We can imagine the scene. The courtroom will be heavily guarded. Special contingents of police will be brought in from throughout the North-West to seal off this small provincial town. to stop and picketing last summer appear in a Shrewsbury court.
All this just for live workers? The capitalist legal system does usually honour its working class defendants with such a display of might (unless they happen to be Irish).
NOT ALONE But although the five may be in the dock alone, they are not in Shrews bury alone. Delegations of workers from all over the COLLIES arE demonstrating outside the court. This Is the reason for the massive concentration of police. These demonstrations are the beginning of movement by important sections of the working class, alerted to the danger of increasing state attacks of pickets.
In a letter received by Red Weekly. trade unionists in Rotherham and Sheffield explain the political issues Involved and the sort of initiatives they are taking in defence of the CAMPAIGN Shrewsbury workers:
Last summer, when the forces of the state attacked trade TUTES ERESTLE BITT wasn't with some law dragged up from the last century. No. last scarch all vehicles entering, and to ring the courthouse in a massive display of force.
summer they had their brand new Industral Kolabuns ALL Uno mac niticent response from militants throughout the country secured TENDIHE Five. Now. the government has been forced to put the Act on sco - is lust too dicey to use st the moment But just wait if they monacocostulat sneewsbury with ibe 1875 Joh they Il be back with their 1972 Act soober rather than later.
We in Sheffield and Rotherhom have fosmed 1 committee, with delegates from local branches of UCATT, TAGWU and AUEW Kotherham Trades Council and from shop sewards commitices We have held collections, public meetings and we have organised s couch to joim tho mass picket outside the courtroom on May 18th This is only stall beginning but support is picking up.
This example must be followed by workers in other localities. The remaining defendants come up in court on 15 June, and after that, If massive face the repressive machine of the mobilisations fail to get the charges dropped, they will go on to the Crown Court. The campaign must therefore be continued and extended. Because the UCATT and T&G leaders have refused to finance the defence. workers throughout the country mint take on the task of raising the necessary money. Not only has the trade union bureaucracy completely failed to mobilise support UCATI leadership has oven issued a circular instructing its branches to ignore the case.
Shrewsbury is of vital concern to all workers because if legal precedents are set in this case they will be insed against other pickets. This is particuTarly the case in the building trade, where picketing is an essential part of the fight against the lump. Already the London Joint Sites Committee has decided lo build a lor the defence pocketing.
Successful defence of the Shrowsbury 24 and preparations for the defence of picket Ines an localities are essential. We must make sure that in future no worker has to capitalist state alone.