Spain: danger grows

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Gang The Transitional Six down. 1379 to go.

generals.

The recent attack by ETA-militar and GRAPO brings to six the number of generals killed in the last three years by terrorist attacks.

In fact if you fire on a General: there are so many of them-about one for every 200 other ranks. • Despite such a superfluity of generals, every one of them that bites the dust encourages the others towards the imposition of a new period of Francoist military rule.

And in order to stop them from taking action, the politicians-government and opposition-frantically try to do everything the generals want them to.

Last week, however, the threat of an immediate coup seemed to recede for a period as the state authorities appeared to make some gains against the supposed authors of the attacks on the military.

Between May 7 and May 14 there was no major terrorist attack in the Basque country.

Three alleged members of GRAPO were arrested in Madrid and accused of the murder of General Gonzalez de Suso on May 3.

Eight alleged ETA members were arrested in the Basque country and seven others in Madrid, where. the press speculated a MERSEYSIDE FACTORY CLOSURES bit fancifully, they had advanced plans for a prison breakout by " 90 ETA political prisoners.

But then again on May 15 three more Civil Guards were shot in the Basque country and the high level of political tension returned.

In the face of the coup danger the leader of the The leader of the world's largest religious sect was gunned down last week as he was con¡ducting a quasi-religious ceremony at the multi-million pound headquarters of his organisation.

Pope John Paul II was shot by a member of the fascist Grey Wolves-apparently in protest against Russian and American imperialism'.

The pope was leaning out of his Popemobile' (paid for by workers and peasants across the world), waving in his godlike manner when the would-be assassin struck.

The wave of sympathy' reported across the world could not be more misplaced. The motives of the shooting are obscure to say the least, but it was clearly not a protest against the real evils of the Roman Catholic , church.

In fact this religious totem i had already intervened in a crucial referendum in Italy on abortion rights and was on the verge of doing so again. (He has said doctors and nurses who carry out abortions will be excommunicated).

The most regrettable aspect of the assassination attempt is that 'the political Socialist Party has called again and even more vigorously not for preparation by the working class but for full cooperation with the security forces.

And the CP has made similar statements.

We do not apologise for repeating this argument in Socialist Press.

ress influence of this church leader should be enhanced in direct proportion to the lead content of his body. There is serious danger that abortion rights in Italy could be even more severely restricted than they have been.

But that is only the immediate backyard extent of his influence. The pope has led an international crusade against the liberation of women, against, anti-imperialist struggles and against what is perceived as socialism.

In Poland he managed to swing the weight of his church both against the workers states and at the same time against the progressive content of Solidarity and in favour of collaboration and compromise with In Ireland he made a few token phrases (now conveniently forgotten) against injustice while attacking the armed struggle against the British army.

In South America he spoke with misty eyed concern about the plight of the poor and then harangued women who try to limit their own fertility.

His concern about poverty does not of course prevent him extracting the last penny from the peasant masseș and the impoverished workers to melt down into The danger to the Spanish working class is now so acute that the labour movement internationally must be on permanent vigil in defence of democratic rights in Spain and to prepare concrete solidarity action in the event of any further coup. yet one more silver chalice.

Truly, the pope, with his monasteries, nunneries, support for authority, restrictive morals and medieval intolerance is a blood brother of the leader of the Moonies, whose assassination -if carried out-would bring no tears to the eyes of the world's leaders.

The Sunday Times says the assassination attempt was pure evil, conceived in the human brain' thus settling for mysticism to explain the very material presence of the bullets. In doing so the Sunday Times and every other Fleet Street paper (for once without exception) tries to make the following point.

The pope was shot by terrorism. It was the most purely evil example of an international evil. The place we (the British ruling class)

are most affected by that terrorism is Ireland. Therefore it follows that the hunger strikers are to be condemned because they support a method of struggle which in other hands in another country pumped bullets into a saint.

This conception is less than immaculate but it is handy. Even from the entrails of a wounded pope can the bourgeoisie produce home spun lesson in survival.

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That up to now is the present tally of Francoist

member of the army in Spain it's hard not to hit a