versity Mccla urous. which publittle-publicised book Bad News.
His speech on the working class bias of TV news was illustrated with video clips taken from all three channels.
Firstly there is language.
vision news bulletins on industrial disputes give ine impression tnal (a) wage rises cause inflation, (b)
most strikes are practically every strike is over pay, ane to mere arene causes or such disputes.
Secondly through visual 'interterence are replying to questons weren't even asked!
Thirdly there is a more subtle this management, in news interviews curtains for the bosses, brick walls or the open street for the workers.
BaSEn terms or balance although management and workers representalives are given equal police freed the two prominent politicians kidnapped by GRAPO and arrested a number of members of the group. It is curious that this came only Government had imposed press censorship on this issue. This means that papers like El Pais, which has conclusive information on the identity of Red Weekly was the first paper to point out how and why GRAPO is part of a right-wing 'strategy of tension' in Spain, designed to escalate political terror to provoke an two-part investigation by O'BRIEN examines the role of the Spanish far right in the There have also been a series of bombings attributed to the far left.
The principal organisation involved is the NAP, an orcasanon as shady as GRAPO and probably with the same origins.
UNDERGROUND Fascism in Italy has continued to exist since the fall of Mussolini in last fascist outpost, drew up plans or me connuauon underground. But the most important development was the split of Ordine Nuovo from the forerunner of the present MSI, the legal fascist organisation, in 1957 This was followed in the 1960% by the formation of the Revolutionary Action Groups and later Avanguardia Nazionale by Stefano delle Chiaie. organisations which initiated the strategy of tension.
Delle Chiaie was able to build solid links with members of the secret police and army who favoured a coup. By 1969 the preparation was over and the fascist ARRESTS The state's response was identical to that of the Spanish GovernCHRIS ment today. A wave of arrests of left-wingers took scapegoat for the 1969 bombings was an anarchist, Pietro Valpreda, while another anarchist, Giuseppe Pinelli, police headquarters.
The Reggio Calabria revolt of 1970 reverted to more traditional fascist methods, same strategy. The regionalist sentiment of the impoverished southern region of Italy was crystallised into a mass right-wing revolt. This, combined with the terror, gave rise to three attempts in quick succession.
sine best known is the boranese Or TascisT plot which followed closely upon the Reggio riots. Prince Borghese a fascist war hero from the Mussofigurehead. After the failure of the coup he fled the country and was offered sanctuary in Spain.
MASSACRE It was these The strategy of tension minated in the Brescia massacre in 1974, when fascists murdered 16 left-wing demonstrators those implicated in the killing were Salvatore Francia and delle Chiaie. country and were offered sanc tuary.... in Spain.
Spain has long been a favourite refuge for international fascists. It was one of the centres chosen the Nazis in 1945 to deposit funds to ensure Nazi leaders, Croat Ante Pavelic, were Juan Peron.
did not stop there. of the Spanish lar right Argentina place. runner 'committed suicide at a Francia and the Triple A but within the to come rosene heightened coup CITOSCH culAmong Stefano They too continuance of Squads in Brazil. comed by the Franco regime, along with other assorted rightists. The most important of these was the deposed Argentinian president from the left.
But the Argentinian connection The first links came through нег. menegildo Garcia Llorente, a Carlist leader, who made contact with "Tacaura, which was attached to the Asociación para la Defensa de reversea la Familia y el Estado, the fore- direction.
For une Apostone communist Alliance - the Triple bers of the All these separate elements - ranks of the Garcia Llorente, delle Chiaie and HOUS A tactic - WELC with dramatic consequences at Montejurra last WINECES The Triple A itself was founded class militants. It consciously fol lowed the model of the Death The aim was to bring about the institutionalisation of the fascist terror, making it the direct responsibility of the security forces had worked in Brazil and it worked in Argentina. The reason for the decline in the Triple A since last year's coup is that the state has taken over most of is runcaons 'ANTI-BODY' Last October, Minister Augusto Guzzeti explained that the only subversion came One revo unionary left was an 'anti-body' which could not be treated in the same way as the healthy microbes' of society.
Ine lar nignt in Laun Amenice has generally succeeded in getting its role insumuonausea, i cur ope the fascists are trying to trend in the opposite The clearest example is where former mem dictatorship's secret police, PIDE, are now swelling the far right organisawhich becoming increasingly common is actions by rightist provocateurs posing as left Apart from NAP and GRAPO the best example is the the Barcelona paper Mundo indi cared tnat ine neadquarters wa run by a leader of the 'respectable Tascist organisaton order Nueve It is part of an internationa anernanvel known as the Black. Internationa or the rascist internanonal • Next Week: The Fascist Inter national - Massacre at Monte - the ClA the Spanish Government and the fascists.
IT IS SURPRISING that th ponce were dole to overcome in bloodthirsty GRAPO kidnapper win no more man ore snor bew fired.
But even stranger are the state ments made on Spanish televisio by the two kidnapped politicians Oriol said that he never felt an danger and was like a guest in country house. Villaescusa, on th other hand, thought he only had 50-50 chance of getting out alive.
Oriol was asked how he heard o Villaeseusa's kidnapping. Fron the newspapers, he answered, never saw the General". Villaescus said: We spent 11 days togethe sharing confinement and surveill Does anyone still believe GRAPO?