The upsurge of the democratic struggle and the CCP THE ANTI-BUREAUCRATIC, democratic struggle that erupted on December 9 quickly spread to over a dozen major cities in China. Students from over 150 institutes of higher studies participated. With university students as the central force, this struggle has persisted several days in many cities, taking the form of protest marches, wall posters, rallies and overnight sit-ins. The duration, persistence and scope of this struggle (in Shanghai, it was reported that 150,000 people participated in a march) signal the intensification of social contradictions in China.
This is a spontaneous political movement. It is a direct continuation of the September 18 student mobilization of 1985, a revival of the took place, the mood of struggle has been rising.
In 1986, several struggles against dictatorship and for freedom have been victorious (notably the antiMarcos struggle in the Philippines, the struggle against the dictator in Haiti, the mobilization of the French students against new educational policy). In Taiwan, the struggle against the Nationalist Party's one-party dictatorship has obtained a breakthrough. In South Korea, the students continue to wage the struggle against the military regime. All these have inspired and encouraged the students.
Faced with the just demands of the mass movement, the CCP tries all means of repression to deprive the people of their constitutional rights. Local regulations are hastily drawn up to limit the people's right of rally and demonstration. Yet, these measures have met with the direct challenge of the students who continue with street demonstrations without applying for permission.
The propaganda machinerv monodemocratic movement repressed in cratic struggle since the Tiananmen ZHANG KAI
The major feature of this movement is its assumption of the political character and significance of fighting for democracy and against bureaucratic autocracy. The slogans of the demonstrations are unequivocal: "Democracy, Liberty, Human Rights!" "Against bureaucracy, against dictatorship, against privileges, against ruthlessness!" In addition, the protests against inflation and demand for a better livelihood are protests against the bureaucracy's policy of shifting the loss to the people.
Another feature is that in the movement, some students voice the demand for party pluralism. This indicates that those who make the demand for a multinarty sustem to demand for a multiparty system to replace the one-party dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have reached quite a high level of consciousness, that they feel the need for new parties and programs to lead the mass struggle in order to counter the hegemony of the CCP. This conclusion is drawn after long-term bureaucratic rule and mass struggle.
The features and nature of this movement show that it cannot have been initiated or promoted by the elements of certain factions of the CCP.
The movement reflects the strong discontent, disappointment and indignation of the broad layers of youth, students, workers and masses 14
1981, and the broadest anti-bureauSquare riot of 1976. with CCP rule. It also illustrates the background of the movement and the cause of its eruption: grievances have long been pent-up due to bureaucratic dictatorship, wrong policies, privileges, power and impotence Party cadres; some leaders made verbal pledges of reform of the political system but nothing has materialized; the leaders give lip service to socialist democracy but the people's democracy and freedom are denied; economic and educational reform, in particular the thaw and inflation of prices, have added to the people's economic hardship.
Since 18 September, 1985, when massive marches of university students
The propaganda machinery monopolized by the authorities are turned on to distort, denounce and slander the will and action of the masses, accusing the movement of being "anti-socialist" and "anarchist". The distortion only fans up more fury from the students. The bureaucracy's revenge
At the beginning, the authorities refrained from arresting students in fear of adding fuel to the struggle. Later, when students in Beijing openly challenged the ban by marching to the Tiananmen Square, the authorities arrested some students, but had to release them when faced with more violent reaction from the students. At present, no strong repression is carried out against the students, but as usual, the revenge will be made later.
Students burning copies of the People's Daily (DR)
CHINA
The editorial of the People's Daily, December 23, 1986, attempts to pacify the students that 'in the course of reform, indeed, many new problems need to be studied and resolved", and they should be done "through normal democratic channels". The editorial grants that the will of the students is good, but then goes on to say that they "may be made use of by individual elements with ill intent to cause turmoil". The CCP's attempt is to slow differentiation in the student movement and label the activists by the above charges.