AFM Must Free maoists
Socialist Press1975 1975-06-12Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 8 →
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Maoists are still being held in gaol without trial or proper charges in Portugal. While the capitalist press throughout the West blows up the issue of 'Republica' - the newspaper supporting the right-wing reformist policies of the Socialist Party leader ship - they remain silent on the muc more serious attacks by the military -Stalinist government against the revolutionary left.
Republica was closed under government pressure, following action by Communist Party supporters among the print-workers. After intricate negotiations between the military chiefs and Soares, leader of the Socialist Party, it got official permission at the weekend to recommence publication.
Meanwhile, however, members of the Maoist MRPP (Movement for the Reconstruction of the Proletarian Party) remained in gaol.
They are held in Caxias prison on the outskirts of Lisbon. This is the gaol in which victims of th fascist regime were locked up an tortured by Salazar's PIDE (Secret Police) before the overthrow of fascism in April last year.
Most of the reactionaries held there since then, and following Spinola's attempted coup on March 11th, have been freed. Bul last week the armed forces move. ment confirmed reports that MRPP members had been beaten with truncheons - claiming that the violence had been used when they attacked the warders.
These shameful facts demonstrate the thoroughly reactionary character of the policies now being pursued by the leadership of the AFM and the Portuguese Communist Party.
The only government which can guarantee he interests of Portuguese workers is one based on the elected committees of workers, soldiers and peasants, uniting these to form the fre nework of a worker:" state.
These policies cannot be fought for without the fullest freedom of discussion and political struggle among working-class political organisations.
For this reason the WSL -despite our fundamental political differences with all forms of Maoism - calls on the labour movement in Britain to demand the immediate release of the MRPP members.
CORRECTION In issue 9 of Socialist Press, page 2, the article on TOM should bf course have called for the independent mobilisation of the British and Irish working class and not simply the •Irish working class. RY