THE BRITISH government country of 'terrorism' must be one of the sickest jokes of ail time. After all the British ruling class spent three centuries conquering the world. It occupied many of the countries of the Middle East and carried out ruthless repression there. For Britain to be now offering homilies to Syria on the necessity to strugagainst 'terrorism', diplomatic relations with it, simply reflects British hypocrisy, nothing more.
What really lies behind the 'Hindawi affair' is Britain and the United States stepping up another notch their offensive in the Middle East. It is part of the process that started with the US bombing of Libya last year.
The United States, Britain and Israel have enjoyed significant suecesses in their Middle East Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel which took the most powerful Arab country out of the battle line with the Israeli state, allowed Israel to invade Lebanon.
Organisation (PLO) suffered a defeat because of the assistance in driven out of Lebanon itself by the resistance of the Lebanese people to it. Syria then acted to split As a states, Libya and Syria - together with the PLO — continued to stand out against US and Israeli policy the Middle East. and attack all of them.
The first object of attack chosen was the PLO — whose declared objectives are in practice rejected by every Arab government in the region. Che United States, ted to force the PLO to officially recognise the state of Israel and its occupation of Palestine. This failed when Israel made it clear that it intended to offer the Palestinians nothing meaningful at all — and all it was interested in was total surrender b! the PLO. This the latter refused to breakdown discussion for a 'solution' to the Palestinian questio The second attack was then launched on Libya. A frame up of the Libyan government for so called 'terrorist acts' was launched. At least one high US government official, Secretary of State for Public Affairs, has resigned as a result of the direct lies told by the US government in building up its campaign against Syria. 'Ihis campajen was then used as g 'iustitication for the bombing of Tripoli and Bengazi. Britain was used as a political, not military, reasons.
Syria, however, is the hardest target for the US and Britain to attack. It nas a tar bigger popula• tion than Libya. It is less isolated. tantly it has the heaviest direct military support of the Soviet Union of any country in the Middle East. deciding to have a direct military confrontation with Syria.
The United States and Britain have therefore set about whipping up a campaign against Syria and attempting to isolate it. • RANAIORNRICAHOARAESOHHUH those in Berlin earlier this year — have instead now been 'reconsidered' and responsibility assigned to Syria instead. Whether or not Syria was involved in the Hindawi bombing, and on that we trust the British government not one inch, it was simply used as a pretext for Thatcher's campaign against Syria.
If an act of terrorism had been carried out by a government with whom Britain was friendly SeeT with French Greenpeace ship Rainbow Zealand — then the entire affair would have been hushed up. Britain instead broke off diplomatic rélatins to attempt to force its behind its, and the US, new drive against Syria. It was the same tactics as over the bombing of Libya.
When the United States bombed Libya from Britain there was a storm of condemnation in Britain. There should be equal opposition to the breaking of diplomatic relations with Syria — and support for the Syrian retaliatory measures.
Thatcher was directly complicit in the US bombing of Libya — including the killing of children and civilians that involved. This was the greatest act of terrorism in the Middle East in recent times. For the same Thatcher now to be handing out lessons to anvone on "terrorism' has the tvoica smell of British philistine hypoerisy about it. It is to be totally condemned, and diplomatic relations with Syria resumed.
accusing any severing last ten years. The signing of the The Palestine Liberation Arab regimes to come to its result of these moves only two major Imperialism has together with Jordan, attempaccept. The of the Jordan-PLO Bernard Kalb the Assistant base for that attack for primarily Israel has thought carefully about This is why various - as bombing. ot the Warrior EEC partners Councillor Lij Nuannois dcowi Falls, Belfast), was invited to Coventry and Leamington Spa by the •Labour Committee or Ireland to speak about the oppression of the community which elected her. In her ward, there is unemployment and a COLal RuSaAay presence. Her own son was interned without charge or trial at the age of 16 Her visit was sponsored by 12 local councillors, the Coventry Trades Council and nine other local organisations including the Irish in Britain Representation Movement, and local Movement, branch Labour Parties and women's sections The response of the local Tory establishment was ilic iale leader of Warwick district council, Ken Rawnsley, called for a boycott of the meetings she was to address. The Labour Committee on Ireland responded by inviting him on to the platform at Leamington's Spa Centre to discuss the issues with Liv ritzsimmons, Ise refused and renewed his boycott call.
But it was not only the Tories who called for a boycol. t nere were hostile statements from Lalou COCOS DI Coventry city council and Warwick district council, who attacked Sinn Fein and the LCI but made no mention of Britain's oppression of nationalists in Ireland. In this climate, a group claiming to be the Midlands Unit of the Loyalist Action Horce/ Lova Sons of Ulster rang the Regional Central TV and the local Mercia Sound radio to issue death threats against Lily and the local councillors sponsoring her trip. These were broadcast, and Central 'v told its viewers that police were taking the threats to 'eliminate' all who 'even indirectly' supported Irish Republicanism very Both Lily and the hard to credit...
You actually belleve all this astrology Scrap?!? struggle?
Remarks made by Dave King at NUS conference were clearly movement.
Sophie Nicol It is unfortunate that
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councillor visits Coventry
a piece of the I find this ver