Iran-fight now for blacking!
Socialist Press1978 1978-11-22Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 12 →
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Ih September 1976 the 'blanket" protest by republican prisoners in the Long Kesh concentration. camp began.
Since then, over 300 republican prisoners have defied the most savage and brutal intimidation in their struggle for the restoration of Prisoner of War status stripped from them by Labour's torture chief Roy Mason.
In that time, Mason, as the chosen agent of the Callaghan cabinet, has dispatched SAS undercover murder squads to further repress those that fight for the removal of British imperialism from Ireland. or And, under the thin disguise •rotonted lasting well over twelve months -he has effectively reintroduced the Tory measure of internment for republicans and socialists against whom there is little no evidence.
Diplock courts have also helped to get around the problem of evidence and ensure rapid and easy frame-up convictions.
• Meanwhile the continuing practice of torturing "suspects" has been condemned not only by opponents of British imperialism but also by other sources including Amnesty Condemnation Mason's refusal to make even d pretence of concern for legality or democratic rights has brought widespread condemnation and demands for his resignation from the legal profession -particularly after his recent decision to suspend the right of the accused person to appear in court prior to remand.
But one quarter that has not taken up the call for his removal is that most able to carry it out -the British labour movement, and in particular the workers' movement in his home constituency of Barnsley.
it is a scandal that Masi carries out his torture ai repression as a sponsored MP the National Union of Mir workers-with the tacit suppo of Yorks miners' leader Scargi • In demonstrating th Sunday in support of the Iri: Prisoners of War, for the wit drawal of British troops fro Ireland and for the right of ti Irish people to self-determin tion, we consider it essential • link such solidarity with a figl in the British labour movemel to drive out Mason and his rea tionary cabinet cronies. on nd of 1eill. TIS sh he lato ht nt force workers back to the factories and refineries literally at the point of British-made bayonets, the blacking of arms supplies to the tyranny becomes a more urgent question than ever.
Last week the 5/293 branch of the Transport and General Workers Union passed a resolution calling upon the union's National Executive, to organise through the TUC, immediate blacking of arms supplies.
Troops in Tehran TGWU members must demand that this important resolution is taken up by other branches and by docks stewards and acted upon without delay.
Protests
Protest moves against British arms supplies to the Shah have also come from the Union of Sheet Metal Workers in the Royal Ordinance factory at Leeds where many of the arms are made.
These beginnings of concrete solidarity action must be built upon to aid the undiminished struggle in Iran. vast sums being paid to the banks in interest and so-called government money.
Closure threats have to be answered by exposure where the threat is tactical and by the counter-threat of occupation where the threat is real.
Meanwhile, though the strike is over, Drews Lane has not voted to accept the 5% offer or the parity package.
And with other plant claims still in process, nothing is yet resolved on this year's pay round in BL cars.
*In Cowley further negotiations on the Assembly Plant's £27 claim are to be held at a final stage conference on Friday. involving full time officials.
This will mean that the planned mass meeting will not now be held until next week.
LEAGUE
Public Meeting "The fight against wage control."
Thursday 30 November at 8.00 p.m.
Oddfellow Arms AYLESBURY In the last week, many of the workers who have been forced back to work under threat have continued to operate various kinds of goslow and sabotage.
Oil production continued to be well below normal (still as much as two-thirds down according to some reports).
The military premier has explicitly abandoned the previous government's "promise" to release all political prisoners by 10 December.
And he has arrested thousands more including Sanjabi, the leader of the bourgeois "opposition" party the National Front.:
Anti-Shah demonstrations remain a daily event.
And new massive marches are expected to coincide with the important Islamic festival on 10 December.
The Shah has cynically sent his wife on a "religious pilgrimage" to Iraq and has put back official time by half an hour to coincide with the clocks used in the mosques.
But these absurd concessions to religious leaders have produced only derision from the Shah's main enemy.
Despite the evident power of its spontaneous struggle, however,: the Iranian working class will remain in danger as long as it has not carried out its most urgent task-the build-' ing of a revolutionary