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“We will build again .. . to show our anger and our defiance of this fascist act. And we will call on all democrats all across Canada to condemn this attack by helping us rebuild.”

Just two days before, in the early hours of June 24, the Communist Party’s central headquarters at 24 Cecil St., Toronto, had been burnt to the ground in acarefully planned attack. :

Thursday evening as several hundred Communist Party members from Greater Vancouver assembled at the Ukrainian Hall in East Vancouver to hear the news of the attack on the headquarters, known as the Bethune Centre, their anger was apparent.

And they responded to the call of Communist party central commit- tee representative Oscar Kogan to display their anger with a commit- ment to rebuild the centre. by donating $20,000 to the rebuilding fund.

Kogan, a York alderman and chairman of the campaign commit- tee which had been raising $300,000 to transform the Bethune Centre into the Tim Buck-Norman Bethune Educational Centre had flown to B.C. for the meeting to br- ing the news of the attack on the headquarters and to outline the plans for the campaign to rebuild.

“Tt was a fascist attack,” Kogan told the emotion packed meeting, “a fascist attack inspired by the new cold war and the ‘dirty tricksters’- It must not go

wered.”” :

An eyewitness, a neighbor to the rear of the building, saw. two men run out of the building from a se- cond floor fire escape, Kogan

eported. Moments later as the two aa into 8 re car, the

*14ing exploded in flames. as ook the Tribune reported in error that incendiary bombs were hurled into the building. In

4 Ft

TIM BUCK — NORMAN BETHUNE EDUCATIONAL CENTRE...as it would have looked after completion of the renovation project.

Special appeal

The fascist attack on the Tim Buck-Norman Bethune Education Centre at 24 Cecil St., Toronto, is an attack against the whole labor and democratic movement. —

We are determined to rebuild this monument to two great Canadians. »

In B.C., for more informa- tion about the campaign to rebuild the Tim Buck- Norman Bethune Educa- tional Centre, or to make a personal donation, contact Betty Griffin, c/o 408 - 193 E. Hastings, Van.,. B.C. V6A 1N7, 684-4321.

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mocrats’ i

ll rebuild after

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More than 70 Toronto firemen ba

ttled blaze at the 100-year-old

Bethune House, 24 Cecil St., Toronto. Eyewitness Tereza Gyivicsan reported seeing two men run from the building at about 3:45 a.m. June 24. Moments later the heritage building exploded into flames.

Soe arsonists were inside the and._set.the whole and third floors Spice) sone

It took 22 minutes for the Toronto fire department to arrive, but by that time there was nothing left. “‘This wasn’t the work of amateurs. It was professionally done,’’ Kogan stated.

Fortunately, the building stood empty at the time of the attack. All files and furniture had been remov- ed for the renovation project which had begun two weeks earlier and a decision to have a night watchman on the site was to be implemented the following day. If someone had been in the building, it is doubtful they would have gotten out, Kogan said.

The party membership and sup- porters, and many with no connec- tion to the party, were outraged by the attack, he said. When building trades workers arrived on the site to continue the renovation, they broke into tears. By 8 a.m. more than 100 party members had assembled outside the razed

_building. One person attempted to pick up a brick, but was blocked by

a policeman. ‘‘You’ll have to pay

the rebuilding fund for that,’ he said. The famous wall mural by Com- munist artist. Avrom Yanovsky depicting Norman Bethune and the Spanish civil war was miraculously spared in the fire and was literally hauled from the ashes Tuesday

afternoon, still in the plastic in Which. it had. been. wrapped. after being removed from the wall of the main hall.

“It is a good omen for us because Avrom depicted Bethune and the Spanish people’s fight against fascism,” said CP general secretary Bill Kashtan. ‘That pain- ting is highly symbolic and will hang in our centre once again.”

The CP leadership regards the arson as a right wing attack aimed at the entire labor and progressive

_M™ovement, and the entire pro- gressive movement, and all

democrats across the country, will ©

be asked to respond, Kogan reported. :

Appeals were immediately sent to trade unions, ethnic and com- munity organizations in the Toron- to area, and delegations have been dispatched to each of the six municipalities in Metropolitan Toronto to request each council to Pass a resolution condemning the attack, and to give financial sup- port to the rebuilding fund.

The original target of $300,000 to renovate the Bethune Centre will have to be revised upwards now, he said. The original plans had called for the renovation of the interior of the building, and the addition of a new wing, while preserving the ex- terior of the building. The Bethune Centre had been declared a heritage building by the city of Toronto.

To build from the ground up will

To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter

The African National Congress | invites you to an evening of film about Southern Africa Canadian Memorial Church

1811 W. 16th Ave., Vancouver 7 p.m. — Thursday, July 10

KE PHILLIPS

cost more, Kogan said. Although plans for a new building had not yet been commissioned, it was agreed that the new building must be more secure, built of concrete and steel, and that at least the front of the building would be a replica of the destroyed building, he added.

The rebuilding fund will require at least $600,000 he estimated.

The new building will retain the name which the renovated Bethune Centre was to assume, the Tim Buck - Norman Bethune Educa- tional Centre. And as in the Original plans it will house both the central committee of the Com- munist Party and the Norman Bethune School of Social Science. The latter will include a Marxist reference library which will be available for public use. “It will be the finest Marxist library in Canada,”’ Kogan said.

Donations of all sizes are

welcome, he said, although those

who donate $1,000 or more will be enrolled on an honor wall which will be a permanent feature of the new building.

Before Kogan left Toronto, already $125,000 had been pledged to the fund. Leading the way were

~ g members of the party’s central ex- - 2 ecutive — William Kashtan, John w Bizzell, Alfred Dewhurst, Bill 2 Stewart, Val Bjarnason and Bruce © Magnuson — who, together with

their spouses, each pledged $1,000.

Other individuals had come for- ward with donations of $1,500, $2,000 and $2,500; two, in- dividuals, Marge Ferguson, and the recently deceased Jessie Jackson, had contributed $20,000 The campaign for the Buck—Bethune Centrein B.C. will be headed by Communist Party

arson attack

OSCAR KOGAN...called on B.C. CP and supporters to make a commitment to rebuilding fund “in defiance of this fascist act.”

provincial executive member Betty Griffin. Griffin told the CP membership meeting that the first two donations from B.C. were $1,000 donation from Emil and Gladise Bjarnason and $200 from J. Sedgewick of Victoria.

The campaign is for three years, and donors are being asked to make pledges based on what they a give over that entire period, she said.

“B.C. won’t be found lacking in the spirit needed to raise the money to rebuild a centre which will be of permanent service to the labor and progressive movement all across Canada,”’ she said.

In the appeal that followed, that spirit and more was demonstrated as hands raised to offer donations of as low as $200 and as high as

~ $3,000 — from Bill Mozdir of Van-”

couver — to bring the total from the initial appeal in B.C. to over $20,000.

_CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

COMING EVENTS

JULY 8 — _ B.C. Peace Council meets 7:30 p.m. Public library, Bur- rard & Robson. Slides of Vietnam today.

JULY 10 — The African National Congress (ANC) invites you to an evening of film about Southern Africa, Canadian Memorial bidg. 1811 W. 16th., Van. at 7 p.m.

JULY 27 — Association Annual Picnic, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Barnett Marine Park (North Burnaby). Salmon & ham- burger bake. $3.50 per meal (children $1.75). Games, contests, musical entertainment, refreshments. All welcome. Bring your frisbees & soccer balls.

JULY 27 — Hold this date for an- nual Cuban Garden Party.

AUG. 17 — Annual East Fraser Valley Region CPC Picnic, Sampo Hall, Websters Corners. Proceeds to Buck-Bethune Bldg. Fund. Adm. $4; children under 10 — $2. From 1 p.m. on. Dinner, refreshments, games.

AUG. 17 — Keep this date open. COPE annual Garden Party, 2 p.m. Rankin’s place, 3570 Hull St., Van. Bazaar and handicrafts, music and food. Donations for bazaar needed. Phone Jonnie 872-2128.

COMMERCIAL

FOR SALE 1977 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, loaded, trailer package, $4,900 or best offer. Phone 536-8825.

Burnaby Citizens’ ~

LOST Nikkormat camera at Russian Hall, June 28. Phone 873-5969.

ELECTRICAL, plumbing, appli- ance repairs. Don Berg. 255-7287.

ROOF REPAIRS — Reasonable. New roofs and alum. gutters, 277-1364 or 277-3352.

RON SOSTAD. Writer, research- er. Will do: essays, letters, manu- scripts, labor and civic projects, la- bor journalism. 688-3709.

WANTED TO RENT

WOMAN and 8 mos. old baby need one or 2-bed house or suite before July 31. Please call 437-0471 (day) or 254-2630 (evening).

LEGAL SERVICES

Rankin, Stone, McMurray, Bar- risters and Solicitors. 500 Ford Building, 193 East Hastings St., Vancouver 682-7471.

CONNIE FOGAL, lawyer, #8 — Gaoler’s Mews, Vancouver (Gas- town), B.C. 687-0588.

HALLS FOR RENT

RUSSIAN PEOPLE’S HOME — Available for rentals. For reserva- tions phone 254-3430.

WEBSTERS CORNERS HALL —

Available for banquets, meetings, - etc. For rates: Ozzie, 325-4171 or

685-5836.

UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CUL- TURAL CENTRE —. 805. East Pender St., Vancouver. Available for banquets, weddings, meetings. Ph. 254-3436.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 4, 1980—Page 7