Lesson of the Carnival

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Benn with his friends: his speech will not worry Callaghan.

-Picket defends Brazil→ Brazil. Pabloite United' SecretarA delegation from the lat) are now rumoured to be to register being flown out of Brazil The formula is well tried; celebrities, popular music and a minimum of politics.

But who is it all meant to impress?

The fascists of the National Front? They already know that at present they are an insignificant minority.

But. they are counting on continued Labour attacks on living standards and vague pacifist protests at their vicious racist attacks to allow them the scope to develop and grow.

Perhaps it is to impress the harassed and oppressed immigrant community?

But the Carnival offers these workers and youth no way forward in their struggle against fascist violence.

The ANL leaders expressly PHOTO: Laurence Sparham (IFL)

In yet a further rebuff to right wing AUEW President-elect Terry Duffy and the union's Executive, the exclude any call on the labour movement to organise workers defence squads to drive the fascists off the streets.

Instead they have peddled illusions that use of Race Relations or Public Order legislation could hold back the fascists, or that the police could be prévailed upon to curb NF attacks.

The brutal reality of police activity was demonstrated only recently when four East End Asian youths were given savage jail sentences for the 'crime of defending themselves against a gang of racists.

So is the Carnival intended to impress the Labour leaders, forcing them to drop their 9000 # AN : ps 4 2 20л0 racist immigration laws and their attacks on the working. class that have spawned the fascist threat?

Not disturbed No, Callaghan is certainly not going to be disturbed at a mass rally listening to former 'left' Cabinet minister Benn, who has endorsed every attack, and every right wing policy.

The Workers Socialist League supports every serious mobilisation against the fascists of the National Front.

But we insist that such The threat of extradition hanging over Astrid Proll demands an immediate response from the labour movement here in Britain.

Proll, who was arrested on Friday by police heavies from the "anti-terrorist" squad has expressed clearly justified fears that if she is mobilisations must be dire towards the fight for prac action to set up workers def squads wherever the immi community or the labour m ment is under fascist attack political action to drive ou: Labour and TUC traitors w policies open the door to fascists.

The ANL, as a popular 1 grouping of capitalist po ians, labour bureaucrats petty bourgeois . celebi cannot and will not under such a task, So, after the Carnival is r and as the demonstrators i returned to Germany wil die in prison.

This is certainly true. trial in West Germany originally postpo because of her serious health, caused by two y in solitary confinement sound proofed, all-w cell, lit 24 hours a day.

If she is extradited she will almost certainly be detained in these same barbaric conditions.

Murder

If that does not reduce her health to the point of death then she runs the very serious risk of being murdered by the West German state.

Already two members of the Red Army Faction, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof have been murdered, followed by a crude attempt on the part of the West German authorities to make the assassinations look like suicide.

The Labour Home Secretary, Merlyn Rees has no intention of acting to prevent the extradition of Astrid Proll.

Indeed the record of the A 50-strong picket mcluuing zu roy members and supporters outside the Brazilian Embassy in London on Monday added the voice of British socialists to the international campaign for the release of eleven socialist political detainees being held the Geisel regime in acted :tical fence grant 10ve• and t the rhose i the Witicand rities take Her was ined s ill ears in a hite

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