500,000 Cubans Mobilize in Defense of Revolution
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500,000 Cubans mobilize Rightist thug kills doctor in defense of revolution in front of Workers, youth battle antigovemment rioters Florida clinic BY JA N ET POST BY M A R T ÍN AND KAY SEDAM KOPPEL PENSACOLA. Florida — “I don’t walk backward for no one,” declared Pat Jones H alf a m illion Cuban from the staff o f The Ladies Center clinic working people and here where abortions are performed. “ And youth poured into Ha I will continue to do my job.” Jones was vana’s Plaza o f the Rev one o f many speakers at an August 1 rally olution August 7 to ex press their outrage at the murder of a young po Send federal troops to defend lice officer by hijackers clinics now! — editorial page 14 who had tried to com mandeer a local ferry to the United States. The at the Escambia County Courthouse to mass mobilization fol protest the murder o f Dr. John Britton and lowed an unprecedented volunteer escort James Barrett at the clinic. battle two days earlier Britton, 69, and Barrett, 74, were shot in on Havana’s waterfront the head at close range with a 12-gauge between a crowd o f hun shotgun by antiabortion rights terrorist dreds o f antigovemment Paul H ill on July 29 as they arrived for rioters and thousands o f work at the clinic. Barrett’s 68-year-old workers who support wife, June, also a clinic escort, was injured the revolution. in the shooting. Both the workers’ June Barrett is a member o f the National mobilizations and a re Continued on page 5 cent series o f boat hi jackings are part o f a class polarization in Members of Bias Roca Contingent at mass mobilization in Havana, August 7. Two days earlier, as news Labor resistance, Cuba that is sharpening of riots spread, thousands of youth and workers poured spontaneously into the city to defend socialist in the face o f a severe revolution. “The streets belong to the revolutionaries!” they chanted. youth’s revulsion economic crisis. Many, especially from the middle-class layers of commandeered an old wooden tugboat in be intercepted in international waters by professionals, have reacted to the eco the Havana harbor and headed toward the the U.S. Coast Guard, which gave the hi to capitalism’s nomic problems with despair and demoral United States. The rickety boat sank seven jackers asylum. ization. While the working class has been miles out to sea when a pursuing Cuban A fourth water taxi with a load of pas evils at center of hit hardest by the inflation and black mar vessel accidentally collided with it; 32 peo sengers was seized August 4 by a group of ket trading in dollars, support for Cuba’s ple drowned. men carrying guns and grenades. The hi SWP convention socialist revolution remains strongest On July 26 and again on August 3, jackers killed Gabriel Lamoth Caballero, a there. armed hijackers seized ferries that nor 19-year-old police officer who tried to stop BY NAOMI CRAINE Five hijackings have occurred in the past mally shuttle commuters between Old Ha them. The boat ran out o f gas and Cuban AND ARGIRIS MALAPANIS month. In a July 13 incident that drew in vana and East Havana. In both cases, authorities towed it back to Havana, re- OBERLIN, Ohio — At a four-day con ternational attention, a group o f 63 people Cuban patrol boats allowed the ferries to Continued on page 12 vention o f the Socialist Workers Party here August 3-7, delegates discussed and Caterpillar strikers turn back scabs Young Socialists form national organization — page 16 BY MITCHEL ROSENBERG organized back-to-work campaign. Cater for our union, but all unions.” YORK, Pennsylvania — After 42 days pillar is acting as the point man in the Carl Wolz, an officer of Machinists Lo adopted a resolution analyzing the central on the picket line, members o f the United employers’ assault on working people to cal 1400 at Voith Hydro, took a vacation world economic and political develop Auto Workers (UAW) on strike against day. day to join the picket. “ Whatever they do ments o f today. Entitled “ Imperialism’s Caterpillar pushed back a company- As dawn broke over the Caterpillar plant here is going to set the tone for the rest of March toward Fascism and War,” the reso in York, more than the country,” he said. lution formed the basis o f convention re 500 members of ports discussing the party’s work in de U AW Local 786 on Caterpillar plants shut down fense o f the socialist revolution in Cuba, strike here and Traditionally, Caterpillar plants close the upswing this year in labor resistance to dozens o f their sup down for two weeks at the end o f July. The employer attacks on the working class and porters massed at the company had peddled the idea among em unions, how to respond most effectively to plant gates, success ployees throughout the chain that it would mounting rightist demagogy and thug as fully turning away be able to step up production on August 1, saults, and new opportunities to win young scabs. Early pickets Continued on page 6 Continued on page 8 reported a few cars drove in before day break, but from 5:00 a.m. on, unionists Alabama school torched, successfully clogged the gates preventing any more cars from racist principal ousted entering. “ If Cat can violate our rights it’s only a BY BROCK SATTER publicity on this east central Alabama matter of time before WEDOWEE, Alabama — The principal town. other companies o f Randolph County High School here, “This is a victory as long as [Hum take on other Hulond Humphries, was ousted from his phries] stays out o f contact with the stu unions," said UAW job August 8 and reassigned within the dents,” said Rev. Henry Sterling, a field Local 786 member school district. The action by the local representative for the Southern Christian Rose Lentz, who school board, which had fought to keep the Leadership Conference (SCLC) from was illegally termi racist principal in his job, came two days nearby Anniston. Humphries is to oversee nated for union ac after an arson attack that heavily damaged rebuilding the school. The SCLC will Militant/Russell Hall tivity. “This strike is the school. The burning o f the school gen discuss the Wedowee situation at its 1,500 workers rally for Caterpillar strike, Chicago, August 5. not just important erated new tensions and focused national Continued on page 5 Decatur: a center of resistance to bosses’ offensive — page 6 | Scandal probe widens in Italy of radio and television stations if their news coverage is considered unpatriotic. Paolo Berlusconi, the younger brother Reynold Georges, a supporter o f the m ili of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlus tary coup that ousted Rev. Jean-Bertrand coni, surrendered to police July 29. His Aristide in 1991, was shot and wounded arrest, part o f a growing bribery scandal August 1, after he said Haiti’s military involving the premier’s business empire ruler should give up power. and dozens o f businessmen and govern Haiti’s army commander, Gen. Raoul ment tax inspectors accused o f trading Cedras, said that a U.S. military invasion bribes for fraudulent tax audits, reflects was inevitable. Clinton administration of the shakiness o f the 12-week-old govern ficials said they were laying the ground ment. Scores o f other senior business work for intervention if sanctions fail to leaders have been jailed on corruption dislodge the military-backed regime. U.S. charges, including the head o f the tax of president B ill Clinton’s national security fice of the prime minister’s Fininvest cor advisers also discussed setting a public poration. deadline for H aiti’s generals to leave. Paolo Berlusconi was implicated in bribes totaling $210,000 paid to tax in Dollar rises against yen spectors for favorable audits o f the Finin The U.S. dollar rose to its highest level vest Corporation. The prime minister, against the Japanese yen in a month, July who ran Fininvest personally, denied di 28. In New York trading, the price o f a rect knowledge of corruption up until dollar reached 100.10 yen, up 1.5 percent now. Index shares on the Milan stock ex from the previous day’s closing quote of change dropped nearly 2 percent July 27 98.45. amid rumors that the prime minister was This reflects the strength o f the dollar, the object o f an arrest warrant and had re Militant/Marcella FitzGerald despite its recent slippage against the yen, signed. Some 40,000 protesters marched July 23, against the Criminal Justice Bill, cur as the upswing in the U.S. business cycle rently making its way through the British Parliament. The bill would grant continues into its fourth year. Manufac Poverty up in United Kingdom expanded powers to police and curtail democratic rights of the accused. turing productivity grew by 9.6 percent A report issued by the Department o f and U.S. export volumes are currently Social Security of the United Kingdom about 7 percent above last year. said the income o f the poorest 10 percent The dollar is stronger against most o f the population has fallen 17 percent in world currencies, especially those of real terms since 1979. The number o f Khmer Rouge attacks train law prohibits sympathy with Pyongyang, Washington’s major trading partners, people living below the European poverty but dissidents have demanded that the gov Canada and Mexico.