In the teeth of the illusions being spread by the press about Whitelaw's deal over the Assembly CACUITNE having settled the Irish problem, a packed Hammersmith Town Hall last Saturday (1 December) showed the growing forces which are fighting for the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland, and the right of the Irish people to self-determination. rally had been preceded by an 800strong demonstration from Shepherds Hush Green.
Amongst the banners on the demonstration were those of NALGO Action. Southwark Trades Council, Battersea LPYS, and the British Peace Committee: The largest contingent was from IMG. and London People's Democracy, the Wolf Tone Craobh (branch) of Clann na hEireann and Latta Continua, the tahan lett proup. also participated.
Red Weekly 7 December 1973 Page 8 Unfortunately support from the Brit ish left groups was limited. The Irish Sub Committee of 1S had Inserted a statement in the current Socialiat Worker (1 December) giving general support to the idea building a movement for the withdrawal of the troops, but refrained from supporting the actual, existing movement. The chairperson of the rally. Pat Arrowsmith, gave the apologies of David Bolton, Vite President of the Scottish Miners, and Joan Maynard, of the Labour Party Executive and the National Union of Agricultural Workers, who were unable to speak because of other commitments. The rally, meeting in an unheated hail, was warmed up by the speeches of Freddy Silberman from the Lon dor and Westminster Trades Council, ers convenor, black militant Althea Jones, and Jack Clafferty of the West London Troops Out Movement.
Jim Kemp referred to the fiftieth anniversary of John MacLean's death, and quoted MacLean's challenge to the British working class to support the Irish struggle. He stressed that the common denominator linking the British and irish workers was not simply their common economic exploitation, but immediate political problems, such an the para-military Special Patrol Group, the conspiracy laws and other repressive methods developed in the North of Ireland. This showed how necessary it was to take up Ireland as a political issue within the British working class movement.
Altbea Jones talked about her visit to Trinidad in the summer, where a guerrilla war against that country's Deo-colonial regime, has reached proportions similar to the Irish struggie. One of her younger sisters was being held by the police, and another had been killed; in neither case was her family informed. She told the mully that this had made her understand what the word imperialism' means for the lrish people, and that this experience was being repeated a million times in Trinidad, in Ireland and in the clher countries struggling to break the grip of imperialism and neo-colonialism Saturday's action was a first stop. Patient and consistent local work, taking up such issues as Army Te cruiticienL defence of political prisoners, and propaganda about the activi Lies of the Army in Ireland, is required to prepare the ground for a powerful response when the hollow promises of Whilelaw an exposed in the abject failure uf Pym. question of the British Army. The North London Troops Out Movement, of which Pat is a member, has discussed the case, and a vigonous defenes campaign will un.
moupted. The campaign should recsive maximum support from left organisations, Irish organisations, antiwar and paeifist activists, and should be taken up within the Labour Movement.
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