DUTLOOK
Palestinians Under Attack Prime Minister Amin al-Hafez resigned on Tuesday as the Lebanese Army continued its drive to crush the Palestinian resistance movement, This is the third time that the Army has ignored agreements between guerrilla leader Yassir Afafat and the Prime Minister. The only affect of these was to lull sections of the Palestinian movement into a false sense of security. The present fighting in Beirut is the heaviest since 1909. After the huge demonstrations which marked the assassination of guerrilla leaders in Beirut by Israeli commandos, the Lebanese regime again acted to weaken the influence of the Palestinians, Provocatians were organised, culminating in the seizure of five militants from the most radical group — the Democratic Popular Front for the Liberation of Palastine, When the DPFLP responded by seizing two Lebanese soldiers the army surrounded the Sabra refugee camp - the main DPFLP base - and began a bomberdment which spreed rapidly to other camps. The nationalist regimes in the other Arab countries, who attempt to use support for the Palestinians as a safety-valve for the political and social discontent of the masses, are heavily embarrassed by the fighting. But they have failed to intervene in support of the Palestinian forois, while Tel Aviv radio has made clear that this would not in any case be tolerated by Israel. So far the resistance has been limited to defensive military operations from the refugee camps, and this will undoubtedly continue to be the case until the Palestinian forces are transformed into a revolutionary movement openly chalienging the Lebaness ruling class for the support of the Lebanese masses. 'If a member of perliement votes for the freedom of an assessin, I should think everything possible should be done to get that member of parliament put behind bars.' This statement, by Rear Admiral Horacio Mayorga, notorious for his defence of the Navy's conduct in the massacre of revolutionaries ar Trelew last veer, is the clearast declaration of war against the advocates of amnesty for the political prisoners in Argentina. This is the question which is becoming the first open test of the relations between the military and the incoming Peronist regime. Negotiations between the military and the Peronist President-elect. Campora, continue prior to fis inauguration on 25 May. Campora's statement last week - to the affect that the military must be subordinated to the civil authorities - is evidence of the pressure he is under, especially from the powerful army garrisons of the interior and from the navy. Following a number of activities by left-wing guerrillas — including the execution of Admiral Juijade by members of the ERP (People's Revolu bonary Armyl - the government hes introduced: State of Emergency in Buenos Aires and five other provinces, with the right to use the death penalty. According to some press reports, Campora may have been warned that the military will use the remaining time before his insuguration, it not to stage a coup, at least to launch a manhunt for revolutionary militants, in perticular members of the ERP. Not daring to denounce the activities of the guerrileros for fear of losing mass support, Campora has so far chosen to remain silent.
Meanwhile Peron himseif has been busy on the diplometic front. He has flown to Paris to meet President Echeverria, whose neg me added to its record of butchery of Mexiten workers and youth by murdering two students in Puebla on May Day. Visits are planned to Mexico, Chile and oven Brazil, with the announced aim of developing "united anti-imperialist action. Among the first countries to extend an Invitation was the People's Republic of Chine. The striking dockers of Chent and Antwerp have opened up a new period of class struggle in Belgium.
Originally starting in Ghent over questions of wages, hygiene, lack of medical facilities and so on the strike rapidly spread to Antwerp. At first under the leadership of the CP the struggle has cacalated, even forcing the Belgian Socialist Party to give E5,000 to the dockers strike fund. The strike is rapidly becoming a test of strength between the workers and the reactionary union bureaucracy.
While in Ghont the strike is completely solid, in Antwerp conditions have been more difficult because of the split between the casually and the regularly employed dockers, and because of the greater weight of the reactionary trade union bureaucracy. When on two occasions the workers demonstrated at the union bead quarters for the strike to be made official they found not simply that the doors were shot but also that police had been called to guard the building.
Instead of support the bureaucracy declared that they couldn't act because the strike wasn't solid and, in any case, it had been provoked by outside professional agitators! The burcaucracy then proceeded to attack the police for not protecting the right" of dockers to scab on the strike.
In this sifuation the importance of solidanity action and of organising a strong struggle against the bureaucracy is vital. The Ligue Revolutionnaire des Travailleurs, Belgian section of the Fourth International, has intervened both to gain solidarity for the strike, publicising it on the traditional May day demonstrations and raising funds, and in the strike itself to establish strike committees and General Assemblies. In Ghent a strike com mittee and a twice weekly assembly has been established but in Antwerp the reactionary actions of the bureaucracy make any developments more difficult. The Ligue is also promoting, through the sections of the Fourth International, the distribution of material such as that below, calling for international support for the strike. action.
I82 Pentoaville Road, London N.I.
Name:
Occupation:
Leatlet for international distribution put out by LAT Comrades in the Belgian ports of Ghent and Antwerp the dockers have launched unofficial strikes.
They are demanding: - A rise in wages (wege increases in Belgium as in all other countries are falling behind the increasing cost of livingl - A change in the canditions of employment dock work is still on a casual basis). -An improvement in safety conditions Ithe tempe af work at Antwerp is one of the fastest in the world, with a record number of industrial injuries).
So far the union leadership has not supported the strike - it considers itself bound by the contracts with the boses. The strikes are therefore being run by strike committee in the ports. The bosses are attempring to avald the effects of the strike by diverting ships to other ports.
The doccers of Belgium need your solidarity!
BLACK THE SHIPS DIVERTED FROM GENT AND ANTWERP!
Ly Van Sau, a representative of the Provisional Resolutionary Gotemmen/ of South Vietnam, Seads the way in last Saturday's demonstration to the U.S. Embassy and then to the Cambodian Embassy. Although muilying only about 700 people the demonstration, called by the Indochine Solidarity Conference (ISC), succeeded in drawing at least minimal support from groups like the NUS, CP Student Committee, the British Peace Committee, 18, etc. Future initiatives must seck to transform what is often only loken support into a sizeable movement which can take effective INTERNATIONAL MARXIST GROUP (British Section of the Fourth International)
I would like more information about the IMG.
Fled Weekly 12 May 1973 Page 7
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Franco's Regime Prepares New Wave of Repression Test for Campora in Argentina