Cops to pay costs!

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COVENTRY Trades Council is organising a Labour Movement Conference on 8 May 1982, which it is hoped will draw broad support from all trade union organisations in the Coventry area.

charged threatening last Class ointed out harassment the march. of this was one of our the right way outside a school.

This effectively prevented us from leafleting any more schools found leafleting.

This case came up in court a few weeks ago and was the first of the five cases concerned with the march. In court the solicitor for the defendant pointed out Io Ine magistrate that the National Front and British Movemen1 regularly leafleted thi local schools. Also flag sellers vador Solidarity Camand the Salvation Army etc., are free to leaflet in the streets without threat of arrest.

He also produced photos showing the number of kids outside the school gates normally in the morning, proving that one extra person standing there would make no further obstruction.

After taking a week to decide his verdict, the magistrate found the defendant not guilty. He then went on to order costs against the police of £70.

The Saturday after this verdict, the police turned up in force to harass the regular paper sellers in Woolwich High Street. They gave the The murders and the string of racist attacks that took place in Coventry during the spring of last year drew attention to the weakness of the Coventry labour movement in leading an effective defence and counter-offensive against the fascists.

Racist attacks continue against black people, in their homes, at school and out on the streets. The most publicised attacks have been on bus drivers.

Although it is the black people of Coventry who are bearing the brunt of the racistfascist attacks now, there can be no doubt that the final target of these thugs is the organised labour movement.

The fact that the fascists and other far-right supporters of the Thatcher government usual racist abuse and started to say how they would make sure that next time they arrested someone they wouldn't let them get away with it in court.

We don't think the police will present such a useless case when we go to court on May 20 for the four others charged with threatening behavjour.

However, this surprise verdict has helped to boost the campaign.

There will be a public meeting on May 17 at the Woolwich Dockyard Community Centre, at 7.30pm with a speaker from the GLC police committee.

Guy Williams can con unemployed youth in Coventry to do their dirty work for them shows that the labour movement must urgently take up the work of countering racialism, and also give a lead and direction to the young and unemployed.

The black community and workers' associations took a lead by organising a tremendous demonstration against the fascists last year.

However, if the threat of fascism is to be removed, the labour movement must make this struggle its own.

It is the aim of this conference to develop a labour movement programme that can unite the working people of Coventry in a struggle against racism and fascism, and the economic and political conditions that cause them.

P.Kotecha

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as they had threatened to arrest any more of us

support movement against racism