4
NEWS FROM
THE FOURTH
INTERNATIONAL
WESTERN EUROPE Anti-racist coordination AROUND 20 people from European sections of the Fourth International met in Brussels on the weekend of November 5/6 to discuss and coordinate anti-racist work and activities. The meeting brought together comrades from Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Holland, Luxemburg and Sweden. An extremely useful and interesting general discussion first of all covered the development of the anti-racist movement over the past few years, and the specific problems faced by immigrant workers in Western Europe confronted with increasingly harsh immigration laws and growing racism. The development of fascist and neofascist groupings was discussed, as well as the mounting attacks against the acceptance of political refugees from all over the world who are trying to escape torture, repression and poverty. An important aspect of the exchange of information and ideas focused on the central role of young people in the fight against racism, and the situation of second and third generation immigrants. Campaigns in a number of countries are concentrating centrally on the right to vote of immigrants and the fight against restrictive and racist nationality laws. In France, SOS-racisme has just launched a petition-campaign for immigrants' right to vote in the 1989 municipal elections. The meeting also discussed detailed reports from Sweden, Britain and France, which raised the whole plethora of problems faced by revolutionary socialists active in the anti-racist and anti-fascist movements. At a European-wide level, everyone was agreed on the importance of preparing for 1992, when the Single European Act will mean an opening of frontiers inside Western Europe (for EEC nationals only, of course), but the closing of borders to the outside. A further meeting was planned for March 1989 to discuss concretely what initiatives can be taken at a
European level in the run up to 1992 around the themes of "open the frontiers" and "no immigration controls". *
BRITAIN
Rally celebrates 50 years of internationalism of internatas
OVER 400 people met in London's Conat lebrate the fiftiet anniversary of the tous way haversary of the founding of the
Fourth International. The meeting was the largest ever organized by Socialist urlook, a British revolutionary Marxist journal. Among the audience were many veterans of the movement, some of whom spoke from the floor. Charlie van Gelderen, an active supporter of Socialist Outlook, was the first platform speaker. He was present at the founding conference of the Fl held in Paris in 1938. Charlie was elected to the International Executive Committee of the movement in his capacity as a youth delegate. He recalled the bravery of the earliest Trotskyist militants, who frequently suffered physical attacks both from fascists and Stalinists. What was happening in the USSR today was a vindication of those comrades. Catherine Samary spoke on the Gorbachev phenomenon, a theme that ran through practically all the contributions. She underlined the importance of the call made by Czech dissidents for a "popular Helsinki", and the need to discuss a European-wide charter of basic democratic rights. Such a charter, which should include as a major demand the right to a job, could unite workers of East and West against the efforts of those, like Thatcher, who sought to divide Polish workers from their British sisters and brothers.
As chairperson Alan Thornett explained, the platform of speakers was chosen to demonstrate the unity of all three sectors of the world revoluton, for which the FI fights. Accordingly the next speaker,
Heather Dashner, a central leader of the
Mexican PRT, spoke on the struggle of
Latin American women for basic rights and the way in which this had enriched and been informed by the experience of other women in the Fourth International. She explained that while the experience of the
Latin American women's movement was very different to that of their European sisters, both had been able to learn from the discussion. The International remained indispensable as a forum for discussion and the formulation of action, Heather concluded. Other supporters of Socialist Outlook, who had been active in the movement for half a century, then took the floor. Eileen
Gersh explained the conditions under which she had joined the movement ir
Britain in the 1930s, and Alex Acheson now 79, spoke of the lessons he had draw from his time in the movement. Harr
Wicks, one of the founders of the Trotsky ist movement in Britain, sent greetings t the profound develop
LEON TROTSKY 50 years ago. the Fourth Trotsky founded International to fight against capitalism and Stalinism Today, the Fl is continuing this struggle RALLY Saturday 10 December 2pm until dawn at LSC. 144 Avenue du président Wilson. La Plaine St Denis (Paris, 93) Debates, exfifition, films, dance, from all over the world... rally with speakers and delegations L CR inchuding Esteban Volkov, Trotsky's grandson, and Rosano JC RO Ібатта (Макса (КА) мате ments in the USSR and looked towards "a new layer of young Soviet workers joining the ranks of Trotskyism". John Archer, a Trotskyist since the early 1930s, spoke of the need to build an International with Trotskyists as factions within emerging class struggle forces. The last speaker was Ernest Mandel from the United Secretariat of the FI, and a leading spokesperson for the movement during most of its existence. He recalled that many had accused the International of being established on the basis of a conjunctural assessment. In fact, the International has based itself on a long-term revolutionary strategy. As with previous Internationals, the FI is based on a programme and activities that express the needs of the proletariat. Replying to John Archer's contribution, Mandel agreed with the need for revolutionaries to ally themselves with those class struggle forces that have emerged in the past period, such as the Workers' Party in Brazil, the new South African trade-union movement and the Sandinistas. But, he argued, while these forces were excellent fighters against their own oppression, they were very often not able to see their identity of interest. Thus, Polish trade-unionists, used to the lies of the Stalinist press, discounted reports of Thatcher's vicious attacks on British workers as exaggeration by the regime; while many Central American revolutionaries saw Solidarnosc as being counter-revolutionaries manipulated by the
CIA. Only the Fourth International, Mandel said in a rousing conclusion, clearly explained that the interests of one section of the world proletariat could not be subordinated to another. The political reawakening of the Soviet working class would provide a massive vindication of the decision to 1 found the Fl 50 years ago. The rally marked a strengthening of the
Fl in Britain, as well as of Socialist Outlook. A collection raised £3,200, success- dolyn payment on the journal's new edits) 27
(Steve Roberts)
rial offices.