Following the attack by members of the maoist Communist Party of Eng land (M-L) on racist quack professor Eysenck at the London School of Economics last week, the students union has voted to apologise to him but also to defend his 'assailants* against any victimisation.
The attack itself was undoubtedly a factical mistake. There is nothing with preventing right wing ideologues from having a platform, but such actions have to be politically prepared beforehand so that their motivation is understood. However, once the deed was done it was essential to defend the Maoists against vic timination at a time when the ruling class is stepping up its offensive against students.
This was not understood, though, by all the left. The Communist Party, in particular, essentially put forward a line of 'all respectable students unite to combat thuggery. In effect they supported the witch-hunt launched by the right wing, and although an IMG motion calling for defence Maoists was narrowly passed by the union meeting its substance was largely amended out of existence with CP help.
Ultra-leftism can be a danger to the student and labour movements. But the responsibility for such actions must lie with the failure of the leadets to offer any alternative way forward. The sort of opportunism which the CP indulged in at the LSE last week can only open students up to further attacks and thus increase the Ekelibood of more individual acts of "adventurism".
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Red Weekly. POLICE SWOOP ON MILITANTS