CUBA's twentieth anniversary rally Havana went wild revolutionary child — Nicaragua.
In Nicaragua today buildings still lie in ruins from Somoza's bombs, as he tried to justify his boast: "I'll bring peace if I have to kill every other man in Nicaragua'.
Instead, a new wave of revolt is under wav in Latin America.
cruel dictatorships that imperialism keeps in place throughTwenty ago the revolution changed the face of world politics. It kicked out not just the imperialists, and the dictators, but the capitalists too. The revolution kept its promises to the Cuban people. That is why Western rulers fear it so much.
wave of struggle followed the Cuban tragedy is that at the end of the day. revolution the Cubans stood alone. Fifteen years later we had seen not two. three. many Cubas, but a succession of bloody defeats.
The Cubans were popular heroic. They supported veloped leistance, sians. But they proved unable to give the political lead the Latin American people needed. Their effort went into guerilla movements -even gave his life - bụt they didn't link up with any mass movement. gun in the hand is not enough to fight , The problem organise the people to take up arms.
Moreover the Castroists and their followers did not understand could be relied on and who could not:
'Left' capitalists like the Argentinian Peronists, and left militarists like the Peruvian generals, prepared to fight when their interests were threatened. They ended up doing imperialism's dirty work.
Socialist politicians, like Allende, Ted lo disaster. compromised with the capitalists and generals, even while they got ready for a coup, rather than abandon the 'parliamentary road to socialism'.
Mass workers' parties organising the people to take power themselves could have changed this.
There were tremendous waves of 1964, Chile and Uruguay lor a new Cone came Nazi Stroessner in Paraguay.
In Central America, 'Papa Doc's'.
Salvador, Guatemala aimed sure Santo Domingo in 1965.
Cuban between imperialist
socialist revolution A left nationalist SUCCLOU. compromise bosses. and tellto a coup in 1964 the up huge debts. austerity and repression.
and and de- "terrorists', unlike the Kus- 'hundreds of oppositionists.
the dictatorship, Che Guevara is who were own Chile's He • popular revolt, but they were crushed.
There were military coups in Brazil 1973, and Argentina 1976. The whole Southern military rule, alongsidethe 25-ycar rule of open probut regimes like rights.
Haiti, Honduras, and of course administered repression with US State Department backing. police safe, the US sent marines into the Attempts to run a middle course control and union came to grief. government in Bolivia, set up in 1952 on the back of could longer between workers and Governments run by left militar- union ists, like that in Peru, could not match imperialism'sthirst for profits and ran They had to turn to Now even the 'democratic" government of Colombia is using its fake security law, supposed to be directed to imprison But the tables are turning. In Brazil backbone of secret slate PUBLICMEETING Defend the Nicaraguan Revolution!
Eyewitness report from CLIVETURNBULL Speaker from Nicaraguan Coordinating Committee invited Friday 14 September, 7.30pm Friends Meeting House, Euston Rd, London NW 1 Organised by International Marxist Group police networks in Latin America and of imperialist control, crumbling. There have been strikes in the suburbs of Sao Paolo involving some 200,000 metal workers, demanding not only wage rises democratic trade Riots broke out in Belo Horizonte striking VILI CLIVI 'took' the town and fought it out with Even Pinochet and Argentina's Videla are feeling the pinch.
The trade unions are reorganising. In Chile there is now a permanent co-ordination and campaign for trade union rights, the CODDESH (Committee Defence of Trade Union and Human Rights).
Both are pursuing an active fight against continued attempts to outlaw organisation, and there have been several successful strikes. May Day demonstrations have taken place on two successive years.
Both Bolivia and Peru have been forced to hold show 'elections'. spite of the fixing that went on, the people used the elections to show their disgust with the regimes.
In Peru over 12 per cent of the vote went to the FOCEP, a united front headed by Trotskyist Blanco.
But in Central America the most huge dramatic breakthrough place in Nicaragua.
The sparked off mass protest and action in Dominican Republic.
The new wave of revolt is not just a workers re-run of the last. Imperialism is much weaker. The US got little backing for an invasion of Nicaragua. A second world slump looms.
The working class is moving to the centre of the stage. In Nicaragua a real popular insurrection, above all in the towns, brought down Somoza support.
FOCEP's result in Peru shows that the mass of the people are prepared to back a line of class independence after their experience of military reform• ism.
The new wave challenge to the labour movement. In Aller the emican coup British labour movement realised for the first time that it could also happen here. Our own rulers were strengthened while we were weakened.
This was why such a huge Hugo campaign was built. It was able to room for "hands has taken revolution has Guatemala. altu best way people. movement. being made being harassed were of revolts is a the unions and solidarity Chile No Betrayalof Chile!
No Deals with Pinochet!
Freeall Latin American Political Prisoners!
NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
Sunday 16 September Assemble 1pm Clerkenwell Green (Farringdon tube) Marchto Trafalgar Square Speakers Michael Foot MP; Moss Evans (Gen. Sec., TGWU); Jonathan Dimbleby; a representative of the Chilean people.
Organised by Chile Solidarity Campaign (tel. 01-272 4298) stimulate effective boycott action and win places for some 3000 refugees in when the working class of these countries has a chance to get moving, solidarity is more vital than have gIve the the smallest possibie massive off campaign could show the kind of support thai the workers movement can offer, We should fight for the resources and consciousness built up in the Chile campaign to be turned to the defence of all Latin American peoples to defend the Chilean And we should fight, in the new climate, to set up direct links with class trade struggles in Latin America, to build real working class unity.
The Tory government has created huge new problems for the solidarity Already overtures are to rebuild diplomatic links with Chile. Refugees in Britain who have no right of asylum, are pressure group tactics that used the Labour governent are not cutting much ice any more. We need a mass campaign, which all Latin American movements could co-operate in, involving the Labour Party, for the release of all Latin American political prisoners, for adequate facilities and rights for refugees, and to build everyone the continent of Latin America fighting against repression and exploitation.
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In Brazil, calls for an independent working class party on the model of the Labour Party are winning union