COLIN TALBOT's attack on the Communist Party's anti-racist work (3 August) makes a LICK comments on Gideon Ben-Tovim's recent Marxism Today article which in no way even connect with, let alone relute, argument.
That argument, put very briefly. is that racism distinct levels within British sociery -ideologically- in ігасіні amongst the population, institutionally. education system, the police force. the immigration laws, orpanisationally in racist parties such as the National Front.
None of these fatms of racism emanates purely and simply from the needs of capitalism land may he irrelevant or even those needs): therefore the anti-racist struggle cannot be collapsed into the general class strugale, but requires a developed strategy to attack racism at all three levels.
Talbor throws up his hands in horror ar the idea democratic alliance" against racism. simply because this involve a few "progressive Tories Should we then ants-racist tones wo our move or on our pickets or demonstrations? Shall we stick up notices declaring Socialists only!"?
To say that this concept of a broad alliance leads the CP to drop any policy aimed at mass mobilisation 1o defeat fascium" is cvident nonsense. After lamentable equivocation (shared by the IMG).
throughout the country.
wanting to snide Government to ban NF marches.
bourgeois Ben-Tovim's quite The Choice is white either in the etc.. and seriously Communis Party SORRIE experiences and sloganising. broad alliance will refuse to allow Lane (27 July desired, of 'A PHOTOGRAPH, while recording what has been Anti Nazi League. Party and YCL members have been present in the defence of Brick Lane. and our comrades are working on anti-racist committees and local ANL branches Talbot also attacks the CP for strengthen the Race Relations Act, and for calling on the This is not a reliance on the recognition of the fac that short of the socialist revolution, the only way in which the gains of the anti-racist movement are going to remain gains is brutally obrious realisatic demands on the bourgeois make TRESSIE and state, or you ignore that state. And if you do the latter, no-one outside the various Trotskyist sects will take you The greatest single menir of the that it has entirely handoned the with-one-mighty leaphe was free model of the transition to and is repared to seck more realistic avenues of advance. ones which bear more relation to the meeting of white and Bengali antifascists decided to fool tie massive police presence by publicly announ cing a stay put message (spoken by Holborrowt) whilst privately word of mouth) organising squads of six plus to filter through the back streets This was to ensure that, if the rumoured march by the NF 100k place, at least is would be heckled by regrouping anti-fascists and thus demonstrate against such a moraicboosting, police-prorected strut. Our back street guides were largely Bengali: the marker was saturated by police leven though an incognito presence was maintained there)
As it turned out, the NF nasional mobilisation was so feeble as to make a march derisory. It therefore did not achieve its primary objective morale-boosting maw recapture of Brick Lane.
Sure, it was a police victory, but not Fi was a ruce sight to sec 2-300 coppers plus three hig brass standing like lemons wondering lout loud where the crowd they "guarding" was vanishing to! What it was not was an NE victory - they were humiliated by an even more Nazi League, All were and shill are much needed campaigns, but 1 can' help wondering if they were and are very convement substitutes for what (by our main concern of action should be Now, on the seventh anniversary bE the rebirth of interoment in Ireland, 1 still have hot self-determination round the country, I still have not seen any rock against internmen: concerts, 1 still have not seen any Imperialist marches and concerts Why has it always got to be left to the same few people to do or say anything about what is happening int Ireland? When will we see the people of the Right Rock Against Racism, and the Anti Nazi League stand up for the people of Ireland and demand political sratus for Irish POWs, troops out of Ireland now, and self-desermination for thie Irish people?
Or are we all going to wait another seven years and hope the problem goes away:
were DAVE BISIO (Stirling) FOR A paper whose avowed aint iS ID League.
Revolutionary National Front affiliation of the seen any right to marches going the WSE comrades 'CC to. Work Campaign, піол It should one example.
the degenerate Workers Party lou equate che opposition to AN obvious reasons) with that of the WRP. who for any verbal fireworks ches may have prodored have not lifted a finger in lichting fascism: and with that of These comrades political criticisms of the ANL lead them (wrongly, as we ist to oppose fighting within the ANI. for correct policies. Neverthe Tess, Socialist Press supporters did not appose ANE affiliation in Oxford Labour Pany GMC. and the WSt have participated in and built for major anti-fascist mobilisa be obvious tha revolutionists will on occasion vote the same way as fascists in trade union meetings. For or against the EEC is And suppose a motion was put to a trade union conference CADE Fascists, Comntunists and Trotsky ists from the union and fascists were