1,000 arrested after Cairo demonstration : Reaction’s ploy: smash unity About 1,000 Communists and progressives are now under ar- rest in Egypt. The story began on Jan. 1, 1975, when the work- ers of Helwan, major industrial centre, demonstrated in the streets of Cairo for economic de- mands. Some provocative . ac- tions took place. Shops were destroyed, buses and private cars burned. The same day a_ wide-scale campaign of arrests began and a wild attack against the Com- munists and left-wing elements *was launched in certain papers by reactionary writers. The main line of the attack was to accuse the Communists of perpetrating the provocative. actions which was the pretext for arresting hundreds of them. Right-Wing Plot Facts later revealed the false- ness of these accusations and showed the provocative actions were designed by ~ right-wing forces as a prelude for a general offensive aimed at political pow- er. Participants in the demonstra- tion testified that it had ended before any destructive action took place. A small group of people then appeared ‘and began destroying shops (including the Soviet Bookshop in Cairo) and burning cars. Police who filled the streets at that time did not interfere. The scale of arrests (which ex- tended to the city of Alexandria about 200 kilometres from Cairo) ’ showed that the campaign was planned a long time ago and did not happen on the spur of the moment. The: Egyptian progres- sive press (Rose Al-Youssef, Jan. 13, 1975) publicly accused the CIA of committing these provo- cative actions. One recalls the role played by the CIA in Chile, Indonesia and other places. Many progressive writers also The PT regrets that our | _ “national pages did not arrive on | “time for this issue. In their © place we reprint features from © the U.S. Daily World and ® Peoples World. POVO, MFA Tens of thousands of posters like the above have been dis- tributed in Portugal. Designed by Joao Abel Manta, they illus- strate the alliance and the identification between the people and the Armed Forces Movement. The slogan says: 1 “AFM (Armed Forces Move- men) — People; People — LAEM | PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1975—Page 4 recalled the horrible action of burning down_Cairo on January 26, 1952, during the armed strug- gle against British occupation at the Suez Canal zone. On the same day that Cairo was burned, hundreds of Communists and patriots were arrested and the armed struggle frustrated. Six months later, after the July 23, 1952 revolution, official investig- ation proved that that crime was perpetrated by agents of the police and the Royal Palace. The aims of the latest provo- cative actions are similar to those in 1952. In spite of gigan- tic efforts made for some years now, particularly after. the Oc- tober 1973 war, the reactionary - forces have failed to contain the national, patriotic regime and to abolish the progressive achieve- ments hard-won by the people over the past 20 years (national- ization of the main industrial and financial enterprises, free education, social insurance for working people, the agrarian re- form, 7-hour working day, etc.). They failed to divert the course of development to conform to imperialism. Anti-Soviet Weapon Reaction, which holds strong positions in even the state ap- paratus and in top political power, was strongly opposed by the people’s masses: the work- ers, farmers, students and intel- lectuals. During the past months the class struggle was particul- arly acute and all reactionary attempts to seize full power were frustrated. Acute struggle centred around relations with the Soviet Union. Anti-Sovietism and anti-communism flared up. Even army officers were opposed to this dangerous tendency, as a group of them announced this to President Sadat. : It is no accident that this anti-communist campaign was started at this. particular time. It was the last resort for the reactionary forces. Relations with the Soviet Union began to improve after the visit of the Egyptian Foreign and War Ministers to Moscow. President Sadat declared only one day before the arrests that he believed in the importance of friendship with the Soviet Union. He began to realize that U.S, im- perialism was deceiving him. He announced that America was not a friend of ‘the Arabs but of Israel. He confirmed the impor- tance of the public sector and declared adherence to “social- ism.” : Two Opposing Policies Under Israeli threats to launch another aggression, the Com- munists were the champions of a national front to oppose the imperialist-Zionist plans. In the meanwhile, they realized’ that frustrating the reactionary aims was a precondition for liberating the occupied territories and con- tinuing to advance on the non- capitalist way of development. The reactionary forces were well aware that the formation of a national front on -progressive, patriotic lines would deal them a deadly blow. Strong Campaign Launched Progressive writers who were not arrested have launched a strong campaign in many daily and weekly papers against the reactionary plot. They openly connect the ‘arrest of the Com- munists and progressives with’ reactionary attempts to seize complete power and to divert the country from the non-capitalist path of development. These writ- ers strongly demand the release of the arrested people. : It is of paramount importance that a solidarity campaign be launched, demanding their im- mediate release. They include. about 200 workers and trade unionists and hundreds of stud- ents, journalists, lawyers and prominent artists. Many of them have struggled for more than 30 years against British occupation and for soci- alism. They never took up arms except against British _occupa- tion and Israeli aggression. All of the arrested persons stood for . construction and progress and considered friendship with the Soviet Union as a main factor for liberation and progress to socialism. Letters of protest — over Cairo arrests On the heels of the arrest of close to 1,000 Communists and other progressive and demo- cratic individuals, the Central Executive’ Committee of the Communist Party of Canada, ori Feb. 12, sent letters of protest, over the signature of its general secretary, William Kashtan, to Egyptian President Sadat and concerned organizations. The letter to Sadat stated: “We are deeply concerned about the arrest and imprison- ment of close to 1,000 Commun- ists and other progressive and democratic. individuals in Egypt. “Progressive Canadians will find it hard to understand why this action was taken when the real enemy of Egypt and her people is Israeli aggression and annexationism, aided and abetted by U.S. imperialism. “We therefore urge your gov- ernment to put an end to these arrests and ensure the release of those unjustly imprisoned. -Concluding, the Communist Party stated its “solidarity with the just struggle of the Egyp- tian people.” On the same date the Com- munist Party wrote to a number of Egyptian organizations, not- ing the arrests and imprison- ment, and stating that this “is a jast cause of deep concern for progressive Canadians who sup- port the just struggle of the Egyptian people against Israeli annexationism, aided and abet- ted by U.S. imperialism.” Identical letters went to the General Workers’ Federation, the Egyptian Syndicate of Jour- nalists, the Egyptian Students’ Union and the Egyptian Syndic- ate of Lawyers. ~ “We believe such arbitrary and undemocratic measures harm Egyptian national unity and the struggle against Israeli occupation,” the letter said. “It also weakens support for the just struggle of the Arab people among students, workers and in- tellectuals in our country. “We have communicated with President Anwar Sadat on this matter urging the release of all those unjustly imprisoned. We hope his government will give consideration to our request. “We wish to use this oppor- tunity,” the letter said, “to ex- press our solidarity with the just struggle of the Egyptian people.” ‘ has turned down a reciprocal agreement for a representative of that} - nounced the discovery of printing presses and materials of ‘ representative to the talks at a news conference. The Vienna talks, POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED IN SOUTH KOREA 3 SEOUL — A presidential order over the weekend of Feb. 15-10 released almost 200 political prisoners in South Korea. Among} — those freed so far are Kim Chi Ha, the country’s leading poet, who) was imprisoned for his protest poetry; Kim Dong Gil, Dean of Theo) logy at Yonsei University in Seoul; and Pak Hyong Gyu, Protestant) minister who leads the outlawed urban industrial mission. r Speaking at the prison gates to crowds of supporters Kim Dong Gil said that he shall continue to fight for democracy in South Korea. “I am prepared to,come back here for the same reason,” he} said. ; Kim Chi Ha, supporting Gil’s views added that he felt exactly the same as when he was sentenced to a life term in prison last yeal Others who were released over the weekend also refused to give) up their part in the struggle for democracy in the country. The clemency decree, an attempt to buy off the prisoners by giv) — ing them freedom, releases most of the 203 persons arrested last! year for opposition to Park Chung Hee’s regime. It does not covet) these people described as communists or sympathizers. x * — - CANADA TO SEND AMBASSADOR TO PRG, TURNS DOWN RECIPROCAL AGREEMENT a PEKING — ‘Canada has finally appointed an ambassador to thé) — Provisional Revolutionary Government of Free South Vietnam, but] country in Ottawa. More than 17 years after diplomatic relation’ were established with the PRG John Small, Canada’s ambassador to China, went to Hanoi to set up the ambassadorship. Ottawa has) refused to given even qualified recognition toa PRG representativé| ~ because of its recognition of the Thieu regime as the only legitimate) government of South Vietnam. : 5 The only two western governments .who have so far agreed t0 establishment of PRG embassies in their countries are France Sweden. LABOR LEADEDS ARRESTED IN BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO — Police announced the arrest, last week, 0! nine Brazilian labor leaders in the northeastern city of Recife a day after reports on the breaking up of an alleged underground prop3 ganda network of the outlawed Brazilian Communist Party and te two events are believed connected. Arrested persons are charg with carrying out subversive activities. In recent weeks police al” BCP. The Communist Party here announced shortly before the) arrests that the Brazilian military murdered 19 of its members. ~~ EUROPE TROOP FREEZE ASKED AT VIENNA VIENNA — The socialist countries at the Vienna talks on Feb. 13 proposed a freeze on the numbers of troops in Central Europe. proposal was made public by. Radoslav Klein, the Czechoslovak which resumed at the end of January, are on mutual reduction © armed forces and arms in Central Europe. Nineteen countries from East and West Europe, and the U.S. and Canada, are taking part if the talks. ; ’ The Czechoslovak spokesman said: “It now depends on the West ern delegations whether this constructive proposal is carried out and whether the Vienna talks, as a result, are given another im) petus to help get them moving ahead.” U.S. officials opposed the proposal. : The socialist countries’ proposal may have some relation to the) announcement by James R. Schlesinger, U.S. Defense Secretary) that the U.S. will build up its troop strength in West Germany by! about 20,000 men. Schlesinger’s announcement last fall caused #) certain amount of consternation in West Germany. and elsewher®| because it ran directly contrary to the process of detente in Europ®| The socialist countries’ proposal derives great significance from the fact that for countries in Central Europe, it would mean 8 freeze on their national armed forces, while for countries like the U.S., Canada, Britain, etc., which only have parts -of. their arm q forces assigned to Central Europe, it would not popresented any. such national freeze. The countries most directly affected by this proposal would bé) the German Democratic Republic, Poland and Czechoslovakia; Wé Germany would be the only Western state so affected. Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev, Alexei Kosygin and Andrei Gr?” myko (at right), met with British, Prime Minister Harold Wilson, For eign Minister James Callaghan and aides Feb. 13 for five-day so) on the improvement of Soviet-British relations.