YOUTHS' RIGHTS FLOUTED Report of Islington

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Labour movement inquiry Controllers of the only newspaper printing works in the country independent of combines and trade unions. The works is equipped with its own generators and stands ready day and night to publish a daily newspaper if the national ("'Under Heavy Manners", , 25p plus 10p postage from Islington 18 Defence Committee, 161, Hornsey Road, London N7).

The report mainly consists of evidence submitted to the committee of enquiry by parents and members of the Defence Committee including teachers, youth workers and law centre workers.

It documents in a lively way the experiences of the Islington 18 and their families at the hands of the iaw: the systematic flouting of basic democratic rights by police, magisirates, legal aid solicitors and barristers, the Judge, Old Bailey warders and social security officers; and the total failure of the services of the so-called welfare stateeven the most basic needs of young blacks.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Many of the 22 recommendations made by the members of the enquiry are directed at the labour movement.

Labour Party branches, trade union branches and the Trades Council are urged to call on the Labour Party NEC, trade union sponsored MPs and the TUC and Home Secretary to investigate the arrest and trial of the Islington 18 and to demand that:

1) the Judges' rules for police conduct be made statutory;

2) the withholding of legal aid and bail by Highbury Magistrates Court be investigated;

3) the defendant's right to challenge the jury should be matched by the right to chalienge the magistrate or judge;

4) the use of 'sus' and 'conspiracy' charges by the police be abolished;

5) harassment of the community by the should cease.

Wanted - an extra £6,000 to smash the print unions. That is the urgent plea put out by the littleknown group of fringe fascists around the Dowager Lady Birdwood.

Self-Help, and its sister grouping the Current Affairs Association, has put out an urgent, private and confidential memo, to businesses which have helped it in the past, appealing for funds.

They say that they will use the money to set up a second press in the south of England run entirely PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report The suspension and inv estigation of six police officers and two stipendary magistrates is called for and the open inspection of police stations by a committee of labour movement representatives.

Local labour movement organisations are called on to recruit young people into their ranks 'so that they may fight for their rights in an organised way' and the Trades Council is urged to mount a campaign for apprenticeship training for unemployed youth at proper union rates.

The Workers Socialist League has fought throughout the youth campaign for demands such as these which force the issues into the labour movement.

They contrast sharply with the policies of the SWP, which are restricted to calling on blacks to mobilise themselves for street demonstrations.

These demands are basic and straightforward but they were too strong for John Ward, representing Central Islington Labour Party and for Stalinist Ray Pinder representing North London Teachers Assoclation, both of whom thought the whole approach to the report and the recommendations was too political.

Such people clearly recognised that a fight on even these reformist demands would shake to its roots the uneasy domination of right wingers and Stalinists on the local Labour Parties and trade unions.

It is their stranglehold which has for years obstructed the fight on many of the issues raised by the case of the Islington 18. To break through their record of betrayal by fighting on these recommendations is therefore of the utmost importance.

Degent, Private and Confidential Mono on OUR PLANS TO COUNTER VIOLENCE WHEN THE FLEET Best Street haptaided emather origis.

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schools, social services, youth service, and housing-to provide for