AROUND THE WORLD OBITUARY Christos Anastasiadis (1910-1987) AFTER 60 YEARS of continuous work in the revolutionary movement, Christos Anastasiadis died of a heart attack on September 12 in Athens. "For us, he represented historical continuity, experience and knowledge; he was an irreplaceable comrade and teacher," the Greek section of the Fourth International wrote in the September Issue of its paper Spartakos.
Anastasiadis' activity continued through two open dictatorships, the German occupation and the Greek civil war. He joined the Greek Left Opposition in 1929. In the Archeio-Marxists, one of the groups from which the Trotskyist movement came, he was the closest collaborator of Michael Raptis, who later, under the name Michel Pablo, became an international leader of the Fourth International.
In the mid-1930s, he joined with Pantelis Pouliopoulos — a leading Marxist thinker and fighter who came from the Communist Party — in the process that led to the formation of the Greek section of the Fourth International, of which he remained a member until his death.
From 1936 to 1942, Anastasiadis was jailed and subjected to internal exile, along with Poullopolous. His imprisonment began under the fascist-like dictatorship of Metaxas and continued under the German occupation. In 1942, he managed to escape.
Just before the start of the second phase of the Greek civil war, in 1945, he represented the Trotskyist movement in an exceptional open debate with the Greek Stalinists. He was instrumental in the fusion of all the Greek Trotskyist groups in 1946.
Following the civil war, when all Marxist organizations were banned in Greece, he was the pillar of the Greek section's clandestine paper Ergatike Pale until 1959, when the Greek Trotskyists were able to begin bringing out a semi-legal publication, Marxistiko Deltio, which continued until the April 1967 coup that established the dictatorship of the colonels.
Under the dictatorship, Anastasiadis continued to work for the clandestine paper of the Greek section, Ergatike Pale. After the fall of the colonels in 1974, he was a regular contributor to the legal Ergatike Pale and to the section's theoretical journal, Marxistiko Deltio. In the last year, he continued to write for the section's paper, now named Spartakos, and for its magazine Marxistike Seispirosi (Marxist Regroupment). ЕПАРТАКЕЙ
In the last period of his life, Anastasiadis devoted himself in particular to the publishing house Protoporiake Bibliotheke ("Vanguard Library"). Among the books he prepared were four works by Trotsky (three on the rise of fascism in German plus Whither France?), the Open Letter to the Polish Communist Party of Kuron and Modzelewski, Pierre Frank's History of the Fourth International, and Ernest Mandel's Against Ultraleftism, as well as the Fourth International resolution on socialism and democracy.
He was also involved in republishing many of the writings of Pantelis Pouliopoulos, and collaborated in the publication of Trotsky's History of the Rus sian Revolution, The Crimes of Stalin and Literature and Revolution.
Anastasiadis was the principal translator of the Greek section and its link with the press of the Fourth International. As a cornerstone of the section's theoretical and organizational continuity, he educated hundreds of cadres He remained active until his death, including in the streets. *
AROUND THE WORLD ISRAELI STATE Information Center reopens SIX MONTHS after closing the Alternative Information Center (AIC), the Israeli authorities have had to back off and allow it to reopen. The Center was closed in February on the accusation that it had served as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Israeli public opinion, in particular the press, was outraged by this unprecedented action. The authorities were quickly forced to release all the members of the collective who had been arrested, except Michel Warschawski. He was to be charged for "aiding an illegal organization." After a month in prison, he was finally released on bail.
The reopening of the center represents another victory in the campaign against the repressive crackdown. But Warschawski is still awaiting trial, and could be sentenced to 23 years in prison.
It is important that the international campaign in his defence continues. * IRELAND "Lively debate" in Irish THE REPORT on a national gathering of Irish-language activists organized by Sinn Fein in the September 24 issue of An Phoblacht, the revolutionary nationalist organization's weekly paper, points up some interesting debates. The framework of a broad gathering of Irish speakers seems to have favored political discussion.
Two debates were particularly relevant. One was on "Building Socialism" between Eoin O Murchú, representing the Communist Party; and Pádraig O Maolchraoibhe, representing Sinn Féin. Seán O Flannabhra, president of Branch No. 12 of the Transport and General Workers Union participated as an individual. O Murchú stressed the need for discussion among anti-imperialist organizations such as Provisional Sinn Féin and the Communist Party.
Another key debate was between Father Joe McVeigh and Bernadette McAliskey on the theme "Can Christians be revolutionists?" In its report in Irish, An Phoblacht commented: "The discussion between the two was very lively, and after what they said everyone in the ball agreed that the clergy had be 17 trayed the poor." *
October 12, 1987 • International Viewpoint
BRAZIL
INTRODUCTION TO BRAZIL FEATURE General strike challenges Bresser plan THE NOVEMBER 1986 elections were undoubtedly a triumph for the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB), the main component of the ruling alliance. At the same time, they were a personal victory for the president, José Sarney.
was supposed to preside over a short transitional period allowing the time necessary to put the constitution into operation and call new, direct presidential elections.
But now Sarney is taking a different tack. He announced that he would remain in office until 1990. At the same time, he came out against the constitution that is being drafted, which provides for a notable reduction of the president's powers in favor of parliament. Already the army, the essential element in the country's political life, has let it be known that it was supporting Sarney on this matter.
On the other hand, a crisis has developed within the PMDB on this question. A wing of the party, known as the PMDB Left, joined with Brizola's PDT to launch a campaign for direct elections (direitas ja!), well aware that this slogan is as popular as sarney Is unpopu- aan is as popular as Sarnev is unpopular. According to a poll carried out in August by the magazine Exame, 60% of Brazilians favor universal suffrage for the 1988 presidential elections, if not before.
In this context, the PT's launching of Iniacio Da Silva, "Lula," as the PT's candidate for the presidential elections is cutting the ground out from under the feet of the bourgeois or reformist opposition to Sarney. These forces were projecting a broad front for direitas ja!, possibly around Brizola.
On August 20, the United Confederation of Workers (CUT), which supports the PT, and the General Confederation of Labor (CGT, reformist), called a general strike against the Bresser plan. The action was uneven from city to city and from industry to industry. Un-. like Argentina, or even Chile, there is no tradition of general strikes in Brazil. What is more, a large part of the CGT, which was forced to call for the strike under pressure from the CUT, did everything possible to keep this action from being successful.