AROUND THE WORLD
AROUND
THE
WORLD
FRANCE Solidarity with South African railworkers A UNITED Assembly of activists in the December rail strikes met in Saint Denis, a working-class suburb of Paris, on May 23. The gathering was called by former members of the Coordination Nationale des Agents de Conduite (National Coordinating Committee of Train Crews), who had organized in the Liaison Committee of Railway WorkerS.
'The idea of an assembly of rank-and-file activists came from the former leaders of the strike committees and the Coordinating Committee of Train Crews in late February. A Liaison Committee of Railworkers was immediately set up on the ashes of the Coordinational Nationale," Gilles Suze wrote in the Le Matin of May 24.
### Massive protests against firings
'The objective was not, any more than in the past, to substitute for the unions but both to get the maximum number of workers to join in opposing sanctions and to 'force' all the unions to act together. This was not without its reasons, because four months after the massive and relatively united struggle, old practices from before the strike began to re-assert themselves.
"For example, at the Lyon station, the CGT [the Communist Partydominated union] refused to join in an action launched by the CFDT [close to the Socialist Party) to fight the firing of three railworkers. On the other hand, in Metz, under the impetus of the Vigilance Committee there, protests against firings were massive, and were able to lead to a demonstration of more than 500 railworkers."
The meeting adopted a draft of a common statement of European railworkers and a message of solidarity strike of Black railway workers in
"Since the strike of French railworkers, several meetings have taken place between delegations of workers from various European state railroad sysInternational Viewpoint • June 15, 1987
"The presence of a delegation from the French Comité National de Liaison of Italian train Encora en Marcia; and the participation of a delegation from the former Coordination des Agents de Conduite to the assemblies of railworkers on all lines that was held in the Atocha station near Madrid, called by the Workers' Commissions were important steps in building ties of solidarity and mutual understanding among railworkers in Europe. The same is true of the meetings of French railworkers with colleagues from Belgium, Luxemburg and
The statement went on to note that railworkers throughout the Common were facing from general deregulation, which would be stepped up with the implementation of the Single European Act in 1992 "The single market will go hand in hand with the sharpening of fierce competition among rail, road and air transport. The European governments will try to set us against each other." The declaration ended by stating: "We will apply in Europe the watchword of the South African railworkers who suffered cruel attacks in their struggle against the racist regime in Pretoria: 'An injury to one is an injury to all.' "
The following is the text of the motion of solidarity with the South Afri-
'The United Assembly being held today in Paris wishes to convey to you its deeply felt solidarity and its grief at the murder of six of your fellow strikers by the police on April 22, 1987.
"Our Committee arose after the December-January strikes. It brings together all those who stood in the forefront of the movement, members and non-members of trade unions, those who have taken the initiative in the organization of general assemblies, strike committees on all lines, and members of the former Coordination Nationale des Agents de Conduite.
"This is a meeting of all those who want to defend and reinforce the major gains of our struggle — the rank-and file unity, solidarity in struggle and the democracy that continue to make us feel that our fight was worth while, de-
"We want to put an end to the sectarianism and division among the unions that have already done so much harm.
"Our struggle has enabled us to begin to establish links with railway workers of various European countries. We shall inform all of them of these fraternal greetings sent to your trade union and to all your members. We are sure that they will join us in wishing you success in the interests solidarity among railway workers." * High court attacks right to bail THE SUPREME Court has codified another encroachment on the Bill of Rights. By a 6 to 3 majority, it has given legal sanctions preventive detention," without any right to bail, to individuals deemed to be "dangerous" by the government and
The May 26 ruling has been condemned by supporters of democratic rights. The American Civil Liberties Union accurately branded the decision a "dangerous setback for civil liberties."
In its ruling, the Supreme Court majority reversed a lower court decision that found the 1984 Bail Reform Act to be unconstitutional. The Bail Reform Act was passed by a bipartisan vote of with the support of key Democratic Party leaders such as Senator Edward Kennedy.
the power to lock up and deny bail to anyone they label "extremely dangerous to the community," or who they say poses "a substantial risk of flight," the law marked a sharp blow to the democratic guarantee that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The act was challenged in court as a violation of the Constitution's Fifth Amendment guarantee against punishment without due process and of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against excessive bail.
Codifying an established practice
The Supreme Court decision, written by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, simply brushes these objections aside. The Bail Reform Act's pre-trial detenpunishment before trial," Rehnquist claims, because it is simply "regulatory in nature." And, he argues, the Eighth Amendment's bar against bail is not violated - because the act provides for no bail at all!
This ruling codifies a practice that is already being implemented. In the 18-
ing the success of the day. While the Sydney rally was not anywhere as large as the North American demonstrations, it stands as an example of the sort of militant, mass-action, united-front response that is needed in this country to stay the hand of US imperialism. (Photo: Jeffrey Saynor) * month period leading up to February of this year, judges, acting at the request of federal officials, denied 4,800 defendants any right to bail. Besides the federal act, 24 states and the District of Columbia have similar laws. The high court's ruling will strengthen this reac-
Giving the capitalist government and its police even more arbitrary powers of detention is a threat to the democratic rights of all. It will be - and has been — used for purposes of political is filled with perils for you, and for your work."
Dudintsev also presented his new novel in a way as a victory over the freeze that again followed the thaw. In response to the question about what had given him the impulse to write his new novel, he said:
"In 1956, in the criticism of Not by Bread Alone, the ones who stabbed me from various platforms were those
ARIOUND THE WORLD against whom the book was directed. They thought that they won, but their victory was relative and temporary. My opponents did not suspect that a part of me jumps for joy when I get valuable new first-hand information. I remember how I wrote down the actual words of those who reviled me. The more these people tried, the more material I got for my new work." *
Anti-intervention march in Sydney
The first use of the Bail Reform Act was against nine Black and Puerto Rican activists who were seized in New York City in October 1984. The law has also been used to deny some Puerto Rican independence acti-
The labor movement, fighters for the rights of Blacks, Latinos and women and all supporters of civil liberties should condemn the Supreme Court ruling and act to safeguard the constitutional right to bail. [From the US weekly, The Militant, June 5] *
USSR Interview with
PEACE FOR CENT Dudintsev
STOP US INTE THE MAY 10 Pravda devoted nearly half of its third page to an interview with Vladimir Dudintsev about his new book Belye Odezhdy ("White Clothes"), on the suppression of genetic research under Stalin. The author first gained international notice for his novel Not by Bread Alone, which was fire
SYDNEY, Australia: 1,000 people took to city streets on May 9, in protest one of the notable works of the period of the "thaw" that followed Stalin's against United States intervention in Central America. The march, organized death.
by the Central America Peace Coalition — a grouping of the major Latin and
Central American solidarity organizations — was motivated by the recent stepped-up US military maneouvres in Honduras.
"Blind faith is
No doubt inspired by the successful mobilizations in the US on April 25, the dangerous"
colourful contingents of trade unionists, solidarity and peace groups spread across several blocks demanding an end to US intervention, support for Nic-
The interview stressed the harmfularagua's revolutionary government and solidarity with the Salvadoran people ness of the dogmatism associated with and the FMLN/FDR. Of particular note was the contingent of lesbians and gay
Stalinism, and this was apparently not men marching behind the United Fruit Company banner announcing "las lesbihis only intention. He was asked:
anas y los gays contra el imperialismo yanqui!"
"Your main hero says that one of the main causes of his
Leading the march were Glenda Monterrey of the Sandinista Front of Nicaerrors was an unfounded faith in his own truth. In so ragua, Filipina human rights activist Joy Balazo and Antonio Hernandez of doing, he thinks of the old woman who brought a bundle of logs to put in the
Monterrey, Balazo and Hernandez spoke to the marchers at the demonstrafire in which Jan Hus was burned. What tion's finale, and while a torrential downpour of rain made further activities did you mean to say by that, that peoplanned for that day impossible, it did not dampen either the stirring sentiple should not be certain of what they ments of the speakers or the enthusiastic response of the crowd believe? " The author replied:
Supporters of the Fourth International organized in Solidarity, along with
"Blind faith is dangerous. What is other activists, took important initiatives in establishing the CAPC and ensurneeded is not faith but knowledge.
Science is not religion. Skepticism is not a hindrance to scientists but helps them verify whether their discoveries are true or not. In faith, you have to surrender your will to another, and that the FMLN/FDR of El Salvador.
June 15, 1987 • International Viewpoint
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AMERICA
Ben Linder in Nicaragua (DR)
USA A memory of