Overcoming the handicaps of this past, developing the programmatic basis for the building of an internationalist, revolutionary socialist organization in Greece will inevitably lead to an irreconcilable clash with "radical" neo-Stalinists of the Kappos type. But without such a clarification and refinement of program, NAR will find itself completely marginalized by events.
The responsibility for success or failure in such a project rests entirely with the comrades of the NAR majority and of revolutionary Marxists outside NAR. * 2. Indicative of this is the decrease in delegate numbers at this conference compared with the 400 odd delegates at the February conference. NAR seems to have around 1,500 to 2,000 members and a similar number in their youth section (KNE). Prin, the NAR's weekly paper, sells around 4,000 copies. 3. This phrase was used by Batikas, a co-signatory of the minority document, when introducing their report to conference. It was clearly aimed at the majority who, amongst their other sins, organized a big rally on the crisis in Eastern Europe, with Emest Mandel and Josef Pinior among the main speakers. 4. Pouliopoulos, who served as the KKE's General Secretary, broke from the party in the 1920s and was a leading member of the Left Opposition in Greece. At the time the Archeio-Marxists were the Left Opposition's official section. It is not exactly clear what the reporter meant by " •..but the Trotskyists were wrong" but in any event it is a major step forward to admit that Pouliopoulos, a Trotskyist, was right. 5. Since early December a massive explosion has occurred in the student movement in response to govemment edicts and a new education bill. Well over 2,000 high schools (nearly 50% of all secondary schools in the country have been occupied by students and most technical colleges and university faculties are following suit. Massive demonstrations have been held and May '68 slogans are appearing on banners. Interestingly this wave began in the country regions and gradually spread to the cities.
IRELAND
British "justice" in the dock THE Birmingham Six - John Walker, Richard Mcllkenny, Billy Power, Gerry Hunter, Paddy Hill, and Hugh O'Callaghan -have spent the last 17 years in British jails, falsely accused and convicted of the Birmingham pub bombings in November 1974. Over 20 civilians were killed in these explosions, an action carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
For many years, the plight of these men was ignored. The campaign waged on their behalf was small, and the governments in Dublin and London felt able to ignore the Issue or maintain the lie that they were guilty.
However all that has changed dramatically, especially in Ireland, in the last few years. Nowadays the British administration is severely embarrassed by the case, and the Dublin government begs them to sort it out.
The following article —written in mid-December 1990 -looks at how this change has come about, and the nature of the campaign waged on the men's behalf. On December 17, 1990 the British Court of Appeal decided that the appeal of the could only have been known to police officers. However; she had seen a TV documentary about brutality in a British Army regiment. In this case also people who had witnessed thuggery stayed silent —but eventually there were tragic consequences.
In the circumstances Lynas again took the stand, changing her evidence. Essentially she confirmed the men's own version of events.
Lane and the other two judges dismissed all this as "lying". Naturally there was no instruction to the Director of Public Proescutions (DPP) to investigate Lynas' allegations of attempted intimidation of witnesses - after all the people responsible would almost certainly prove to be employees of the British state.
Other evidence shocked most observers of the Appeal — for example the dubious nature of the forensic evidence, and the unearthing of a document (called the "Reade schedule" after its author, George Reade, police coordinator of the "interrogations) which showed how police lies were coordinated at the original trials.
State protects its agents
Shortly after Lane delivered his judge. ment - declaring that as the Appeal went on he had become "more convinced" of six men against conviction will year. JOHN MEEHAN T HE turnaround in public perceptions of the Birmingham 6 frame-up is due largely to a "Miscarriages of Justice" campaign organized in Ireland over the last few years.
"Miscarriages of Justice" began as a coordinating group on several cases — the Birmingham 6, The Guildford 4, and the Maguire Family (see /V 173 for details of these cases). In time, other cases have been taken up — most notably the Winchester 3 (framed in 1987, released having won their appeal in 1990) and Danny MacNamee, whose appeal hearing started on December 17, 1990.
A very important link in this campaign has been the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), a sub-committee of the Irish Catholic Hierarchy's Commission on emigration. Gradually "Miscarriages of Justice" gathered together different organizations and individuals, and organized several effective public protests.
### Nationalists isolated
This has happened at a time when the revolutionary nationalist organization, Sinn Fein, has found itself increasingly marginalized, and other campaigns on be heard in February of this related issues -above all extradition — have made very little headway.
The first sign of significant public discontent in the 26 Counties came in early 1989 when the British Court of Appeal upheld the men's convictions. Continuous pressure had forced the British Home Secretary to refer the case back to the courts. In fact, the state could quash the convictions any time it liked, but is reluctant to take this course because it would imply lack of confidence in its own judiciary. Chief Justice Lord Lane and his cronies failed to take a heavy hint, in spite of damning new evidence to add to the mountain already in place.
For example, 2 former police officers testified at the Appeal that the men were savagely beaten by members of the West Midlands Serious Crimes Squad. This independently confirmed what the men had been saying for years. Defence witness threatened
One of them, Joyce Lynas, at first said she had seen nothing. Then over a weekend she contacted defence solicitors, indicating she wished to take the stand for a second time. Joyce Lynas explained that she had received threatening phone calls to her home — her private number the men's guilt - British Attorney General Patrick Mayhew announced there would be no prosecutions of police officers involved in "Shoot to kill" operations investigated by John Stalker. Mayhew actually admitted there had been a conspiracy to "pervert the course of justice" but said there would be no prosecutions for "security" reasons.
The intended effect was to make people feel that protest was hopeless. Instead it provoked widespread disgust. A huge demonstration took place in Dublin, calling for the release of the Birmingham 6 and an end to extradition.