The cruise missiles have not yet been deployed in the Netherlands, and propaganda and an often very clear of political organisations and the Youth Against Nuclear Weapons (Jongeren tegen Kernwapens
JTK) are determined that it will never happen. The JTK is an independent
These are the sorts organization, and for some months it has been able to discuss on the of questions that revolutionaries have to national level with the 'adult' organizations.
address. Having the correct programme
So, we are evidently being taken seriously, finally. The JTK was set and orientation, organising a 'systematic response to racist and fascist aggression', various youth groups decided at a peace activists conference to set up a the resolution adopted by the national coordination and publish a national newspaper. Before that, fifth congress of the JCR
JTK groups had already existed, some since 1981. A few months later,
1985, whilst at the same time taking a National Secretariat was established in order to coordinate everything part on a day to day level in the construction of an anti-racist movement, all this allow the JCR to acquire vital experience for their development. Such orientation does not mean either should blindly follow the perspectives of the leaders of SOS-
Racism, without sometimes making their own choices.
This radicalisation around anti-racism is bringing a new generation into politics.
This generation did not know about the major struggles of students that marked the closing years of the 1970s. Following the last two anti-racist marches, several youth who had previously interested in anti-racism became, in a matter of a few days, real mass activists, taking the lead in preparing action. The possibilities of this movement also lie in the fact that anti-fascist sentiment forms the basis of the slogans being taken up by the youth in the demonstrations, it is not merely a distant memory of the period of May 1968.
The youth mobilisation is in some ways occupying ground, on issues like the right to vote for all immigrants or the struggle against expulsions, of issues
• concern to the whole labour movement. The working class is not of course from these mobilicompletely absent
For example in December 1983, participants in the first march expressed their solidarity with the largely immigrantled strike in the Talbot-Peugeot
The emotion delegation to the factory.
expressed in participation of sections of unions and immigrant workers organisashows that a coming together of the two movements is possible. Moreover, the sales of the celebrated SOS-Racism badges goes on in the workplaces where they are sold both by young workers who have always refused to join the union and by activists in the traditional trade union movement. This shows that when the youth reject the unions and the traditional workers' parties that does not mean that they are expressing a complete lack of interest in all activity and all forms of struggle in the workers'
International Viewpoint 17 June 1985 as a national organization in
On November 21, 1981, there was a big peace demonstration in Amsterdam. About 400,000 people made that the cruise missiles were not welcome. They included a lot of youth.
The most important organization in demonstration church Peace Council). In 1977, the IKV (Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad building its campaign from Nuclear Starting With the Netherlands." This was a broad campaign that was also directed toward the high schools. Through this work and by offering internal democracy, they won more than half of their support outside the churches. As a result, the churches do not have so much say any more in the IKV.
The second biggest organizer of the 1981 demonstration Neutronenbom organization. This group was set up in 1977 on the initiative of the CPN (Comunistiese partij Nederland - Communist Party of the Netherlands). The Stop de N-bom is not organized in a terribly democratic way. After the November 1981 demonstration, the government said that it would decision in groups set up the LOVO (Landelijk Overleg Vredes Organisaties -National Coordinating Committee Peace Organizations). In it are represothers the IKV,
N-bom, Vrowen voor Vrede (VvV
Women for Peace) and Nederland uit de
Navo (Netherlands out of NATO, radical pacifist groups).
Also on the local level, peace councils were set up. In this way, the activities could be better synchronized. It was decided to build another big demonstration for October 29, 1983. After that, the KKN (Komitee Kruisraketten Nee -
Committee Against the Cruise Missiles)
was set up, which had the task of building the demonstration. In the KKN the various peace groups, political parties, and the union movement.
February At that time, demonstrate in The Hague on October the government decided postpone its final decision until June 1984. In May the KKN organized a week actions against the cruise missiles during which a 15 minute work stoppage on May 10. On that day, the JTK staged a high school strike, in which 50,000 high school youth
Over the peace week, a total of about persons participated in The government (a coalition of Christian Democrats and Liberals) was in a difficult position. The Liberals wanted to deploy the missiles without ado, and the Christian Democrats were also for deployment, but they were premier, tied himself in knots, coming out with every conceivable variant solution. Finally, one was chosen. It said "We will decide definitively in November 1985. If
Russians have not deployed any SS-20s, then no cruise be deployed in the Netherlands. If the missiles will
Russians have deployed SS-20s but the negotiations with America and Russia agreement, then a few cruise will be deployed in the
HOLLANDSE ZIEKTE
The Dutch 'disease Netherlands. If there is no the Netherlands will deploy all 48 cruise fact, the government's formula was a mask for accepting deployment. In this way, Lubbers wanted to focus attention of the peace movement on what Russia did, and he avoided a
Very smart. Obviously, was a laughable proposal, in England, Germany, Italy, and also in Belgium there had already been a decision to deploy, to which naturally going to react.
Nonetheless, government's decision can be viewed as a victory for peace movement. pressure of the peace movement, Lubbers could not just say "yes," and the final decision was postponed again.
After that decision, there was a lot of confusion in the peace movement. Unfortunately, it was not
An often heard question was, "Do mass actions still make any sense?" tops said: "We have to try to convince government arguments. example, we have to offer an alternative defense plan."
Stop N-bom leaders said: "We have to involve the Christian Democrats in our activities. So, we should tone down the demands of the peace movement."
Soldaten tegen Kernwapens, the Soldiers Union, REBEL (the youth organization in
Dutch section of the solidarity with the Fourth International), and some others.
On November 10, an action plan was adopted at the youth conference. In this respect, the youth set a good example. This plan of action ran up to the time the government's decision is supposed to be
November 1985. we will hold another action
What is in the action plan? Up to the summer of 1985, we are conducting information campaign. we will build a high school strike for October. In this period also, we will organize a youth peace festival and help with the People's Petition campaign [against the missiles].
Finally, a month after the conference youth organizations agreed to unite in the JTK. That meant a big step in building the organization.
Then, in January the JTK was asked to two representatives to the KKN and to the LOVO. We can now discuss together with the adult organizations, and that is also necessary.
Naturally, we could not achieve so much in these organizations if the JTK not represented. Without us a minimum age of 18 would probably have the People's Petition.
Fortunately, we were able to block that.
REBEL, a revolutionary organizaton, we have played an important role in building the we came to In 1983, we started to orient to the
JTK and put forces in it. The National the JTK then came to consist exclusively of REBEL members.
The JTK was very weak and the REBEL members had more experience, especially in running a national organization.
After the summer of 1983, the JTK became a priority for REBEL. We then to set up JK groups in places where we are, and we tried to mobilize as many youth as possible for October
29 demonstration. This work went well, but it meant a lot of running around for Youth demonstrate against the missiles (DR)
Nonetheless, with the example of the British Youth CND in the backs of our minds, we kept on working hard. After the high school strike and the government's decision, a national coordination was set up with the other youth organizations. That was fine for us, because we had to demonstrate our right to exist which we did effectively. At the conference, our proposals were stood closest to the "real" JTK people. We were the ones to give importance to bringing soldiers into the actions. We always stressed that action plan should be made as concrete as possible.
In building the to forget about building REBEL. work has sometimes This means that we also have to have other activities and that we have to have a profile in the JTK. So, we sell our paper in JTK meetings, take up the question of Nicaragua among the JTK left, put forward the slogan Jobs not Bombs, question of NATO into the discussions, and talk about the Star Wars notion. In the future, we must organize more open REBEL discussions to which we can invite our contacts from the TK.
July 3-6 the Fourth Europe Nuclear Disarmament convention is to be held in Amsterdam. At this convention, we are holding a workshop for youth in the peace movements in order to project new ideas, to call an international youth day of peace action, and possible international actions.
It is important that a lot of youth come to this conference, and not just for the workshop. The youth must have a voice there, because youth are a lot more radical than the rest of the peace
Last year when the END convention was held in Perugia, there were far too few youth there.
the only ones who expressed radical views were the women. Now we also have speak out about how we see the perspectives of the peace movement, how the cruise missiles and Pershings have to be kept out or sent back to
The third current said, in reaction to MET RAKE TENGELD
15 ZEKERHEID CEVELDU needed." It lost all confidence in the of the peace movement and did not want to work together with them three currents stood in the way a lot of people still saw the importance
For a whole period, nothing happened. Only the JTK was bringing pressure to bear by organizing an action conference and drawing up an action plan. The JTK did this in collaboration with other left youth organisations, the Jonge Socialisten,
International Viewpoint 17 June 1985