of the Spanish capitalists.
There are of course. big differences inside the workers movement about collaboration between working class and capitalist political organisations. The most important working class parties in Spain the Communist and Socialist Parties argue that this is the best way to win democracy. Revolutionary socialists, and many working class militants, This is a crucial question, for the nuture ortne working class depends upon the rejection of all forms of class collaboration. It would therefore be totally wrong for the opponents of class collaborationist policies to "bury their differences here.
But it is possible for those who disagree even on this crucial question they do agree on. It should not be a condition or unity lor soldarity with the Spanish struggle that one or another view about the best course of the struggle is accepted; support to those fighting in Spain should not be dependent upon their accepting one particular view.
Everyone in the British workers movement should be able to unite to support all struggles and independent organisations of the Spanish working class: both those who support the The organisers of this Saturday's Spanish Conference decided to entitle this gathering a Confer"Left Christian Democrat, Joaquin Ruiz Jimenez, a leader of the Democratic Platform-will he be at conference?
current policies or me socaust and Communist rares and nose wo oppose them.
It is this principle which the delegates to the conference must base them selves on, not the sectarian and splitting course taken by the organisers. This means fighting for the conference to adopt practical measures for building mass solidarity with the Spanish workers:
ine spanisn dictatorsnip.
all maependent oreansarons ortne Spanish workers fighting for free trade •Boycott the dictatorship: force the Labour Government to break all links, and fight for and organise blacking of all trade and communications.
the multi-nationals that exploit workers in both Britain and Spain.
• Popularise the cause of Spanish political prisoners throughout the labour movement.
Delegates to the conterence should work for a clear statement embodying these policies, calling on the TUC, the Labour Party, and trade union executives to follow them, and proposing local labour movement conferences that can take reports-back and begin to mobilise the ranks of the British working class to carry out these tasks.
What kind of solidarity?-pages 10811 Solidarity with the workers of Spain! • Solidarity with all struggles against • Political and material support for mese strIKes Torture • Organise solidarity actions against •Organise a mass national solidarity information Iran. Twenty-one Iranian students are due to go on trial in London on Monday, 16 February. Their 'crime" is to have brought about the displeasure of His Imperial Majesty Shahanshah Aryamehr (King of Kings, Light of the Aryans).
The 21 were arrested last April after peacefully occupying the Iranian Embassy in London as part of an international campaign or protest launcned by the Confederation of Iranian Students following the death of nine prominent Iranian political prisoners believed to have been tortured to death. They were charged with conspiracy to trespass", a serious charge which could result in their being imprisoned in this country or deported to Iran where they would face long term imprisonment and torture.
The murders which sparked off the of extreme repression in Iran. This type of repression has been going on ever since the Shah was brought back to Dower Dy me cam 33 The only trade union organisations which are alowee are mose run by une state, and as in fascist states their task as not to cerene une workers interest. but to keep a close watch on them. Nevertheless there has been a growing number of strikes recently, most of which nave been brutany repressed. A large number of workers have been killed by the army and police during The secret police SAVAK is notorious for its use of torture. Not only -does i use me most barpane memoa. of physical torture against political pris oners, but it aiso resorts to torture or rape of prisoners wives or children in front of them to get 'confessions' or According to Amnesty International, Iran has the highest rate of political executions in the world. Summary trials and execution conducted in secret b military tribunals are a common occ wrence. In the last mont alone twenty one oppositionists have been killed in Apologists for the Iranian dictatorship claim that although the regime may be aumor taran. is using tne on rev enues to develop the country to the The false nature of this argument is clearly shown by the fact that opposition to the regime and general mass discontent have not been declining but increasing. Strikes have increased in number in spite of repression, student unrest has reached such a scale that most of the universities are almost constantly closed, and the armed movements although still small - have withstood all attempts by the regime to crush them PH The Labour Government fully support: this corrupt and repressive regime. Even Mario Soares, the right-wing leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party, couldn't accept the recent executions in silence and signed a protest together with other leading European social democrats. Yet the saDour Government nas remamee completely silent about them.
Nowhere does the Labour Government's commitment to the maintenance of the imperialist system become so obvious as in its relationship with ree imes such as the one in Iran. Under heavy pressure the Labour Government may make gestures of protest about repression in Chile and Spain, but whenever possible it does the reverse Key role The Iranian regime is very important to the imperialist system. Militarily it has been heavily armed to fill the gar left in the Arab-Persian Gulf after the as the protector of huge imperialist -interests in me altemon. It nas cleari shown this reactionary role by its involvement alongside bram in une war ag ainst the liberation movement in Oman.
Huge oil revenues and a cheap labour force guaranteed at gun-point by the regime make Iran a paradise for quick super-profits and contracts for British capitalists. So the Labour Government is only too anxious to have good relations with the Shah and help maintain his regime. Britain is Iran's second largest supplier of arms, and the Labour Government is so anxious to extend its links with the dictatorship that a succession of Labour ministers have been visiune man over me last year. One of the latest of these honoured guests of the snan was tony benn Kut the about scolaboraon with the Shah does not stop at selling arms and trade links. The Labour Government is even wine to neto ure snan reores. nis opponents in unis country. Ine SAVAK is allowed to operate in this country, and intimidate and spy on Iranian students and residents. By allowing the arrest of the 21 the Labour Government has gone one step further and is effectively doing the Shah's Implications The trial of the 21 also has important monatons or democratic rights in this country in that it involves anomer use orme consonaci laws, which were used to jail the Shrew Soury DIcKels and asainst me swNe 14. The victory of the BWNIC defence campaign was an important blow against the conspiracy laws. But the threat of their further use is still there and must be fought now.
Attempts are also being made by the ruling class at the moment to strengthen the law against trespass. An alternative to the introduction of criminal trespass laws would be the extension of the use of the charge of 'conspiracy to trespass This would be a serious weapon of the state against squatters, factory occupa tions in defence of jobs, and student occupations To overseas students and foreign nationals in this country the trial of the 21 represents an attack on their right to engage in political activities without facing the threat of deportation or oth er legal actions.
What is at stake in the trial of 21 is not simply getting the 21 acquitted and ensuring that they do not get deported A victory in the Iranian 21 defence cam Darn would not only ensure us out would also be a blow against the Labour Government's policy of support for the Iranian dictatorship and its use of the conspiracy laws. Above all it would be an important step in building up a long-
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SPANISH WORKERS
ence in Solidarity with the Spanish Working Class'. But they have not taken their own words ser- iously. Their decision to invite representatives of the Democratic Council and Democratic Platform to attend the conference means that they are extending an invitation to self-designated spokesmen
ОБРІКАСТ LAW COLES FREEDOM I Stop British Duvernment s Collaboration With The LA