IN YOUR report of the NUS conference decision to affiliate 10 CAKI you "Socialist Worker Student Organisation proposed affiliate instead to the loose coalition of Iranian student groups called the Solidarity Campaign.
unis is untrue. twas SWO delegate who moved the main motion including affiliation to CARI, and the defeated SWO amendment called for the ISC addition to CARI.
Having made that (rather substantial) correction it may be of some interest to Socialist Challenge readers to know why we moved that amendment.
We in the SWP and SWSO want a united movement m solidarity with the struggle in Iran. But you don't get that by blinding yourself divisions that exist and glibly proclaiming one organisation to be the solidarity campaign.
Like it or (and we certainly don't the heritage of past factional struggles has left CARI with the support of only one significant tendency (supporters of the Fourth national) among the Iranian left in Britain and depressing legacy of ill-will from the great majority of politically active Iranians in Britain.
Of course some of hostility comes from groups which refuse any co-operation with revisionists and Trotskyists* and hence rule co-operation with virtually any of the British left. There is not much we can do about that apart from patiently argue with individuals and hope that the mass movement will provide an even more powerful argument.
But the groups supporting the Iran Solidarity Campaign are not like this. They actively canvassed and welcomed support from the British left.
We in the SWP felt strongly that their initiative was worth responding to seriously and we think we were proved correct when, demonstration ULL the 9 December they 3-4,000 marched on the biggest demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian struggle held in Britain to date.
Yet Socialist Challenge ignored it. You avoided Socialist Challenge 11 January 1979 page 4 mentioning it Amongst pages coverage on Iran you failed to report it in your subsequent CEO ISSUC And, despite the fact that the organisers specifically invited Iran the IMG to participate in the demonstration, you apparently did not think it worthwhile to sell Socialist Challenge (with a front page on Iran) on a march including over 2,000 Iranians. In doing this, and in in supporters voting against NUS affiliation to ISC, we think you are adding fuel to the sectarian divisions among the Iranian left in Britain.
Of course that does not mean that ISC the campaign. SHOSE limitation you have pointed OUL That is attitude to CARI (its refusal to give them a speaker, etc.) and the we have argued and will argue with them that they are wrong in this.
As for the other criticism you mention, the vague political basis of the think you are off the mark.
ISC has criticised CART's limiting itself to a struggle against repression, and with the Inter- enormous mass struggles possibility of the imminent downfall we think they are right in thinking that a solidarity campaign must go further than this. this Hopefully the • struggle will also do something to heal the sectarian divisions produced by SO 201. out SWP will try to assist in this process by supporting all valid initiatives of solidarity whether they come from ISC, CARI or some other organisation.
That is why we tried to get NUS affiliation to ISC CARI. That supported the ISC stration on 9 December and sent CARI demonstration have following weekend. It would he La help if Socialist Challenge acted likewise.
Forward to demonstration in with the struggle in Iran on 3 February. Though quite what the centre of that solidarity will rapidly moving pace of called, rapidly moving pace mass struggle in Iran!
PETE GOODWIN
International Organiser)
EINDE (SWSO) beforehand.
of YOU solidarity severe sectarian campaign', we increasing Shah's rising mass The SOCIALIST Challenge agrees with the SWP that we want a united movement in solidarity with the struggle in Iran. But Pete Goodwin O'Callaghan wnal sort of sondanty move and ment must be built. clear demon movement must be a long-term, permanently the paign. The mass movement in ULL the Iran will ride over even the most ferocious repression in pursuit objective overthrow of the Shah. united At the same time, without the solidarity Shah, seriously threatened and with it the whole of domination in the Middle East and the Gulf. the imperialists will unrelenting in the efforts, with or without the Shah, to derail (SWP or smash the mass movement. The best assistance we can O'CALLAGHAN render to the Iranian people is to build a broad-based solidarity Socialist Challenge whether that and Einde don't explain intervention, that such a Iran.
organised camthe the ports, capitalism in iran is Iranian people. imperialist So the be equally to this end.
mass meetings begun Solidarity ISH.
Marxist went speaker practices. 5p per InCI White. Horse at PCL, WorKsnoos women recistration. campaign centred on the theme "Imperialist Hands off Iran' — LOnDON IT means today demanding the breaking of all links with the Shah's regime or tomorrow demanding an end to covert against the mass movement in Any such campaign has to be firmly directed towards student and labour movement, to get mass action boycotts embargoes the movement of military equipment, and to win support in general for the struggle of th therefore be camp to all those campaign must forces in the labour movement who are prepared to take action It is possible to take such action now. Solidarity movement speakers have spoken to dockers, been involved in CARI have left because they disagreed this orientation. The writers acknowledge the problems of sectarianism in the Iranian student Unfortunately the Iranian Campaign', ever its other merits, is not immune from this sectarianInits capacity as the organiser of the 9 December excluded CARI and the International Group mobilising committee and then on prevent CARI placards from being carried on the demonstration and a CARI addressins. the We assume that the PULL dissociates itself from these This view of how a solidarity and the ISC should come out firmly in favour of broad-based solidarity move ment aimed at the labour movement, that they actively participate in building CARI, and that any necessary changes to the basis of CARi be put forward at its forthcoming conference.
An impressive degree of unity has been gained in th fight to build the 3. Februar We hope that any bad feeling aroused as a result DATO error reporting the NUS Conference will be dissolved in mobilising maximum possible turn.
STEVEPOTTER [for Editorial Board]