Asian Leaders Call for 'self Defence'

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In a bid to retain control of the thousands of militant Asian youth who have gone onto the streets in recent weeks to demonstate their willingness to fight fascism, three Asian community leaders have issued a statement of support for the forming of self-defence groups.

The Federation of Pakistani Organisations, the Federation of Bangladeshi Organisations and the Indian Workers Association of Southall declared jointly that:

"For the past decade the Asian welfare organisations have resisted pressure encouraging their members to join self-defence vigilante groups in the face of such attacks and in spite of considerable apathy from the forces of law and order.

We now believe that the time has come when we must urge our people to look to their own defence' But simultaneously with this call, the immigrant leaders urged Asians to join the Anti Nazi League, whose pacifist policy of distributing posters and propaganda against the fascists makes no call or provision for self-defence.

Businessmen

And they further urged Asian businessmen to give money to the ANL, thus joining the list of showbusiness celebrities, bourgeois politicians, trade union bureaucrats and clergymen whose "support" for the ANL acts as a barrier to a fight for the forming of genuine workers defence squads or the adoption of socialist policies as an answer to he conditions have spawned the fascists.

The basis for the formation ot workers defence squads which unite both white and black workers in struggle against fascist attacks was demonstrated again this weekend with a succession .of anti-fascist mobilisations in Cardiff, in Manchester and in Brick Lane in East London.

Even as we go to press, 1,000 workers and youth are engaged in a march through Hackney after a 'day of action' But the prospect of united class action against the fascists frightens the bourgeois Asian leaders as much as it does the Liberals and famous names in Anti Nazi League.

This is why the Asian leaders called only for 'self defence' rather than turning to the wider workers'- movement. In taking up this call, Asian workers and youth must insist that the local labour movement takes up its responsibility to help defend against the common tascist enemy.

Divisive Meanwhile, whether they are making the divisive and adventurist call for 'black workers' to take strike action against the fascist attacks, calling for more police action against the National Front, or simply failing to make any call for workers defence squads whenever they speak at rallies, the Anti Nazi League leaders are playing a criminal role in heading off the possible development of a real struggle both against the fascists and against the Labour leaders and union bureaucrats whose betrayals have opened the door for them.

Now is the time in key areas to mobilise every workplace, factory, working class estate, political and trade union body and immigrant community in united defence squads trained to combat the fascists. riot police moved in again. :

This time their target was the small town of Renteria, where they rioted, vandalised and looted.

The liberal' government of Suarez issued statements expressing polite shock, appealed for calm and sacked a few police chiefs.

But the replacement of a few officers will do nothing to transform the character of the Francoist state apparatus.

Fascists

Many riot police are well-known as members of fascist gangs, who fulfil their duties of repression even more violently in offduty hours.

• The army itself still holds massive power intact. In Barcelona, Miguel Salas is shortly to. be courtmartialled. Editor of La Aurora' (paper of the PORE, Revolutionary Workers Party of Spain, which is part of the sectarian LIRQI- the International League for the