a

SET FOR MARCH 26

0 | TR TT) TT) IL | ee ae

Giant B.C. peace rallies

fo protest Vietnam war

|

[

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1966

VOL. 27, NO. 11

> 1Q0¢

Stop bombings,

urges U

The U.N, Secretary-General,
U Thant, last Wednesday de-
manded that American bombing
of North Vietnam should stop
and South Vietnam’s National
Liberation Front should be
recognized.

‘U THANT

The demands, made on his be-
half by a U.S, spokesman in New
York, coincided with reports
from Washington that President
Johnson was considering further
escalation of the war, including
the possiblity of bombing Hai-
Phong and other industrial areas
of North Vietnam,

The U.N. spokesman said that
U Thant “is deeply concerned
Over the escalation of fighting
in Vietnam and the mounting

HOW THE

CPR

IS STRANGLING

VANCOUVER’S
PORT
—SEE PAGE 8

Thant

casualties and the destruction
there,

*He feels that any move to.

bring the parties closer to nego-.
tiations must include the follow-
ing:
1, Cessation of bombing of
North Vietnam; ‘
2, A substantial reduction
by all parties of all mili-
tary activities in South Viet-
nam; ~
8, Participation of the Na-
tional Liberation Front in
any discussions for a peace-
ful settlement.”

Last Wednesday, a U.S, Su-
preme Court Justice, Mr, Just-
ice Douglas, told the Middle Ten-
nessee State University that the
U.S. was violating the U.N,
Charter by waging “aggressive
war” in Vietnam, “We are going
to have to conciliate and adjudi-
cate instead of using military
force,” he said,

In Canberra, Australia’s La-
bor Party leader, Arthur Calwell,
called on the government to hold

‘an election or a referendum be-

fore carrying out its decision to
send conscripts to South Vietnam,

Charging the government with
wanting to “send the boys against
their will to die in Vietnam,”
he said the decision was an out-

rage on Australian democracy ~

and something for which the gov-
ernment had no electoral mand-
ate. ; <

He said Australia was involved
in an “unwinable” war in Viet-
ham and that the U.S, had backed
eight tyrannical, oppressive
South Vietnamese governments,
“The West has no standards and
apparently no scruples,” he said,

Meanwhile, the crisis for the
U.S. puppet Ky government in
South Vietnam reached crisis
proportions with large demon-
strations at Da Nang, site ofa
large U,S. base, following the
ouster of Lt,-Gen, Nguyen Chanh
Thi from the military junta which
the U.S, tries to pass off as a
“sovernment’? of South Vietnam,

Plans are underway by many peace organizations in British Columbia to
make the International Day of Protest against the war in Vietnam on March:
26, the biggest demonstration for peace ever held on the Pacific Coast. Called
at the request of peace forces in the U.S., the B.C. demonstrations will centre
in Vancouver and Victoria and will be part of a nation-wide protest which
will centre that day on Ottawa.

The Vancouver march to pro-
test the U.S, war in Vietnam will
gather at City Hall, 12th Ave,
and Cambie St., at 1 p.m, on
Saturday, March 26, The giant
parade is expected to move along
Broadway and across Granville

' Street bridge to the U.S. Consu-

late, Final preparations are
being completed for a rally and
speakers in the downtown area,

Many Vancouver peace groups
have joined forces to make the
Vancouver march a powerful ex-
pression of public sentiment
against the U.S. actions in Viet-
nam, Taking part on the spon-
soring committee are the follow-
ing organizations:

Canadian Campaign for Nu-
clear Disarmament; Fellowship
of Reconciliation; Women’s In-
ternational League for Peace &
Freedom; UBC Vietnam Day
Committee; B.C, Peace Council;
Simon Fraser Committee on
Vietnam; Voice of Women; B.C,
Young Democrats and the Society
of Friends.

Hundreds are also expected to
take part in a Victoria protest

on the same day, The Victoria
Peace Action committee an-
nounced this week that a public
rally will be held on the front
lawn of the Legislature,

The Vancouver Labor Council Tues-
day night endorsed the march next
Saturday to protest the Vietnam war.

Support for the Victoria rally
has already been given by the
Victoria and District Labor
Council; _ Voice of Women, and
the student council of the Uni-
versity of Victoria, Speakers
will include Rev, Marvin D, Ev-
ans, Minister of the Unitarian
Church; William Lawson, a city
social worker; university stu-

dent Kevin Morrison; as well as °

representatives from the NDP

and the Canadian Aid for Viet-.

nam Civilians, A member of the
Voice of Women may also speak,

A spokesman for the Victoria
Peace Action Committee said one
aim of the rally will be to urge
an independent Canadian role in
international affairs and es-
pecially in the Vietnam crisis,

The weekend of March 25-26
will see protests in most Can-
adian centres, The’ highlight of
the protest is expected to be the
national demonsiration in Ottawa
on March 26 when many hundreds
of people are expected to con-
verge on the nation®s capital to
press for peace in Vietnam.

The Ottawa demonstration was
initiated from a conference of
1,000 people in Toronto on Feb-
ruary 19. The following reso-
lution adopted by that conference
is expected to set the tone for
the Ottawa demonstration:

“Whereas the presence of the
United States in Vietnam and its
undeclared war being waged there
constitutes one of the most bla-
tant acts of aggression in recent
history, And

“Whereas the Canadian
government, though donning the
mantle of peacekeeper, has been

guilty of complicity in condoning

these acts;

“This conference goes on rec-
See VIETNAM, pg. 3