On Tuesday a meeting of 500 students at Balliol voted overwhelmingly to occupy the Clarendon building and to ask for the opening of the Prootorial files.
The issues they raised are of central impor tanice in the liver of not only students, but of everyone in Britain.
The assembling, maintaining and use of confidential files on individuals by public bodies and authorities presents a danger which is not Union organisers have been persecuted by blacklisting from as early as the 19th century.
Senator Joe McCarthy, in his paranoid onslaughts on an imaginary enemy in the 1950s, made extensive and devastating use of confidential files culled from University, administrative, police and his own sources. Thousands of persecuted individuals were sacked, denounced and shunned by all, their careers ruined. Many of these files, and much of the information volunteered by unsuspecting individuals for them, was thought to be perfectly harmless-until it was too late.
When the Nazis moved into Europe, they found in some countries censur files detailing religious affiliations; these files enabled them to bring about a near elimination of the Jews in those countries.
But two things have brought new urgency to the situation today.
The confidential files discovered by Warwick students in their recent sit-in made it clear that information far outside the legitimate concer of the authorities was being solicited, collated tight control of a small group of industrialists and administrators: this control was maintained because fundamental administrative decisions ware made outside the democratic bodier responsible. The flies piayed a central part in this.
It thus became clear that, with increasing complexity of organisations and increasing in dustrial pressure to subordinate all activities to commercial and industrial needs, the way in which information was handled created-de facto-a situation in which democracy was totally denied.
Secondly, the advent of jarge computerised storage systems transforms an already danger. our situation. University, Pouce, Social Security, Health and Credit files are being put, all over the country, on the Data Files of large computer complexes. Further, the GPO and ther organisations fully intend to set up a na onal network of data links by means of whic any of these computer complexes may be con nected, and have acoess to files in any other such complex. The date for completion of an initial workabie system is widely forecast for about 1984.
This makes it possible to perform the previously impossible: to execute rapid and effi cient computer searches of all such files; to cor reiate and reveal connections in items as widely disconnected as: contact with "political suspects (over 2,000,000 such records on Special Branch files-NCCL figures); personal (and subjective) assessments of character and attitudes by, say, tutors, headmasters, managers, friends and relations questioned by Police or industrial with benevolent intent, the result would ing tably be the persecution and effective repres sion of minorities and individuals wrongly presured to belong to those minorities In the hands of a dictatorship or light controlling group (such as the one at Warwick), it is an instrument for complete and utter domination, and the total evasion of the Democratic WE ARE LIVING IN A FOOL'S PARADISE IF WE BELIEVE FOR ONE INSTANT IT COULD NOT HAPPEN HERE.
In Greece, Portugal and Spain dictatorships reign. Italian Fascism in already forging anks with the Greek Militarists. In France, 1700 palitical activists are still in prison without trial, and eleven political organisations are outlawed Opporition to Gaullirt repression has been ruthlessiy put down and eliminated. In America, the Parthers, the only effective voice of the Black peopla, are suffering a vicious and deadly campaign of Police persecution. Computerised systems are enabling them to track down and harass Panther Party members, whether or not they are logally justified in doing so.
THE ISSUES RAISED BY THESE FACTS HAD TO BE PRESENTED CLEARLY AND PUBLICLY.
REGARDING ANY CONFIDENTIAL FILES HELD BY ANY PUBLIC BODY AND RELAT. ING 7O ANY INDIVIDUALS: (2) THE INDIVIDUAL MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEE HIS FILES AT ANY TIME AND TO CORRECT THEM WITH REGARD TO THE FACT, OR OMISSION OF FACT. (3) HE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO SH CURE THE DELETION OF ANY ITEN NOT THE LEGITIMATE CONCERN OF THAT BODY (4) HE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORBID ANY PERSON OR GROUP OUTSIDE THE BODY ACCESS TO HIS FILES, AND TO KNOW, WHENEVER HIS FILES ARE USSD WHAT PURPOSE THEY ARE BEING USED.
The occupation continues. Poster making equip ment is in the Clarendon to assist the campaign and inform the public.
ALL EFFORT MUST NOW BE DIRECTED TOWARDS AN EXTENSIVE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE BALLIOL MEETING DEMANDS. HELP AND SUPPORT FOR THE SIT-IN IS URGENTLY NEEDED THERE WILL BE A MASS DEMONSTRA TION DUTSIDE THE CLARENDON BUILD. ING ON SUNDAY AT 2.00. THIS MUST GIVE A CLEAR INDICATION OF THE SUP. PORT FOR THE SIT-IN AND THE ISSUES RAISED. BRING BANNERS.
SOLIDARITY WITH WARWICK STUDENTS SUPPORT THE SIT IN DEMANDS
Crush mperialism Mozam- bique Guinea ngola
Secretary of State' inen, Including of course South Africa, on ter de, And til that cobo thinth one imperialist -of exterminasir care, attenty an important For Africa. wee the Portuguens Portugal had Pation for Portugal in Guibe rate with two-thirds ind Guir ated ibe the success of the much-advertised Cabora Bassa project. (5) Tbid.
THE ROLE OF WESTERN Try ond anything date by other astonit. By the 1950s however the sitation had begun to change. As the agricultural crisis in Portugal became acute, emigration, so endemic pheno- meton of Portuguese sociely, reached new mepowers. Agricultural Crisis Two Negations
Lessons of the Belgian strike. Ernest Mandel say Trade nd collectiv freely. All is for the possible worids has its eg FREES right to ight worker FASTER 'AT" STRIKE sports! They e ight Po-faced than that sees of this strika the JOS leunes Gardes Soci and, a sympathi he Fourth International are:
cruve activity, the sate & think we were buck in the nic royaliss wher potentates in the little world of capital had in to sloep with a dear con they will have made thei teenth-ontury prose HUNGER AND THE POLICE If the miners were confronted undy with and Co, they capital has tar to crack the skulls of their siniang "Tell up of most of the brai comfortably, so you have to de of thie, wick iticacy). Thie andividual, worken perio des of cose it the face if then But they hew a soont weupon -the stength of numbers, the capacity for collective orpacisa. tion, the power of miss sol dacity. REFORMISTS AS STRIKE BREAKERS To conden the workers to go on strike cou by one apsinst capital would doom chem to complcle impotenice. To deny them the right lo access to th factories would tie theim hand and foot. "Law bas a very con sing li means maintain of the capitalists against the order of the exploite the law and order of Our must be Mign ed by capital if it dares to try to Find Major arc er in their own way This The Liege workers have bad thera Fi about Citizen Harmonies? Not = stood at his side at che "Broker onstration of La Lowicre Now hi have the in favou of partic Shout having hy the real emernies of universe is that the strike is detrimental to the interests of the Limbourg cial fielde und endunpering employment This is to clanial argumeut of the boss *The strike as helping my competitors" Accor ding to the sacre lage, we would have to cler clude that the Belzins bos riled Ewe years ago foven the Preach, halian ace slidinty La Uie workars, each worker belo "his" biss, This would set us back a WORKERS DEMOCRACY The day the raak and fid io establish their con wer the unions, the day He epity, the day when bE power are licly, the day when all steps towand rship (mich as bonus backed by the enthush housands of unita acti Find the Limboure stake ill be written in gold letters in too lusy. This was Lie Justory of the enis state
uruguay tupamarus m acuun The Tupamaros, Uruguay's urban guer rillas-came close to looting a Montevideo bank of nearly $1.5 million in their most spectacular raid at the end of last year.
Although the band of nine men and two women did not succeed in getting their hands on the money in the vaults of the French and Italian Bank, they did make off with the account books and confidential documents. There was specalation this material could set off a political-fimancial scandal similar to that which followed their daylight raid a year ago on the Monty Financial Co., when seized documents turned out to be compromising for well-known figures in the country The French and Italian Bank is just emment building On Lee 50, alon mment building. On Dee.
lince. A beil doorman saw throuch the peephole that it was an "Italcable" messenger. He opened the Rincon street door, near the corner of 33rd St, and took out a pencil ten broke in, identifying themselves as to sign the recei information and intelligence police with orders to search the bank, because "bombs have been placed here."
The jailing of four French soldiers for their Nervousness spread among the employees The "police" announced the arrival of experts from the material and armaments service who would help to take apart the explosive devices. The rest of the Tupamaros then entered, making a total of 11. Oue of the "experts" warned the employees: Don't touch anything, please, Do not press any but tons or lift telephone receivers- a bomb might go oft.""
Then the Tupamaros, with the frightened cooperation of some employees. searched the whole bank in a supposed bomb search. In fact, they made sure there was no one else around.
Hall an hour had gone by. A new phase of the operation began. The "messenger with i calm and firm voice, said: "Hands up and keep calm, nothing is going to hap sen to you. We are TupaThey then asked for the papers employees. They called them ad separated thems into two cope, the "unionite" and the One of the Tupamaros asked the treasurer for the keys to the vault, while the Bank's general manager, Franco Beer, watched the scene in astonishment. The treasurer handed over the key, but a second one was needed to get to the money. The second key was in the possession of exchange operalor and Tomal representative Nelson Baracco, who was attending & banquet at the Spanish Club.
A Tupamaros "commission" calmly left the bank and went by car to the Spanish Club some 20 blocks away. It was half pust eight when they got to the Club. They identified themselves to Baracco as police investigators and told him to return at once to the bank hecause the general manager had committed suicide and he had to hand over the keys lo the vaults.
Baracco said he had given the keys to credit chief Hector Brunetto, who was sure to be in his house in the Malvin secfion. As if there was no hurry, the Tupamaros went to Brunetto's house accom panied by Baracco. They then all returned to the bank There wis still another key to be ob tained, however, that of the safe that was inside the vault and which contained about $1.5 million. That key was in the possession of a cashier who was also attending the Spanish Club banquet.
The Tupamuros did not succeed in locating the second key, so they tried to force open the safe. In view of the in possibility of making off with the booty. they calmly searched file cabinets, shelves and drawers, selecting documents that they carried off in burlap socks.
Not everything was locksmith work. While some worked, others explained to the bank employees the purposes and objectives of the National Liberation Movement, actual namo of the Tupamatos. They found that one employee had on his person a large sum of mones from the sales of a store be owned, The frightened man thought that the money was as good as gone, but a Tupamaros assured him: "We don't touch the workers" money." Another employee. Victoria Rey. became very frightened and wa near hysteria. She was at once cared for by the Tupamaros and one of the women accompanied her to the bathroom.
It was 10 p.m. when the group calmly Jeft the hank. They had previously cut the telephones and shut in the 32 em ployees. Once in the street, they called the police to tell them the news, On the walls of the bank they left their sign ture, a live point star with a "T in the middle. The operation was over.
Tbe police questioned the worken hey showed them hundreds of photo graphs and made searches, Thus far all to no avail. The 11 Tupamaros disappeared in the hot Montevideo night.
Juan O. Menedez Prensa Latina
----- pull-quotes -----
FOR THIS REASON the Balliol meeting adop- ted the following statement of principle:
Country, ine conomy ded on liu y other. "Africa is more than a land to be exploit- and a raison d'etre as a power. Without it cd. Africa is for us a moral justification we a great contral nation: with it we antry now in the bands of the PAIGC E Che country are intriese is on the increase