March attacked
Socialist Press1980 1980-11-05Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 12 →
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5277, London WCIN 3XX. Printed by Morning Litho Printers, London. necessarily represent the views of the Workers Socialist League.
The hunger strike of the republican prisoners in the 'H' Blocks of Long Kesh is certain to lead to a great sharpening of tensions in Britain over the Irish question.
This is very well illustrated by the developments in Birmingham over the last week.
Six Birmingham Labour councillors and two county councillors signed a statement in support of the demands of the H Block prisoners for political status.
This was followed by a sustained campaign of slander in the Birmingham local press, with headlines attacking the councillors in four successive issues.
They were referred to as "IRA councillors" and as supporters of terrorism. With the memory of the Birmingham pub bombing, this is an invitation to physical attack and the councillors have received threats of violence.
This violence became a reality on last Monday's torchlight procession in support of the demands for political status. As the march was assembling it was attacked by twenty fascists who are thought to have belonged to the British Movement.
They came armed with bags of rocks with which they pelted the thirty marchers who had by that time assembled.
One women was struck on the head and was rushed to hospital with blood streaming from a scalp wound.
The fascists then charged the march and seized a priest, threw him to the ground and kicked him semi-conscious.
During this attack, which lasted ten minutes, the police from neighbouring Steelhouse