when was going to be a bizarre affair.
Trotskyist alongside our latter-day Palmerston.
who are now trying to undermine the regime.
ine area.
LOONIES government [such as equal rights for women].
circles.
chance for "stability" in the region against workers' power in central Asia.
and Is happy all the more pressing.
LABOUR MPs opposed the delegation led by fire. And Owens mervice outburst of anger from the Labour left.
trading and diplomatic relations with the Shah.
support from trade unions.
industry against trade and economic links.
100 per cent support in that task.
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Delete if not applicable] NAME ADDRESS Send to Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St, London N1. FOREIGN SECRETARY, you have a reputation as someone who is deeply concerned about human rights.' From the moment the former Labour member for Ladywood uttered these sycophantic words, it was clear that the Weekend World interview But who could have guessed how bizarre? By the end the right-wing renegade Brian Walden was looking like a raving For those who missed this statesmanlike occasion, 'Owen's argument went roughly as follows: the Shah is a decent chap who has been trying to liberalise and modernise Iran for 20 years. OK, there have been human rights problems [though far less than people claim] but the Shah has listened very carefully to what I had to say and all that has changed now. These highly progressive moves by the Shah have provoked all sorts of reactionary elements Yes, they were British tanks crushing demonstrators but that's fair enough: You have to decide if you help your friends. And you can't just go on hedging your bets. Afghanistan and Pakistan are unstable, so who but the Shah is going to defend British interests in The Shah would be replaced by Moslem loonies who would in turn be replaced by Commie loonies and terrorists, all of whom would remove civil rights beloved of the Shah and the Labour The Foreign Office has denied rumours that David Owen has been booked for the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show One's first reaction is that the good doctor has lost his marbles. But think about it: the man has committed the cardinal sin for a Labour Minister. He is telling the truth [or what passes for it in FO Vot about human rights or the character of the opposition evidently. But it is true that the Shah is 'our' friend — if by 'our you mean British imperialist. It is true that he presents the only and hence the safety of oil from the Gulf and the extensive British economic interests. It is true that he is also 'our" friend in that he buys large quantities of 'our' military hardware. It is also true, as Owen pointed out, that that hardware was used to crush opposition on the streets. And it is true that the Shah is potentially the last bastion Given all this, it should be more clear than ever where we stand. The fact that British imperialism is behind the Shah to the last ditch admit it internationalist duty of solidarity with the Iranian people becomes To their credit, there are Labour MPs who have consistently government's record on Iran. Only this week, a evidence on the Black Friday massacre and the Abadan cinema Russell Kerr returned from Iran with new was greeted with an admirable The trouble is that we have heard these sort of displays only too often and they are followed up by...precisely nothing.
Verbal fireworks in the House are not enough [though we hope there will be some of them as well]. The point is how to take the campaign on Iran out into the labour movement, to stop arms, The potential is there. Few people are taken in by Owen's apologetics. There are many Iranian students in Britain who are only too ready to campaign against the Shah. And bodies like the Committee Against Repression in Iran [CARI] have broad paper What is needed now is action: against SAVAK presence in Britain, against diplomatic contacts with Iran, and above all in framework and perspectives to develop such activity. It deserves CARI, which has an excellent campaigning record, Socialist Challenge 26 October 1978 page 2 FREEDOM POLICE BRUTALITY cops came back and said: "We're really going to do you" *They got a stack of salt and rubbed it into the wound.' ..they put my head into a sink full of water and cut my hair."
After that one of them got a razor blade and one had a pot of salt. They cut my hand with • little tiny cuts, you can't even see it. Then they just got a stack of salt and they put t in my hand into the wound It hurt and I cried. Then they got me to the sink and they put my head into a sink full of water and they cut my hair.
confronting opposition -women. just for cannabis. Now we got
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