On Monday 25 June - the day before the trial of seven of the Shrewsbury detendants opens In Mold five building workers and three ATV cameramen will appear before Birmingham magistrates. The eight are charged in connection with the occupation of a leading lump labour agency in February The Midlands Region of the building workers' union, UCATT, has played a leading part in organizing the defence in the area. This is being done through a special union defence colmittee, which convened a meeting on 20 June to insolve broader sections of the labour movement. This initiative was supported by Birmingham Trades Council, which circulated the defence committee's 'Open Letter to the Labour Movement to Trades Council delegates. The Open calls for full financial and industrial support for the defendants. A number of leading shop stewards committees in the area also backed the 20 June meeting.
The Antual General Meeting of Birmingham area ASTMS, the Austin Longbridge shop stewards' commitand the local Rank and File teachers" group, have all pledged their fill support in this fight. For the day of the cout appearance, Midlands Region UCATT has called a mass demonstration outside the courthouse. The Trades Council is backing this action, along with the Birmingham Labour Party executive who are circularizing their 131 ward organizations.
The attack on the Birmingham militants is part and purcel of a wider ruling class assault on the ability of the working class movement to carry on offoctive struggles. It is therefore essential that the Birmingbam lu bour movement links up the highly creditable work it has carried out so far with the nutional campaten an deterice Shrewspury 24, United action of the whole labour movement with the Shrewsbury case as a central focus is the best way to smash the concerted drive of the state against our orpanizations.
The Birmingham example shows how the labour movement can unite its forces to defend militants under attack. This is an example we should put into practice across country to extend the campaign in support of the Shrewsbury 24. Black Workers Movement. On Saturday. 9 June, the random arrest of a black auth afper a stabbing incident sporked off a con frantation in which over 100 police, in cluding the Special Patrol Group, waded into a crowd using truncheons and dogs. One of those arrested was a 14-ynar old by stander, whose parents were refused per missian to see him while police were extracting a confession with the aid of boots and fists. He now faces a charge of grievous bodily harm.
This incident followed a series of at least nine racier bombings in Sauth London of black shops and youth clubs. The police have done nothing to put a stop to these overtly racist attacks, aiming thet They are the work of madmen. Instied, they spend their time harassing the black com munity and black youth in perticule, 30% of whom are among the area's unemployed A majority of these are in open if apolitical rebellion against their situation, for which the ruling chas has only one solution repression.
On the initiative of the lical Rank & File teacher group, Lambeth NUT hat called for a conference on racialism in the area. It is alsa supporting Saturday's demonstration which assembles ar Brockivell Park, Harne Hill, at 2.00 p.m. Further detalls from Black Warkers Movement, 3a Shakesp Road, Brixton, THE PLOUGH (Paper of the Revolutionary Marxist Group trish rumporters of the Fourth Intarnational NEW ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE 5p plus postage from RED BOOKS. 24 Boundary Lane, London N.W.B.
BRIGHTON IMG PUBLIC MEETING on Tradn