Salvadoran Aircraft Bomb Civilian Areas

Over the top in THE subscription drive! PagelO A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 53/NO. 44 NOVEMBER 24, 1989 $1.00 Judge Salvadoran aircraft admits bomb civilian areas complicity BY GREG McCARTAN vember 9-14 with a lO~person fact-finding behind us," he said. In one of the biggest nationwide military team. The offensive follows the breakdown in in harm to battles in El Salvador's 10-year civjl war, "There was fighting in different areas of negotiations between the rebel alliance and government aircraft have machine-gunned town most of Saturday night Sunday the the government and bombed civilian areas. whole capital was a ghost town," Duda said The 10-year civil war has led to the exile socialists Rebel forces have engaged government in a telephone interview on his return. of 1 million Salvadorans and has claimed the troops in open combat for nearly a week. In Public transportation was halted across the lives of 70,000, most of whom were killed BY NELSON GONZALEZ San Salvador, the nation's capital, the guer country following a call by the FMLN for a by the U.S.-baclced and financed armed LOS ANGELES - A federal judge has rillas occupy positions around the city, espe transit boycott Fighting has been reported in forces or by death squads linlced to the mil acknowledged for the first time the court's cially in working-class areas. eight of the country's 14 provinces. itary. own complicity in the harm inflicted on the Socialist Workers Party by a lawsuit filed The offensive by the Farabundo Marti State of emergency declared The U.S. government provides the National Liberation Front, a bloc of five against the party 10 years ago by Alan The government responded to the offen Salvadoran government with $1.4 million a organizations, began November 11. At least Gelfand. Gelfand's suit is part of a broader sive by strafing neighborhoods with ma day, mostly in military aid. Salvadoran troops campaign of harassment and disruption of the 50 targets were attacked, 20 in the capital, chine-gun fire from planes and helicopter are trained in the United States and there are including the home of President Alfredo SWP organized by a small U.S. sect called gunships. The death toll immediately rose at least 55 U.S. military "advisors" in the Cristiani. the Workers League. into the hundreds. war-tom country. The admissions by U.S. Federal District The rebel forces established an especially Sunday evening the Cristiani government Little progress in negotiations Court Judge Mariana Pfaelzer came during strong presence in the industrial city of San declared a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew and a hearing held here November 13, at which Miguel, the third largest town in the country. suspended civil liberties for up to 30 days Talks between the FMLN and the govern the judge denied a motion by Gelfand to "Everywhere we traveled we could hear under a state of emergency. ment were held September 13-15 and again gunfire," reported John Duda. A member of U.S. Ambassador William Walker imme October 16-18. While no agreement came the Service Employees International Union diately backed the measures. They "are very out of the sessions, both sides agreed to hold See editorial page 14 from Boston, Duda was in El Salvador No- temporary in nature ifwe can get this violence Continued on Page 13 "amend" the court's "Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law" from August of this year. Pfaelzer's August decision ruled in Mass outpouring for abortion rights favor of the SWP. Both Pfaelzer's denial ofGelfand's motion and her statements accompanying that ruling mark a further victory for the constitutional right to privacy and freedom of association for working-class organizations and other groups. Gelfand's lawsuit was filed in 1979 and went to trial before Pfaelzer in 1983. The suit charged that the SWP is run by FBI agents. Gelfand demanded that the court overturn his expulsion from the SWP and remove the party's leadership from office. U.S. Justice Department officials were also named as defendants by Gelfand in the suit. Gelfand had been expelled from the SWP in 1979 after he filed a legal brief in federal court designed to undermine the party's law suit against the FBI for decades of spying and disruption. The SWP's case resulted in a historic ruling against the FBI in 1986. Judge admits 'bad mistake' "1 want to get something on the record," Pfaelzer said in response to an opening state ment at the hearing by Gelfand's lawyer, Donald Norris. "I made a bad mistake during the trial," the federal judge asserted. "I should have granted the defendant's motion for summary judgment six years ago," before the trial Militam/Charles Ostrofsky opened ("Summary judgment" means that Washington, D.C., November 12. More than one thousand actions in 150 cities defended abortion rights. Continued on Page 4 BY RONI McCANN WASHINGTON,D.C. -Supporters of a woman's right to choose abortion numbering Crisis shatters E. GeriDan CoiDIDunist Party in the hundreds of thousands filled streets and rally sites across the United States on No BY PETER THIERJUNG been announced. People have been chased privileged bureaucratic caste that economi vember 12. In a simultaneous show of force, The Communist Party of East Germany, out of their offices by angry groups in East cally and politically dominates the country the prochoice demonstrators held more than the dominant governing party in that country Berlin, and senior ministers have been hu comes after the exodus of tens of thousands 1,000 actions in ISO cities, from Kennebunlc for more than 40 years, is racked by a crisis miliated in front of their staffs by public of East Germans and after several weeks of port, Maine, to Los Angeles in defense of that threatens to destroy it and end its rule. denunciations, the report said. massive protests throughout the country. abortion rights. In an attempt to stem its further disinte Party officials report the party's member Since January more than 225,000 East Buses from all over the eastern and mid gration, East Germany's party leaders have ship dropped from 2.3 million to less than 2 Germans have emigrated, most to West Ger western parts of the country began rolling adopted the perestroika- and glasnost-type million in the month of October. They expect many. The exodus swelled in September into Washington, D.C., at dawn-along policies initiated by Soviet President Mikhail the losses to continue. when Hungary opened its borders, allowing with prochoice supporters in car caravans, Gorbachev in the Soviet Union more than '1'his time, the Soviet Army would not East Germans an open route to West Ger trains, and planes-for what was the largest four years ago. Similar policies are being intervene to guard us. We are on our own and many. action of the day. By noon some 150,000 adopted by CP officials in Poland and Hung the people have shown that they don't like By mid-October demonstrations in East protesters filled the lawn facing the Lincoln ary. us at all,;' a Central Committee member said. Germany began to involve hundreds of thou Memorial and surrounded the Reflecting "It turns out that after four decades, this He was comparing the current situation with sands, bringing down party leader and chief Pool. party structure is very fragile. It would be the massive workers' uprising in 1953 when of state Erich Honecker. The marchers ''Today is historic," said National Organi very easy for it simply to be blown away by Soviet troops and tanks rescued the Commu chanted "We want to stay!" and "Gorby! zation for Women President Molly Yard, as the wind," an East German CP Central Com nist Party's leaders and escorted them into Gorby!" referring to Gorbachev. Protesters she welcomed the protesters. "It marks for mittee member told the New York Times. hiding. also chanted "On to perestroika!" all of us-no turning back!" According to a report in the Washington The collapse of the East German Commu Honecker, the East German leader for 18 Continued on Page 9 Post, there are more resignations than have nist Party as a governing instrument for the Continued oa Page 8 French unions demand transformer not be returned to S. Africa BY DEREK JEFFERS Management responded by demanding AND CLAUDE BLETON that all anti-apartheid materials be removed SAINT OUEN, France- A 200-ton from union bulletin boards inside the plant. transformer, in need of repairs, from a nu The unions ignored the order. clear-power plant in South Africa was the Instead, the unions went ahead with a subject of protests here at the GEC AJsthom two-week program to educate about apart transformer factory. heid. An anti-apartheid display, furnished by The GEC AJsthom plant employs some the African National Congress, was put up in 2,000 workers and is located just outside of the factory cultural center. Lunch-hour show Paris. Workers at the factory are organized ings of an anti-apartheid film took place. The by the General Confederation of Labor highlight of the program was to be a visit by (CGT) and the French Democratic Confed ANC representative Solly Smith on October eration of Labor (CFDT). When the broken 12 to address workers at the cultural center. Militant transformer arrived from the Koeberg nu The center is run by elected union officials, Union members took anti-apartheid posters and used them to cover a transformer from clear-power plant located 20 miles outside of and frequently outside speakers are invited a South African nuclear plant.

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