I'm All White Jack
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Est. 1817 Vol. 13 Number 1 22 May 1968 FORTNIGHTLY 2 s In France — the principal trade unions have called for a general strike to support In Britain — very many trade unionists have more sympathy with the police force the student demonstrators who have been fighting with such skill and courage against and with racialism, than they have with student demonstrators. The only work-stop a savage police force. These French policemen have taken advantage of the chance pages of recent times which were meant politically (not merely for improvement of given them by an exceptionally authoritarian Government to revert to their old ways, pay and conditions) were the racialist demonstrations of the dockers and meat-porters learned during the Algerian crisis — beating up the foreigners and the Negroes. — in support of Enoch Powell. The most effectively militant workers of France are Students and workers have united in response to ferocious repression. to the Left of the powerful French Communist Party. Can it be that the most effec The most effective way to support the French students’ brave stand is to forge links tively militant workers in Britain are to the Right of the powerful British Conservative between our own British students and workers. We should not have to wait until this Party? country degenerates into an authoritarian Gaullist State. We should not have to wait until unity is forced upon us by the extreme ferocity of fascism. Here are two manifestoes from the French students: I’M ALL WHITE JACK 1, 000 wounded, Three Dead. Gassed in. Action. WHAT NOW? WHY? The demonstrations of 6 May showed the resolution of the movement. Because students refuse to become accomplices and beneficiaries of the Students were able to hold out for 12 hours against two police forces, exploitation of the workers. the gardes mobiles and the CRS. They were able to render blow for blow Because they reject so-called ‘ negotiations ’ which merely affect decisions and to drive back the forces of order. already taken from above. The demonstrations of 7 May showed the power of the movement. When this refusal passes from words to action (the occupation of lecture- Tens of thousands of demonstrators held the streets of Paris until dusk. rooms, the showing of censored political films, boycotting exams, etc.. ) The meeting of 8 May would have been bound to permit the movement to When for the workers this challenge has only one expression, make its point, to organise by faculty and by discipline, to publicise, in VIOLENCE the two days following, its demands to the general public, in the railway The bourgeois state has only one reply: and subway stations, in the factories.. REPRESSION WHAT HAPPENED? Blackmail with scholarships A student movement of a new kind was bom. The mass of students and Threats of expulsion progressive organisations united in the struggle. Only the French Com Blacklists munist Party remains outside, condemning ‘ the adventurism of leftists Police intervention playing power-games ’. But the strength of our movement forced them Massive arrests to change. Exploiting the desire of the students for unity with the working Imprisonment. class, the Party attempts to integrate our struggle under the direction of We will not be the watch-dogs of capital. the trade union bureaucrats, offering as sole aim ‘ unity of the Left for WE DENOUNCE true democracy ’. the reopening of the colleges for the sole end of passing examinations, We are menaced by an ‘ integration ’ favoured by those for whom unity the attempts of the bureaucracies to turn a movement for total change with the working class means merely liaison with the trade union bureau in society into a simple reformist movement, enshrining the stagnation cracy. For us, unity with the working class does not consist of surrender of the bourgeois university. ing ourselves to the bureaucrats, nor of making each individual worker WE REFUSE a representative of the working class, nor of going off to ' serve the the normal functioning of the university until the liberation of the foreign people ’. Unity is what we make by ourselves in the struggle, as we did students and the workers. From now on the students will occupy the local last Sunday and last Wednesday. universities until we have won our political rights and the immediate removal of the sanctions against all those who are still menaced by the We must offer obtainable goals, which must be discussed by all penal and administrative machine. students. We must organise the Movement in student committees, group WE WILL NOT SURRENDER TO BLACKMAIL ing together all the militants engaged in the struggle, committees We must not be divided. We must set our determination against mounting which will define our future actions. our struggle must not cease. repression. We must organise to continue the struggle in our neighbourhoods and places of work. WE WILL DEMONSTRATE ON FRIDAY, 10 MAY, 18. 30 HOURS, PLACE DEFERT ROCHEREAU. Movement of 22 March Nanterre. Comité d’Action Lycéen. revolutionary communist youth (jcr) Enoch, May Day and Spring drew me Here is a comment from Siné, art editor of Le Point: When the First of May demonstration into an almost romantic march on outside Transport House was losing '... such demonstrations I have never seen, incredible violence, unshak May the First, which had been interest in itself, a young ginger- able determination, courage commending respect and admiration — often thrown together in defiance of the haired student rushed up and said he arousing feelings of shame among those of us who are old (I am 39), ‘ fascist threat '. One hour later two had been ‘ chased by the fascist for we have never been capable of this. During these two demos I have ‘ dockers ’ (according to the Press) sent dockers ’ outside Parliament. seen young men do extraordinary things: resisting assaults of savage me rushing homewards, nursing a This rather feeble-looking comrade and murderous brutality from the so-called ‘ forces of order ’ maintained large lump on the back of my skull. called upon us to attack ‘ the Enemy ’. by a dishonoured Republic which does not deserve the name.. As I fled down Whitehall, I actually Hypocritically, I counselled him to contemplated becoming the advance ‘ All at once I felt myself no longer alone in a hostile and uncompre learn a lesson from the NLF of Viet guard of the English politicial refugees hending world. I was with my friends, my brothers. An unforgettable nam, and to choose our own battle in Paris. I saw myself as a weak old moment: about 19.00 hours, in St-Germain-des-Pres, I had the impres field, taking into account the strength man waiting for news of the death sion of being FREE for the first time in my life. We marched, we laughed, of the Enemy. I say ‘ hypocritically ’ of Dictator Powell and hoping that we sang, we cried: “ CRS equals S S ”.. because, in fact, I immediately be the long-awaited revolution had started came Zombified and almost rushed to ‘ I deeply regretted the non-participation of the prolos, the workers, but at last. I felt suddenly that this would happen one day, that nothing was now Parliament and then, on seeing the impossible.. The worst of it is that I asked for ‘ dockers ’ across the road, was fas everything I got, and probably more; cinated to hear what they were shout ‘ My heart is on holiday. I feel no fatigue. Thank you, student comrades! and if I find myself sitting with you ing. Bravo, and all my gratitude! in Paris one day, a lot of it will be Starting across the road, I was stopped ‘ VENCEREMOS! ’ my own fault. we’re students too! Turn to page two 2 THE BLACK DWARF Roland Muldoon is a member of the Cartoon mat day in Glasgow produced a The slogans and posters were against Archetypical Slogan Theatre — a high-grade troupe of Socialists who act with first-rate nauseating alliance. Labour party the wage freeze, the Vietnam War and scripts. They are not seeking publicity, rightists, the official Communist Party black dwarf s merely trying to help, the black dw arf a copy of the ’ Enoch feels that clubs, halls, pubs and even theatres and the Special Branch got together Powell. should welcome their help. — the result was five arrests. When the march reached the hall Continued from page one It was the most depressing May Day they were greeted by Chief by a policeman. ‘ They’ll bust your for seven years. Rain bucketed down Marshal Andy McFarlane — a head. They’ve been drinking. ’ Hating and the meeting was held in Glasgow leading CP member — and Chief the fuzz (don’t we all? ) I crossed. Concert Hall instead of Queen’s Park Inspector Callum Robertson of the as usual. As soon as I got there, a camel-haired, Special Branch. The police had a field day. With the trilby-hatted gent (probably a bogy Together they stopped all dissidents from my childhood) raised his um consent and approval of the organiser they vetted the march for ‘ subver getting into the hall. The pretexts brella, almost sexually, and seemed to sives ’. The Vietnam Solidarity Com were slight; beards, leaflets, banners ejaculate at the sight of these brawny and anoraks, and their owners, were workers supporting pale-faced Powell. mittee, International Socialism, the ILP, Youth Against the Bomb, cnd refused admittance. He appeared to be silently screaming Chris Bott, a student at Strathclyde with delight. and Glasgow Anarchists were all barred from the march. University, was banned because he’d I, the complete fool, pushed his hat When is tried to join behind Wood- bought a copy of The Week.