IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

TOIRAN Iranian masses move to centre stage

Socialist Challenge No. 125, 6 December 1979 · p. 5 of the scan · 571 words

The scan: sc-n125-dec-06-1979.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
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page 5 of the scan

THE MEDIA have tried to portray Iran as being in the grip of a fanatical regime more reactionary than even the Shah. The reality is somewhat different.

It' is true that Khomeini launched repression against all those opposing the Islamic Republic.

Lan sels were the nationalities, socialists, also press freedom. But this onslaught couldn't be carried through.

The reason: Islamic alone doesn't feed people and answer their daily needs. And because of the overwhelmingly popular nature of the revolution that overthrew the Shah, there was no social base independent of the masses that Khomeini could lean on.

The Kurdish people beat back the Islamic Revolutionary (Pasdaran), who had to bear the brunt of the fighting because many of the army ranks were unwilling to be involved in repression of the national November Saqqez combined support for embassy occupation for withdrawal of all Pasdaran from Kurdistan and an end to radio and TV censorship of their struggle. Similar solidarity demonstrations occurred in Mahabad, other Kurdish cities.

On 17 November Khomeini was forced television acknowledge that the Kurdish people had been wronged, people in Iran, and promise major economic reconstruction.

The council formed in Kurdistan to coordinate negotiations with the delegation from central government includes the previously.

Kurdish Democratic Party Revolutionary Party of Kurdistan.

Another sign of how the regime has been forced to draw back is the fact that almost all the newspapers and magazines which were banned during the summer, including Trotskyist paper Kargar; been allowed to reappear legally The way in which the struggle for the extradition of the Shah has begun embrace more thoroughgoing anti-imperialist demands can be seen in the slogans raised by some of the workers' contingents who have come to the US embassy in Tehran their solidarity occupiers.

Persian Gulf workers, for example, banner the slogan, permanent struggle against imperialism is the key to the unity of Iranian nationalities'. Car workers from the Khaver plant called for the abolition of all military treaties while demanded nationalisation of all US-controlled holdings.

A similar development was a sit-in on 18 November by more than 4,000 drilling workers in US companies in Ahwaz to demand the creation of a cational drilling company.

On the same day peasants from curside Tehran came to ambassy for the first time. In addition i calling for extradition of the Shah, hey carried banners demanding the ITe the unity aave will come into The main Khomeini's Kurds and other women. and tions can such a test. ideology nationalisation of all land belonging to the US imperialists, the Pahlavi dynasty, and those connected with them. One of their slogans was: Long of the workers, peasants, and oppressed of Iran.' Sooner or later these aspirations conflict plans for an Islamic Republic. But the present mobilisaonly assist class combativity that will be needed in WORKING PEOPLE SHOULD WORKERS IN 1980 ALIST RUN THE COUNTR people.

Although the mast against KHOMEINI has tried to the US occupation rallying point to divert atte his failure to solve many pressing problems facing But it is a doul atilising US regime's faili its refasal to La planned agricultare, education and housing.

*That a government representi y the majority forces of society -workers and peasants government set up to resist the imperialis offensive and act in the real interests Oi the mass of people Iran.

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struggle: demonstration in the kurdish city of

How to deepen the revolution

← INDIASolidarity picket →

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