Here’s the complete text
of Nanaimo libel charges

Boos is the full text of what the Pacific Tribune considers to be a document of very
great significance to all those in British Columbia concerned in the struggle to pre-
serve their hard-won democratic rights. It is the verbatim “Information and Complaint for

an Indictable Offence” laid against Marko Vitkovich,

Nanaimo coal miner, by provincial

constable Terence Andrew Stewart on instructions of Attorney-General Gordon §. Wis-

mer.

Section 654)
CANADA:
INFORMATION

County of Nanaimo

AND COMPLAINT
Province of British Columbia

FOR AN

INDICTABLE OFFENCE

The information and Complaint of Terence Andrew Stewart of the City of Nanaimo,
British Columbia, Provincial Constable. taken this 2lst day of May in the ‘year of our
Lord one thousand nine hundred and fofty-eight before the undersignd who sayeth that:
Mirko Vitkovich of Nanaimo aforesaid on or about the 29th day of March, A.D. 1948,
at Nanaimo in the County of Nanaimo, did unlawfully publish without legal justification
or excuse certain matter of and concerning one Mladen Giunio-Zorkin and likely to in-
jure the reputation of the said Mladen Gittnio-Zorkin by exposing him to hatred, con-
tempt or ridicule and being defamatory libel in a circular letter in Yugoslav language

headed “Attention Yugoslavs from Nataimo and surroundings”

and directed to Lovro

Golesic and others which libel translated is in the following words:

“USTACHI GIUNIO-ZORKIN
HIDDEN AMONG US”

“Dear Brothers,

We are now all aware that in
Nanaimo there has been hiding
for a few months a traitor to his
nation, collaborator with Pavelic
and servant to German and Ital-
ian Fascism—Ustachi Zorkin.

It is a pity that this rogue was
able to hide himself undisturb-
ed in this progressive city, in
which city the working class has
fought unnumbered fights for
their, rights.

It is a pity that this criminal
has succeeded to hide himself
and that he was not brought up
before the people’s court, to pay
for his crimes committed in
Yugoslavia as a Ustachi hang-
Man,

It is a pitiful fact that Ustachi
Zorkin has free movement be-
tween Canada and America, that
he can cross the border whenever
he wishes, while, at the same
time, crossing the border is for-
bidden to progressive people and
union leaders, who spent their
blood fighting against fascism
Which Guiunio represents.

The biggest responsibility lies
with the sneak and former lead-
er of Croation peasant Society,
John Matesic, his house being
used as a tavern for the Giunio
Group, which works under the
Name, branch of Canadian Peas-
tna Society.

Other names in this group ac-
cording to the local newspaper we
are bringing forth to the know-
ledge of the people, these names
are: Lovro Golesich, President,
Steve Matesic, Vice - President,
John Matesic, Secretary. The
other officers are as follows: Joe
Kozlovac from Nanaimo, Tom
Novossel from Chemainus, Mike
Lukicek from Cumberland, Mlija

Polic from Chemainus, Steve Be-

AAA

DR. W. J. CURRY
49 W. HASTINGS

INVITES ALL HIS FRIENDS
TO DROP IN AND SEE HIM

cir from Nanaimo and Steve
Grgas from. Cumberland,

These are the men who com-

pile the Giunio Group, this group

is asking for the deportation of
all Croatians who do not wish to
join this group.

We have heard that some
members of this group are not
satisfied with the fact that their
names were brought to the pub-
lic notice, also some of them are
speaking that they were not pres-
ent at the meeting when they
were nominated—we can believe
them only if they publicly state
that they do not agree with the
rogue Giunio, who tramped here
with the intention to fool those
who would be his bait.

You should Giunio fol-
lowers, that not Ustachi, German

know,

or Italian fascism were able to
break or put under their hoofs
the people of Yugoslavia—and
your group also cannot do any
damage to the people of Yugo-
slavia.

We read in the papers that us-
tachi Giunio is preparing to visit
our colonies in Cumberland, Che-
mainus, Courtenay and Port Al-
berni with the intention to organ-
ize similar groups in all these
places — these groups will not
work for better conditions of the
working class, to the contrary,
they will help the companies break
the unions. We recommend there-
fore to our people in these sur-
roundings to be careful about re-
ceiving people in their homes and
not give help or support to per-
sons whose intention it is to in-
iroduce hate among our people,
the same as the Ustachi has done
in the “old country”.

We recommend to our people
to force out of their doors every
Ustachi and every enemy of our
suffering people in the “old
country”.

We appeal to all members of
this group who are workers and
who have love for their own
people, to renouce Giunio before
it is too late and before they
pring on themselves the hate of
all people. :

FOR THE COUNCIL OF CANA-
DIAN SOUTH SLAVS.

“MIRKO VITKOVICH”

which libel was written in the
sense of imputing that the said
Mladen Giunio-Zorkin:

(a) Was a traitor to Yugo-
slavia.

(b) Was a collaborator with Dr.
Ante Pavelic, who was head
of the Government in Cro-
atia, Yugoslavia, under Ger-
man occupation from April
10th, 1941 to the end of the
war against Germany and
Italy in May, 1945.

(c) Was a member of a special
military force used to sup-
port the said Pavelic in of-
fice, which said military
force committed innumer-

able crimes against - de-

fenseless men, women and

children in Croatia.

(d) Was a rogue and a criminal
liable to punishment in Yu-
oslavia but hiding in the
City of Nanaimo.

(e) Was a_ representative of,
and supporting a totalitari-

of government

known as “fascism”.

an form

(f) Had formed a group which
was asking the government
of Canada for the deport-
ation from Canada of all
Croatians who did not wish
to join the group

(g) Had formed a group and
was preparing to organize
similar .groups in Cumber-

‘land, Chemainus, Courtenay
and Port Alberni, to help
companies which were em-
ployers of labor to break
trade unions.

(h) Had the intention of intro-
ducing hate among Yugo-
slavs in Canada.°

(i) Was an enemy of Yugoslavs
in Yugoslavia.
Contrary to the form of Statute in
such case made and provided.
“T. A. STEVENS”
SWORN BEFORE ME the day
and year first above mentioned.
“L. Beevor-Potts”

Police Magistrate in and for
the City of Nanaimo, ae
of Nanaimo.

- This is a store, in a courtyard surrounded by wash-
rooms and latrines, from which African workers buy milk
and other perishable foods. It is one of the “black spots”
in Durban municipality recently exposed by a commission
investigating livimg conditions.

Smut’s ‘democracy’
refuted by conditions

Qe ors issue in the

South African general
elections this month is the is-
sue of peace or war, with the
government at stake in an in-
tense contest between Dr. Jan
Christian Smuts’ ruling United
Party and the extreme reac-
tionary and pro-fascist Nation-
alist Party.

The Labor Party is running
candidates in working class
ridings, though not in suffi-
cient numbers to challenge the
government, and its represen-
tatives will in all likelihood
continue to form a bloc in par-
liament with the United Party
as a preferable alternative to
the Pirow-Malan Nationalists.

Fred Carneson, Communist
Party candidate for Cape
Flats, is warning that, “Gen-
eral Smuts is going ‘to the
country not on the basis of
the problems of the people, but
on the basis of preparing for
another war.”

South Africa is the scene of
bitter struggles as the ruling
white oligarchy tries to break
up the growing unity of non-
Europ2an and white workers.

The Dominion below. the
equator has had its own ver-
sion of the espionage trials in
the prolonged persecution of
communist and other left-wing

labor leaders on framed-up
charg.s of sedition and viola-
tion of the official secrets act.

The charges were the gov-
ernment’s answer to a strike
movement involving 80,000
workers in the summer of 1946
wh-n African miners launched
a struggle for higher wages.
Repeated defeat of the charges
in the courts has not deterred
the government from contin-
ually r.-opening the cases in
order to save the government
from parliamentary criticism.

London, Washington and
Ottawa have worked assidu-
ously to cultivate a myth of
the “elder statesman” General
Smuts as a leading interna-
tional ideologist pf their brand
cf democracy.

Sut when South Africa’s pro-
pesai to annex South-West Af-
rica came before the UN sting-
ing criticism was directed at
the color discrimination prac-
ticed by the southern Domin-
ion which is the world’s lead-
ing jimcrow country.

Reverend Michael Scott tra-
velled 15,000 miles to attend
the UN sessions on South-West
Africa, but he has been camp-
ed over two months with a
barbed wire fonce and permit
restrictions preventing him
irom reporting to the African
chiefs and people who elected
him.

African miners have to sleep on concrete bunks like
this. Normally bunks are enclosed in log rows com-
pounds, themselves enclosed by a high wall, but
ticular compound, near Orlando, is in
demolished,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 28%, 1948—PAGE 5