SOLIDARITY MARCH As a result of the recent attack on the Fedayeen in Jordan by the Jordanian military regime, the Spartacus League, together with IMG comrades, decided to hold a demonstration in solidarity with the Fedayeen. The march was planned to start at Speakers Corner. However, the comrades had not long erected their flags and banners (including a Palestinian national flag) *when a large group of Zionists, who had been holding a meeting of their own, began to approach. The Zionists, including highly trained • paramilitary thugs, immediately began to attack our comrades, who were in a minority. Placards and banners were ripped up and leaflets burnt. Already before the S.L. contingent arrived, a Maoist had been beaten up. The demonstration started out and was extremely militant -it had to be since the Zionists followed us all the way from Speakers Corner to Kensington High Street. They were waiting to have another go at us once the demonstration had dispersed. However, prior plans taking this possibility into account had been laid en route and the demonstration succeeded in dispersing into the Underground very rapidly.
This was the first time that a demonstration by the Left had encountered organised resistance on the part of the Zionists, although this has happened before on the Continent. The lessons of the demonstration were that we must be prepared for this type of eventuality in future. This means that we must make plans in advance for efficient stewarding and means of dispersal.
S.L. AT BRIGHTON LOBBY Spartacus League comrades from Glasgow and London went down to Brighton during the TUC Conference to attend the Youth Lobby Spartacus League Broadsheets were sold and a leaflet distributed. While not being opposed to the Lobby as such, the leaflet pointed out that the problems of organising young people into the T.U.s had to be tackled politically and not organisationally. It was incorrect to say that young people had somehow a lower consciousness. Their political consciousness was generally higher-involvement in anti-imperialist campaigns, etc. -and this higher consciousness was one of the factors in their being repelled by the bureaucratised nature of the Unions.
RED EUROPE MOBILISATION During the course of the following month, Spartacus League meetings will take place throughout the country on Red Europe. A list of dates is included here, and exact times and dates will be in the mid-October Mole.
Bristol 12 Oct.
B'ham Aston 13 Oct.
Leicester/Nott'm 14 Oct.
Coventry (2) 15 Oct.
Keele, Stafford 16 Oct York, Hull 21 Oct.
Sheffield 22 Oct Leeds 23 Oct.
Lancaster 2 Nov Glasgow 3 Nov.
Edinburgh, Stirling 4 Nov.
For exact details, write to the Spartacus League, 182 Pentonville Road, London N.I, or phone 01-837 6954 and ask for the S.L On the weekend of October 30/31/1st Nov the S.L. will have a national mobilisation in Mandel debate, a Vietnam demonstration and possibly an anti-racist demonstration. Write to the Centre if you would like to participate.
SPARTACUS LEAGUE SCHOOL ON WORKERS WORK On 18th/19th September, the Spartacus League held its first cadre school for young militants on the problems Marxists face in relation to the working class and the trade unions. Special emphasis was given to how young Marxists could intervene in the day-to-day struggles of the class. Papers were presented on various subjects including Marxism and the Trade Unions, Workers Control, Trade Unions under Neo-Capitalism, and the present conjuncture of the working class movement. The discussion centred around the experiences of militants in various fields. Comrades from Scotland gave us an analysis confronting young militants in relation to apprentices whilst other comrades gave reports on various aspects of the Spartacus Various conclusions can be drawn out of the school. The school helped to clarify the problems involved in intervening in the struggle of the working class and helped to clarify the various confusions many comrades have in this field. As the Spartacus League develops, its work in trade unions and in relation to young workers will become increasingly more important. In the coming months we can expect new attacks by the Tory government on militant trade unionists by use of incomes policy, anti-union legislation and productivity deals. At the same time the role of the bureaucratised unions will be especially important. The role of the GMWI at Pilk ingtons was exposed in the last issue o Red Mole. Now there is news of a fresh struggle about to take place in the ETU against its undemocratic and bureaucratised structure. All these events make it especially important that militants have a clear understanding of these problems. At the same time militants must construct an alternative strategy for fighting the offensive of the government, employers and their lackeys the labour aristocracy (the union bosses and bureaucrats). It is also important to expose those, like Hugh Scanlon and Jack Jones, who put on a left face and so confuse the rank and file For this reason militants must be able to intervene in the struggles of the class and pose transitional demands, and must be able to counter the fake offers of "workers' participation" with a clearly worked-out and developed programme to be able to pose the question of
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London as a preliminary to Red Europe. During the weekend S.L. members will go to the Cliff/