Workers Socialist League

Socialist Press, Trotskyism Today, Woman Worker, Class Fighter and the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee, 1975–1984

We Wont Be Slaves Polic: Harrassment

Class Fighter no. 3, March 1982 · scan p. 5 · about 926 words

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The advert blatantly encourages the bosses to pay youth poverty line wages. The headline says, 'Can't afford to pay more people? You can now under the new young workers' scheme'. In fact the Tories are paying the bosses to keep young workers wages down.

What is worrying is the lack of protest that this new attack has received from the labour movement. We must fight to highlight it. Get your YS to hold a public meeting on it. Send resolutions condemning the scheme to the Labour Party NEC demanding that they launch a campaign against it. Get your trade union branch to fight it. If you're affected by the scheme, What can you do with f40 a week now, let aione in two years time when the Tories will still be offering the same 'bonus' rate? This scheme attacks the whole labour movement as the bosses will be much keener to employ young workers and get a £15 gift from the Tories than to keep on thair older workers at hed Woolwich Right to 'ork campaign organise s secon march against nemployment.

The first one, on June access, with over 2,00t been a cople on the march -ainly unemployed voutt nd striking school kids. his obviously upset the who Sell out to arch would be sarass sure tha gas much as possible. At the end of Uctober, Greenwich Trades ouncil gave us the use fa shop in the middle of Toolwich to use for orgising the march. The cal police used to just alk in to warn us that if yone 'got out of line dy would be ready to Ack' ustirst thing we cided to do was to call school strike on the day 1 brought to light when *r Armatrading's broso as ress then made was refused entry.

cause two people had eddy died in Coventry racist attacks. a had the privilege of vate nursing care after mediate NHS attention the 'hospital which did his life. *he Tory proposals for Rechahad been operas.

, then he misht not ho ve today. verseas students will e to provide passports ,have proof of ability pay before treatment. ace any black person in ituation where the NUS inderstaffed will not be i immediately as staf Lassume them to be rseas students he lesson to be learnt this is that st fight racism at all we ols of society on the rets and from the state.

must not only defend iple from racist attacks also go on the offensagainst racist state. islation. successfully done on the previous one. This involved leafletting all the local schools.

The police visited all the schools we were leafletting and threatened to arrest any school kid turning up on the march. They also turned up on one of our morning leaflettings, asked who was the organiser, and then arrested him and charged him with obstruction, despite the fact that the NF are allowed to leaflet the schools without any interference from the police.

Change

On the day of the march we learnt that the police had decided to change the route to a much shorter one without offering any sort of explanation. They also prevented schoolkids from getting into Woolwich from nearby Eltham by stopping the buses they were on and making the kids get off.

At one o'clock about 200 people had gathered at the assembly point. which was much less thar we had hoped for, but taking into account the police harassment this low figure was hardly surprising.

The police then announced that they had changed the route of the march again: This time they were only allowing us to march around the town centre.

The march led off, following a band playing from the back of a truck. During the now short march, the police prevented late-comers from pushed and shoved the kids on the march.

As the march finished, about 40 or 50 of us decided to go to the local poly for a meeting. As we were walking down the main street, many of the kids were still shouting slogans and were in generally high spirits.

Following behind us were a couple of large people . with crew-cuts who kept pushing us around.

At first we thought they may have been Nazis, but then were realised that they were probably police. As we climbed the steps of the poly, the two large blokes, who plain-clothed SPG officers, jumped on two of the organisers of the march.

At this point a car and a vanload of SPG reinforcements turned up. Two more SPGers ran into the poly. The vice-president of the students' union asked them what they were doing, and was sent reeling to the floor with a kick in the balls.

They then arrested another two, including myself.

We were all held for about nine hours and charged with threatening behaviour. Many local people were outraged by the behaviour of the police and the presence of the SPG on the streets of Woolwich.

Using this support we organised the :Woolwich Unemployed: Marchers Defence Campaign' to raise money and publicity the arrests. • Already we nave hela pickets of the court and are organising a delegation to speak to the council. We hope to force the police to drop the charges and pressurise for the disbandment of the SPG.

For more information, speakers, leatlets, donations, etc. contact:

WUMDC, c/o Thames Poly Student Union, Thomas St, London SE18. (853 0618). start some action. union rates of pay

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*olk-kneed Isn't this wai was lucky - lucky

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