In Coylornow Sri Lanka), special new laws have been passed since the uprising of April, 1971. These have the dual purpose of enabling the Goverment to convier those political prisoners whom it cannot tehabilitate our of their opposition, and of preventing militant ing to a point of open class confrontation with the Government.
The laws of which the most notable are the Criminal Justice Commissions Act, the Interpretation (Amendments) Act, and the Press. Couneil Act - were passed hy Mrs. BandariAr the same time there are massive queues for staple food items, prices of essential commodi ties continue to soar. the rupee is worth next to nothing: and the International Monetary Fund and Wodd Bank lay down more and more direct result of this popular frantism, there crippling conditions as the busis for furthet loans to the Coverment. The loans, to fulfil these conditions, and spent principally on ex(polive, anted fores, intelligence services at Note: (police, arsed forces, intelligence services) of Strikes demonstrations, public meetings, pickunder the Emergency Regulations in force since March 1971, There are concrete and bitter lessons to he learnt Repression: Today's Experience in Ceylon and from the experience through which the Stalinist CP and the opportunist LSSP have led the work- column on the back page. ing class and the tural poor, as well as the Tamil minority, over the last period. Today, as a remain thousands of political prisoners, mainly youth, interned without trial in prison camps, jails, and forced labour camps all over Ceylon.
A special Bulietin, contining a detailed analysis of the three years of coalition rule, is available from the Ceylon Solidarity Campaign, 9 Dennington Park Mansions, London, N.W.S. The CSC is holling a public meeting in London on Friday. 20 July, on Legal Reformn as an Instrament of Ireland.' Details can be found in the "What's On' Red Weekly 13 July 1973 Page 7
World-wide support is growing rapidly for the French section of the Fourth International, the Communist League, dissolved on 28 June by the French government for its militant anti-fascist activity.
In Paris a. mass meeting to protest the attack on the League took place on Wednesday 4 July, organised by the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, and the two main trade union federations. Fifteen hundred people packed into the Winter Circus, and a further crowd of 6000 gathered outside the hall to hear the speeches relayed by loudspeaker. Unfortunately the organisers would not allow any representative of the former Communist League to speak at this meeting. Clearly some organisations of the traditional French lett still retain far too many aspects of their past history of sectarianism towards the organisations of the revolutionary left. A statement has also been circulated in the French press calling for the lifting of the ban on the Communist League and the immediate release of jailed. League leaders Alain Krivine and Pierre Rousset. The statement further calls for the setting up of a national committée, on the basis of this appeal, to take up the struggle and put a stop to the repression."
The signatories include more than 400 prominent French intellectuals and public figures, Actions in support of the League have been organised by members and supporters of the Fourth International in Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Treland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In Germany a demonstration in support of the League in Karlsruhe, backed by the largust organsation of the German far-left.
the Macist KPD, drew close to 4000.
In Ireland, representatives from both the Official and Provisional wings of the Republican movement were aLigue Communiste banner leads off march in London lest Saturday, mong speakers at a meeting of over 100 organised by the RMG in Dubin on Monday night.
Here in Britain, almost 700 demonstrators marched in solidarity behind the banner of the Communist League to the French embassy on Saturday. Called by the International Marxist Group, British section of the Fourth International, the demonstration was actively supported by most of the organisations of the revolutionary left in Britain. The Communist Party sent a speaker to the demonstration, but unfortunately did not mobilise a contingent. A picket was abo organised by the IMG in Glasgow on the same day.
A statement is being circulated among Labour MPs, prominent trade unionists, Intellectuals etc. protesting a gainst the ban. It has been signed by a number of Labour MPs including Michacl Foot and Eric Heffer. The latest signatory is theatre critic and producer Kenneth Tynan. A mass petition in solidarity with the League is also being circulated across the country, Solidarity meetings arc planned for a number of large citics, and several local demonstrations will also be organised. The first of these will take place in Liverpool on Satur day, 21 July.
We would urge everyone concerned with the fight of the working class in Britain to get involved in this campaign of international solidarity with the Communist Lengue. Donations roquests for petition forms, as well as extra copies of the supplement published in our last issue, can be obtained by writing tor Communis: League Defence, c/o 182 Pentonville Road, London, N.J The London Comhoirle Ceantair of Sinn Fein [Kavin St.) has called on all Irish organisations in England and inft-wing groups active on the Irish issue to form an ad hoc committee to organise a united demonstra tion in London next month on the anniver sary of the introduction of internment in Auguet 1971.
A meeting to form the committee will be hald in the Lord Palmerston in Kilburn High Road next Monday. Support is expe ted from such organisations as the AntiInternment League, the Belfast 10 Defence Committee and People's Democracy.
Members and supporters of Gay Liberation were punched by the maneger of the Grea Northern Hotel best Saturday, when they picketed the pub in protest against its refu sal to serve homosexuals. The manager then called the police, who arrested two demon strators for obetruction!
The pickets will continur, however, unti the pub, owned by Henekey Inns, a subsid lary of Trust Houses-Forte, stops excludin gays from what has previously been dine of the meeting places of the gay commonit) in Leeds. Leeds GLF are asking for support fra mall the left groups, support noticiably lacking up till now. The only way the po icy of the manegement and Henekey's wil he changed is by hitting them where it hurts - in their pockets.
Roaders will remember the scandal of Thieu's Tiger Cage' prisone on Con Son prison island. The result of that sandel wa that the cages were rebuilt by an America company on an even smaller scale The company was Brown & Root Inc, and it European head office can be found at B2 Pall Mall, London S.W.1.
To highight this aspect of the situation i Vietnam, the Indochina Solidarity Confe enes is holding a demonstration at 12.3 on Saturday, 21 July, outside this office Relesa the prisoners from Uncle Sam's Tiger Cagesi Be tharal Irish Civil Rights Association