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• AUSTRALIA $2.00 • BELGIUM BF60 • CANADA $2.00 • FRANCE FF1 0 • ICELAND Kr150 • NEW ZEALAND $2.50 • SWEDEN Kr12 • UK £1.00 • U.S. $1.50 INSIDE Report details health impact of U.S. embargo on Cuba THE -PAGE10 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 61,NO. 25 JULY 14, 1997 Brazilian Hong Kong is China! peasant Millions celebrate end of British colonial rule leader starts BY BRIAN TAYLOR For weeks, hundreds of millions of people across China- at the beginning of the U.S. tour school day, on the radio, through the televi­ sion set, and in the workplace - have BY RAY PEREZ counted down the days to July I. That is the AND MAGGIE TROWE day Hong Kong reverts to Chinese sover­ DES MOINES, Iowa - Supporters of eignty after more than 150 years of British immigrant rights and family farm activists colonial rule. in central Iowa welcomed the opportunity "Recovering Hong Kong is a time for our to talk with Jose Brito Ribeiro in Iowa June nation to rejoice," said Wang Xiuxhen, a 60- 16-17, during the first stop on his U.S. year-old Shanghai resident. "Chinese people speaking tour. Brito, a leader of the Move­ will be ruled by Chinese people, not foreign­ ment of Landless Rural Workers of Brazil ers .... We can't allow colonialism any­ more." "Everyone I know cares about it because Defend framed-up MST it's a moment in history when China can be proud" for "taking back something that was leader Jose Rainha! forcefully stolen from us," remarked Wang -article p. 11, editorial p. 14 Zhining, a student in China. Lin Ruimin, a 45-year-old electrician in (MST), spoke at a meeting at Trinity United Shanghai said, "Now we can go see Hong Methodist Church in Des Moines, and at St. Kong. I want to go. I certainly want my chil­ Henry's Catholic Church in Marshalltown. dren to go. After July 1 it will be much easier "The MST emerged in 1984, among those to go." trying to defend their land," against land­ Even businesses people in Hong Kong are lords and big companies, mainly in the awaiting the transition. Ong Chin Huat, the southeastern region of Brazil, Brito ex­ society editor for Hong Kong Tatler maga­ Soldiers in Beijing rehearse for June 30 ceremony celebrating return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. London had held the territory as a colony since 1841. plained. "Our perspective is not to wait for zine said, "Everyone I know is doing a party the government to carry out agrarian reform of some sort." as they promise, but to do whatever is nec­ Hong Kong is a small island-city of 6.3 the Hong Kong government for the next five sentially normal trade relations- sparked essary to get it." million people. At the end of June its last years. another round in what has become an an­ With the deepening of the social and eco­ British governor, Christopher Patten, will be British prime minister Anthony Blair and nual debate about what approach to take to nomic crisis of Brazil in the 1990s, Brito leaving for good. Ten thousand Chinese U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Beijing. said, the MST grew into a nationwide move­ troops will move into Hong Kong to secure both of whom will be in Hong Kong June In 1949, Chinese workers and peasants ment that puts forward agrarian reform as a the transition. The region is to be granted a 30, say they will boycott the midnight swear­ overthrew the imperialist-backed regime of solution to the crisis working people face in high degree of autonomy, but with Beijing ing in ceremony for the new government. Chiang Kai-shek, wrested control from the both the city and rural areas. "We always in charge of defense and foreign affairs. Meanwhile, U.S. president William landlords and capitalists, and opened the direct our actions toward the cities," he said. Tung Chee-hwa, from one of Hong Kong's Clinton's decision to renew China's "most­ door to the establishment of a workers state "Our struggle begins in the rural areas but - richest shipping families, is slated to head favored nation" (MFN) trade status - es- Continued on Page 12 our victories happen in the cities." Through land occupations the MST has organized I ,200 peasant settlements throughout Brazil. As a result, 140,000 fami­ lies have won title to over 6 million acres of Tens of thousands march in solidarity land, Brito said. He described the land oc­ cupations the MST has organized to achieve with newspaper workers in Detroit Continued on Page 11 BYJOHNSARGE between 25,000 and 60,000. take years. But newspaper workers see the DETROIT- The chant "Hey, hey, Ho, The march and rally took on an air of cel­ ruling as a victory and vindication of their SWP holds Ho, Scabs have got to go" and the song ebration because of a National Labor Rela­ fight. Gary Rushnell, a printer who was fired "Solidarity Forever" rang through the down­ tions Board (NLRB) judge ruled two days during the strike, described the judge's rul­ town streets here June 21 as thousands of earlier that the newspaper bosses had en­ ing as "the first nail in their coffin. It's a unionists and youth marched in support of gaged in unfair labor practices and had to light at the end of the tunnel. It will help national newspaper workers fighting to regain their rehire the former strikers. The companies people like me because if the newspapers jobs at this city's two daily newspapers. quickly announced that they plan to appeal violated the law how can they claim our Most newspapers estimated the crowd at the finding, and those proceedings could actions were illegal." convention On July 13, 1995, some 2,500 editorial, production and distribution workers struck BY NAOMI CRAINE the Detroit News and Free Press and their OBERLIN, Ohio- More than 500 del­ joint business agent, the Detroit Newspaper egates, members of the Socialist Workers Agency. They walked out to protect jobs, Party and Young Socialists, and guests from wages, working conditions, and their around the world gathered here June 11- 14 unions' right to negotiate jointly. On Feb­ for the 39th Constitutional Convention of ruary 14, at the urging of their international the SWP. union presidents, local officials of the six At the heart of the reports and conven­ striking locals of the Teamsters, Graphics tion discussion were the increased openings Communication International Union, News­ for socialists to link up with workers and paper Guild and the Communication Work­ young fighters who are resisting capitalist ers of America, made an unconditional of­ austerity- from the organizing drives of fer to return to work, formally ending the strawberry pickers in California to the ex­ strike. plosive struggles by students and workers Since then the newspapers have only al­ in Argentina and demonstrations for jobs lowed about 200 of the strikers to return to and in defense of social welfare payments work, at lower wages, and then fired at least in France and elsewhere in Europe. two of them. The unions declared the com­ The delegates discussed how to respond panies' actions a lock-out and went to the to stepped-up war preparations by Washing­ NLRB requesting a federal court order re­ ton and its imperialist allies, particularly the turning the strikers to their jobs. occupations of Yugoslavia and Albania and The demonstration and other actions here the drive to expand NATO to the borders of over the weekend attracted workers from Russia. The imperialist powers are carrying across North America. out these war moves from a position of Militant/John Sarge Other strikers from around the country weakness, the delegates concluded, having Unionists from all over the Midwest and beyond joined June 21 Detroit rally Continued on Page 12 Continued on Page 8 European Union summit highlights tensions - page 7 · ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~--- IN BRIEf-------------------------------- Peru: 'Down with the dictator' responded by hurling stones at the cops. Two on the jury weeping and reaching for their answered a prison rebellion there. He be­ In one of the largest protests Lima has other demonstrations were organized dur­ handkerchiefs," the New York Times com­ came a leader of the rebellion, was captured, faced in recent years, thousands of Peruvian ing the five-day OAS meeting. plained. McVeigh's mother, Mildred Frazer, and forced to lay naked on a table suspend­ unionists and students chanted, "Down with who denounced the verdict, explained, "For ing a football under his chin. The prison the dictatorship!" Assembled near the site Jury votes to execute McVeigh two years now, since my son ... the day he guards threatened to castrate or kill him if of the 34-nation Organization of American A federal jury voted June 13 for Timothy was arrested ... he was convicted and sen­ the ball fell, while they struck his testicles States (OAS) general assembly meeting dur­ McVeigh to be executed for allegedly bomb­ tenced to death by the media and the gov­ with a baton. They also subjected him to ing its closing ceremony June 5, protesters ing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, ernment." Russian roulette. Smith and other prisoners voiced opposition to President Alberto which killed 168 people and injured 850 were forced to run nude over broken glass, Fujimori 's austerity measures, as well as re­ others. Me Veigh's conviction and death sen­ Attica inmate win vindication while correction cops bludgeoned them with cent attacks on democratic rights.

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