Spanish Crackdown
Socialist Press1981 1981-04-30Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
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The Spanish Socialist Party last week voted in parliament for a bill which authorises the government to suspend the freedom of speech and assembly, freedom to demonstrate, and to strike; gives police the to hold anyone for 72 hours without trialalong with many other restrictions on democratic rights.
The bill is designed to regulate the declaration of states of alarm, emergency and siege in the event of a "serious change in the normal functioning of democratic institutions" or "anything else related to public order"
The bill is put forward now as a direct concession to the Francoist army in the Ltermath of the February = 3u itemp:
15=Ç0005300:I iT DES IE Same attacks Rather it is to preempt a complete military •takeover o introducing "constitutionally" the same attacks on democratic rights which an army coup would involve.
In particular, the bill prefigures such measures as the dectaration of a state of emergency in Euskadi, the dosure of the pro-ETA daily paper Egin.
The Socialists SP leader Gonzales two amendments proposed by the Communist Party which would have permitted trade union and political party internal meetings during a state of emergency and reduced the political role of the army chiefs of staff.
Other than on those minimal points, Spain's main workers' parties sold out their supporters into the hands of reaction.
The CP abstained in parliament on the new regulations, while the PSOE voted for them, along with the right wing government.
Thus not only have these parties done nothing to prepare working class action in the face of a grave danger of a new military coup and the general development of reactionary forces-but they have done the opposite.
They have fought vigorously to demobilise the working class.
They have made every concession possible to the strengthening forces of reaction..
They have bowed before Franco's appointed monarch, King Juan Carlos.
And now they have supported or failed to oppose legislation which robs the working class of some of the very limited democratic gains wrung from the ruling class since the death of Last week his ghost must have smiled.
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SOCIALIST PRESS, Thur ially the Christian Democrats Page s
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right to search homes without a warrant, and