| WORLD ~

World protests called
against Iran murders

A call for a worldwide protest over the murder of 10 -
Iranian workers has been issued by the Tudeh (Com-
munist) Party and the Organization of Iranian
People’s Fedayan (Majority). The 10 workers were
executed by Islamic Guards before the eyes of their
fellow workers in the yard of the giant steel works in
Esfahan in central Iran during a recent strike protest-
ing the sale of profitable sections of the plant to the
private sector.

__ Growing signs:of resistance are also seen against
| the four year-old war between Iran and Iraq which so
far has claimed over 500,000 lives. Strikes, slow-
downs and confrontations with police are increasing.
The Islamic Republic has increased repression filling
| its prisons with progressives opposed to the war.

Canadians ask support
for World Festival group

__ The Preparatory Committee of Canada for the 12th World
€stival of Youth and Students, to take place in Moscow from
July 27 to August 3, is asking for financial support toward a
delegate subsidy fund, special projects and supplies in its
Work to ensure a broad, representative Canadian delegation.

In its appeal, the committee describes 1985 as ‘a year of
Special significance: the United Nations’ designated Inter-
national Year of Youth; the 10th anniversary of the signing of
the Helsinki Final Act and the 40th anniversary of the victory
Over fascism.”’

Pointing out that young people from over 140 countries will
be in the Soviet capital this summer, the committee reports
that preparations have begun across Canada to “encourage
the active involvement of student, political, trade union, soli-
darity, cultural, sports and peace organizations”’ to attend.

Donations to help this work may be sent to: Preparatory
Committee of Canada, 290 Danforth Ave., Toronto M4K
1N6. Cheques should be made out to “Preparatory Commit-
tee of Canada’.

Demonstrations, visits

Apartheid in the spotlight

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy’s visit to apartheid
South Africa has received heavy western media cover-
age, spotlighting again the inhuman conditions under
which the vast majority of South Africans live.

On invitation from Nobel Prize laureate Bishop Des-
mond Tutu, Kennedy travelled extensively throughout
South Africa, visiting shantytowns and so-called ‘* Black
homelands’’. Everywhere he spoke of the brutality of
the apartheid system, and openly criticized the Reagan
administration’s policy of support for the regime.

Kennedy left the U.S. following weeks of demon-
strations across the country against U.S.-South African
ties. Sponsored by labor, Afro-American, peace, reli-
gious and students groups, the demonstrations which
have taken place daily since November, were marred by
the arrests of several well-known personalities.

The highest profile protests have been taking place
daily at the South African embassy in Washington and its
consulate in New York. In acts of civil disobedience
Congressmen, actors, trade unionists and other oppon-
ents of apartheid, among them such names as Dick Gre-
gory, Representative Parren Mitchell, several Catholic
sisters, Gloria Steinam and tens of other student and
labor leaders have crossed police lines and been
charged. Included in the arrests were members of
Senator Kennedy’s family. San Francisco longshoremen
have also refused to unload cargo from South African
ships.

The Tribune has learned that Kenndy’s visit was well
received by the United Democratic Front (UDF), South
Africa’s largest anti-apartheid coalition, and most demo-
cratic forces inside the country. The tour coincided with
a period of unprecedented struggle in the Black town-
ships.

Many Western reports, however, centered on anti-
Kennedy demonstrations by the Anzania People’s
Organization (AZO), described by the media as the
‘Black consciousness movement”’.

This movement, in fact, played a role during the early
years. However, many of its leaders came to recognize

. the need for struggle through a broad, united front. Many

joined the African National Congress which is the undis-
puted leader of the South African Black majority.
The AZO which led the anti-Kennedy protests, main-

tains that only Blacks can participate in the struggle,
demanding the exclusion of white democrats. Its main
platform has been to oppose the mass democratic organ-
izations such as the UDF and ANC. It has adopted the
political-ideological line of Trotskyism which has been a
cause of disruption in the efforts to organize and
mobilize the people in the strategic objective of over-
throwing apartheid.

The anti-Kennedy protests should be seen in this light
because they served the purpose of the South African
regime and its friends abroad, which is to point to the
“‘disunity”’ of forces opposed to the regime.

Press coverage of Kennedy visiting Winnie Mandela
and his unsuccessful effort to visit ANC leader Nelson
Mandela in prison; the confrontation with Foreign Min-
ister Botha and his meeting with the ANC’s Olive Tambo
in Zambia were overshadowed on North American tele-
vision screens by APO protest footage.

But this visit, to be followed by that of Rev. Jesse
Jackson and the continuing marches against apartheid
and Reagan’s ‘‘constructive engagement” ploy, will
keep the issue before the public.

Senator Edward Kennedy with Winnie Mandela.

| International Focus

a

Tom Morris

| Nothing learned
0 years later

Frontline, a public broad-
| Casting television series aired a
_ One-hour show Jan. 15 from
- Buffalo, N.Y. titled: ‘‘Viet-

nam, Life Under Commu-
nism’’,

; A U.S. camera team, the
| farrator began, spent 55 days
| travelling the land from the
Mountains north to the
| Mekong delta at the southern
| Up. They interviewed officials
and peasants, photographed
_ ©Xtensively and, it appears had
a free hand to probe and
question.
Having visited many of

these sites five years ago co-
vered by the U.S. team, I was
keenly interested in not only
seeing Vietnam again through
the camera’s lens, but also to
hear the U.S. narration.

One thing Vietnam brings
home with great impact: the
years of war, suffering and in-
credible destruction. This was
shown by Frontline. We saw
the legacies: deformed babies,
mutilated children, defoliated
regions, acres of abandoned
war material, the tangle of Ho
Chi Minh City ...

But painfully missing from
the film was any sense of U.S.
responsibility for what we
were watching. No remorse,

no reparations, nothing.
Somehow the Vietnamese
people, heroic against oc-
cupiers and heroic in their in-
dependence, are shown as an
oddity. ‘‘Life is no better today
than it was 10 years ago when
America left’’, the narration
tells us. That would have been
the response had a Nazi film
crew travelled through dev-
astated Europe after the war
and reported to their viewers:
‘‘Look what a mess they’re
in:
It’s a sad and frightening re-
sponse to a U.S. crime of in-
credible scope. It’s part of a
huge effort ‘‘to put Vietnam
behind us’’. It’s what Reagan
means when he = says,
‘‘America is standing tall

ote

again’’.

Picture of
a Reagan pal

The very first place he went
after winning the 1980 elec-
tions was to Washington. His
last trip outside the country?
Washington.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister
Edward Seaga, known at home
as ‘“‘CIAga’’, knows where his
allegiances lie. He was elected
Oct. 31, 1980 after the CIA and
International Monetary Fund
succeeded in destabilizing the
government of former Prime

Minister Michael Manley.

Over 700 people died during.

the campaign by right-wing
violence.

Seaga’s slogan was
““Deliverance’’ — and deliver
he did. Under IMF pressure,
living costs have climbed out
of sight and unemployment as
well. Last week’s riots, fol-
lowing massive gasoline hikes,
show he’s delivering the goods
to U.S. bankers.

Seaga was one of the Reagan
flunkies ‘‘requesting aid”’
which opened the door to the
U.S. invasion of Grenada.
Emboldened, he then called a
snap election using old lists
disenfranchizing the island’s
youth — and won a vote boy-
cotted by every other party.

He’s a “‘leader’’ Reagan
points to when America needs
“‘friends”’ in the region. U.S.
born, Harvard educated, solid
CIA-IMF connections, Rea-
gan’s pal, Seaga knows who’s
boss.

. Then there are the Jamaican
people ...

It’s just
another week...

650,000 hors d’oeuvres for
74 private parties, $1,750
porcelain eagles, Nancy
Reagan wearing an electric-

blue dress by Adolfo, soldiers
carrying shoulder-fired Stinger
anti-aircraft missiles to guard
the president — will all be part
of Reagan’s four-day inaugural
party in Washington starting
Jan. 18. The bash will cost
$10-million.

It’s theme? ‘‘We the peo-
ple ..: an American celebra-
tion’’.

* * *

A new painting was hung at
the U.S. Justice Department
last week along with those of
all former Attorneys General.
It’s of John Mitchell, Nixon’s
former chief law officer who
served 19 months in federal
prison for conspiracy, perjury
and obstruction of justice dur-
ing Watergate.

It’s on the second floor
where the criminal division is
located, says the report.

"80

*‘Sponsor-a-guerrilla’’ dona-
tions are being collected in Los
Angeles ‘among California
Kampucheans which send
some of their number on com-
muter flight to the Thai-Kam-
puchean border. One of them
has made the journey four
times.

It’s just another week in the
Free World.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JANUARY 23, 1985 e 9

sis es PORE