eign intereference,

Roundup of world news

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Ketchikan labor unites

KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Fighting labor unity was revealed here in a half-page ad in this city’s daily newspaper calling for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act. The adver- tisement was jointly sponsored by AFL Central Labor Council and CIO Industrial Union Counh- cil.

Pledging unity in the fight “to repeal the fascist-like Taft-Hart- ley Act which was written by the bosses as part of a general plan to break unions and reduce the workers to t's position of slaves,” the statement warned:

“The record of Republican ana Democratic leaders in Congress and the administration of Presi- dent Truman shows that the workers can no longer depend on either party to obtain benefits for the workers.”

Protest fascist releases

ROME—Citywide general strikes and brief work stoppages have marked the recent liberation of former fascist bigwigs from Italian jails. In a number of cases, workers’ demonstrations have forced re-arrest.

The most heated protests were aroused by the release of Carlo Emanuele Basile, former fascist prefect of Genoa whose crimes against civilia s constitute one of the bloodiest pages in the story of Italy’s war liberation.

Basile’s release caused a gen- eral strike in Genoa and drew the: threat of a countrywide gen- eral walkout from Rome _ head- quarters of the General Confed- eration of Labor (CGIL). The CGIL withdrew its threat only when the government aanounced that Basile had been arrested again and would stand re-trial.

The CGIL considered the re- leases important enough to war- rant a special executive comnait- tee session, in which union lead- ers demanded actioa against magistrates who “by their fac- tional spirit render themselves un- worthy of administering justice.”

Key to end Greek war

LONDON—In a letter to the London Times, which appeared recently, Gen. Markos, Greek guerrilla leader, said he would issue a “cease fire” order if full coalition government, including the Communist dominated EAM, is set up in Greece.

Markos stipulated that the broadened government, which he proposed should replace the new Liberal-Populist coalition umder Premier Themistocles Sophoulis, must proclaim the amnesty of- fered by the present government.

The guerrilla leader also asked

that free elections, without for- be granted.

Hoodwinking the UN

CAPETOWN—A_ booklet justi- fying South -Africa’s treatment ef its 8 million native popula- tion is being flown to New York to be presented to every dele gate to the United Nations gen- eral assembly which. last year denounced South. Africa’s. dis- crimination. Photographs bear out.. the booklet’s strong point: white South Africans allow their black countrymen to walk near them on city streets.

The booklet completely ignores

the discriminatory pass laws which prevent natives from moving freely in the cities, toss- es off the mammoth problem of migratory labor with a comment that “it seems to suit the natives fairly well.” By this type of misleading propaganda Smuts’ hopes to hoodwink the UN Assembly and obscure the real state of affairs in. South Africa.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1947

Fascism ‘not a crime’ says Labor minister —

LONDON—Many Britons in and out of Parliament today expressed frank concern at a resurgence of British fascism

almost as open and violent as in 1938 when Sir Oswald

Mosley led his blackshirts through London’s polyglot East End.

Anywhere up to 4,000 fascists and hecklers have been gathering Sundays in the Bethnal Green district of the East End., Advocacy of anti-Semitism by speakers is as virulent as anything invented by the late Josef Goebbels. In the last few

weeks, communists have been

challenging the fascist speak-

ers and fist fights are frequent. Police have intervened for the first time to close a meeting held under the aegis off the “League of Ex-Service-

men.” Hitherto the police have concentrated mainly on squelching hecklers. But this time they had to call reinforcements including mounted police when a_ free-for- all involving 2,000 people threat- ened.

Six persors—five men and a woman—were arrested.

What worries officials most is how fascism got started again so strongly and so swiftly after ou war intended to stamp it out. Sir Oswald’s British Union of Fascists has been dissolved but its elements are now apparently gravitating toward a common centre whose mission is to study the works of Sir Oswald himself.

One known factor is that some of the more promizent fascists, those detained during the war as potential menaces, are back. at the old stand again. Admiral Sir Barry Domville for example, has just pubiished a book, “From ‘Ad- miral to Cabin Boy,” in which he attributes Britain’s troubles’ to “Judmas”’—Jews and Masons. “Judmas,” he declares, controls everything, including the news- papers, and forced the war on Hitler (whom he compares favor- ably with Napoleon).

The Sunday newspaper, the Peo- ple (circulation 4,500,000), cameu the admiral’s book, which sells for $2.50, to the attention of Home Secretary Chuter Ede.

Ede, who is responsible for internal affairs, said that he is closely watching the fascist re- naissance, but can do nothing until they break a law, since being a fascist is. not in itself a crime.

He is under pressure by mem- bers of parliament and by news- papers to take some action be- fore fascism gets any stronger. Woodrow Wyatt, M.P., reported that at a Bethnal Green meeting he heard a speaker, unmolested by police, recommend taking “whole Jewish families in Palestine and shoot them against a wall and do the same to Jewish families here.”

_ The 8,800,000 circulation Daily

Express said Ede’s tolerance of the fascists was “democracy gone crazy.”

“One of the difficulties of deal ing with the matter,” Ede said, “is that of defining fascism in terms which do not include other schools of political thought.”

q Clark’s list.

He added he may have to ask for additional powers if he is to deal with fascism.

Other members of parliament, including Tom Driberg, Labor, and Brigadier Christopher Peto, Core servative, have also asked Ede what are his intentions. Peto was particularly exercised about ‘t‘he League of Christian Reformers” which treasures a $2,000 bust , of Hitler and has declared the late Fuehrer to be “the divine in- strument.”

There again Ede said no law

was being broken.

’ Replying to the demands of numerous London newspapers that the Attlee Labor govern- ment take steps to quell the menacing growth of fascism in Britain, Home Secretary Chuter Ede said: “The government could not suppress fascist meet- ings, organiations or publica- tions, without violating the fundamental freedoms of de- mocracy.”

Racist, anti-labor

groups not on list

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Tom Clark is working personally on the list of so-called subversive organizations to which un- ion officers may not belong if they sign affidavits as- serting their loyalty to the U.S. government.

Under the Taft-Hartley law no officer of a union may belong to one of the proscribed organizations if the union is to get recog- nition before the National ' Labor Relations Board.

The Clark list, expected to include largely left-wing groups, will also be used as a measuring rod for the loyalty of all govern- ment employees under the Truman purge program. ,

Reporters on the govern- ment beat and Washington newspapers have not men- tioned the_ possibility of inclusion of anti-labor and race hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan in

? .

Back to internment

The last of the ‘Exodus 1947’ Jewish refugees forcibly disem barked from three British ships at Hamburg, now interned in the

Poppendorf camp, Tear-gassed, bleeding and battered,

4,400 of

these hapless refugees were held aboard ship, and then under ; orders of the British government interned in Germany. Picture shows British troops carrying struggling Jewish refugees from the hold of the transport ship ‘Runnymede Park.’ .

Black market prices

ispark Italian strikes =.

ROME—Though some foreign correspondents and eve?

government spokesmen try to

toss off the current eutbrea

of strikes in Italy as “political and ‘“Communist-inspite’y this country is bound to remain a hotbed of unrest unless

real economic roots of the trouble are recognized a.d dealt with. The American press, according to reports here, says that the strike wave is part of a leftwing campaign to unseat Premier Al- cide de Gasperi’s government. To this a striker might well answer that the people are ‘certainly against a government which, through its own failure to *act, cannot get the people enough to

Phoney concept of ‘free speech’ helps promote British fascism

By ARTHUR LONG

LONDON—In this city which still shows the scars of Hitler’s bombs, street clashes involving fascist hooligans are becoming regular weekend events. There is open anti-Sem-

wald Mosley, former head of the British Union of Fascists.

is heard again. These events are not merely outbreaks of anti- Semitic feeling aggravated by the news of terrorism in Palestine. They are a symptom of the re- vival of fascist activity which has been gathering momentum ever since the end of the war.

According to a resolution adopt- ed by the recent convention of the British Trades Union Con- gress, the problem is not being dealt with because, of the Labor government’s mechanical _ insis-

tence upon “the right of free speech.” The TUC, in one of the few resolutions passed criticizing Labor government policies, de- manded that immediate, effec- tive steps be taken to silence the fascists.

One of the first results of the victory over German fascism was the release of British fascists.

‘\itic incitement from public platforms. Organized bands chant in unison the name of Os-

Even the Horst Wessel song

In May 1945 the government an- nulled a wartime order and freed Mosley—jailed during the war as ‘a menace to the Allied cause— from all restrictions.

The fascists not only regain- ed their freedom. They were given intact all their files, party records and lists of subscribers to prewar fascist publications.

At first the fascists moved slowly. They concentrated on sup- porting already-existing organiza- tions such as the so-called League of ex-Service Men and Women which had been preaching anti- Semitism in Hyde Park even in late 1944.

In December, 1945, Mosley ap- parently considered the time ripe for a full fledged comeback. He announced the opening of a pub- lishing house to advance his fas-

cist program and made his first public appearance in London. “British prisons and concentration camps have only served to strengthen my ideas,’ he told his audience.

Uncurbed by the government, Mosley received his only setback at the hands of a group of printers employed by the Lon- don firm which had cortracted to handle Mosley’s publications. The printers flatly refused to touch the copy.

The TUC resolution—passed de- spite arguments from top TUC officials. that the government has the situation in hand—shows the British people have not for- gotten that Belsen and Coven- try had their origins in the kind of hooliganism that their gov- ernment now dismisses so light- ly.

eat at reasonable prices. fit strikers’ demands are not P0 cal; they insist that the bees rise in prices be halted and black market stamped out. ste Far from defying the BOy od ment, the General Confeder@ de- of Labor (CGIL) offered # tailed memorandum to dé 7) peri’s cabinet on methods to ous bat inflation. After four Wiig of fruitless attempt to get se joe consideration of its sugs’ og the CGIL sponsored @ series mass meetiogs and demonst™ to protest the high oe of i The CGIL prop other things that industrialist be compelled to distribute sae established quota of shoes cote tiles and essential foods at tio? trolled prices; that produ gov costs be supervised by the and ernment and that workers consumers be drawn into P control machinery. work The strike of agricultural je ers in the north for unio |” pe nition and wage increase’ -, of ing prolonged partly becaus atth the government’s offha? : tude toward the six-millioP labor organiation. . feeling they will be by the government, fused to negotiate. Already there are 2,300,000 Be employed in Italy. In 5 1 day period from August tw 15 alone food costs ToS? per? percent. Even those news PAF jo which customarily Gasperi to the hilt have to question his policies. Momento: “Although St summer the situation 16 the grave. What will happem_”” had winter? We have already igo occasion to point out th neil of the government's a to measures have contrib’ ato” worsening the price si conser Even the organ of the “Tialy'# eration of Industrialist “io CMA, hits de Gaspert’s lack of any harmonle ee orderly economic pla®-

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