*****************x*****************x**x******x***x*****x**********xxxxxxxxx***.* Fidel Castro gave detailed evidence of the guilt 1 Bernard Coard and his 'Pol Pot group'. The statement explained: 'On October 12 Bishop was removed from office by the central committee on which the conspirators had gained a majority ... He was placed under house arrest.
In the 19th the people took to the streets an freed Bishop while on the same day Coard' group ordered the army to fire on the people, and Bishop and other revolutionary leaders were murdered ... Coard's group objectively destroyed the revolution and opened the door to imperialist aggression.?
Earlier this year, one of the 19 accused of aiding the murder of Maurice Bishop turned state's evidence. Granma Weekly Review of 1 June reports Fabian Gabriel's evidence that 'the firing squad was commanded by Calistos Bernard, who showed Bishop the execution order from the centra committee. Gabriel testified that Bernard took the bodies from the spot where they tell and supervised their incineration at Camp Fellow in the south of the island'.
These vital facts are left out of the Tribune 'briefing'. But there is no mystery here either. The 'brieting' is 'based on informaton provided by Caribbean Labour Solidarity'. CLS is a longstanding supporter of Bernard Coard. Today CLS cynically use the banner of human rights to cover up for Coard's crime against the Grenadan revolution. That Tribune should fall for this is unfortunate. Perhaps in future you should get your briefings from the respected Cuban embassy or from the organisation which is the heir to Maurice Bishop, the 'Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement'. Thẹ MBPM has a support group in Britain whose address is supplied: 41 Broad Lawn, New Eltham, London SE9 3XI (Tel 01-851-3283).
Celia Pugh (This letter has also been sent to Tribune.)
Zionism On behalf of the Labour Movement Campaign for Palestine I would like to welcome, and make a few comments upon, the two recent articles in Socialist Action on Zionism.
Linda Balfe is right to say that Zionism accents the logie of anti-semitism but it isalso the case that without anti-Semitism there would have been no Zionism, and once embarked upon their project the Zionists recognised not merely the "futility' (HerZt's words) in combatting antiSemitism but the dangers to their own movement if such a fight were to be successful. It is not mere v that at worst. certam Monists actua v collaborated with anti-semites' but that the whole history of the Zionist movement consists of this from the czarist autocracy, to Balfour, the Whites in Russia and finally the Nazis. It is this which gives the lie to the accusation that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are the same.
Dave King's account of his experience with the Union of Jewish Students rings true to a number of us who have worked in NUS. No one should however by surprised that an organisation with the closest of links with the Israeli Embassy and undoubtedly the Israeli inteligence organisation, Mossad, should use the tacties of entrapment and personal vilification of individuals. What is surprising is that a paper such as Socialist Organiser should refuse the right of reply to sunneute seatacket andaeetsodczası Students in NOLS, which is controlled by SO, has a position on Palestine and Zionism which is further to the right than the leadership of NUS itself, in so far as it equates support for a democratic, secular state in Palestine with antiSemitism.
The only disagreement that I would have with Dave King's article is over the question of support for the Soviet Jewry campaign. Whilst socialists support the call for the right of anybody to emigrate from the Soviet Union, this partieular campaign, focussing only on Jews, is thoroughly Hanay Tony Greenstein Steering Committee, LMCfP Venue: Sir William Collins School, London. Make cheques payable to Socialist Action.
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Name Address I/We require Linda Bellos Marc Wadsworth Betty Heathfield Diane Abbott Martin Collins Vladimir Derer Alan Meale Jeremy Corbyn Ken Livingstone Ann Pettifor Price: £6 for the weekend, £3.50 per day (£4 and £2 unwaged).
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Socialist Action 29 Aug 1986
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Initial speakers include Tony Benn