This 16" camp of young people in solidarity with the Fourth International continued our long-established traditions of putting the fight against sexism and heterosexism at the centre of its concerns. The women only space allowed young women at the camp to discuss among themselves and to prepare the activities that encourage the whole camp to reflect on these themes. After a forum devoted to discussion of women's liberation, young women celebrate their enthusiasm with a Obituary Traitor to imi
Mark Bracegirdle arrived in
Ceylon in 1936, hoping to make a career in the colony's tea plantations. A former member of Australia's Young Communists, he quickly identified with the Tamil plantation workers, who had been uprooted from India, and faced long hours, bad housing and low wages.
After only seven months, the Reluges Estate Madulkelle terminated his services, and booked him a one-way steamer ticket back to Australia. But Bracegirdle stayed on in Ceylon, championing the cause of the Tamil estate workers. He joined the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP-Equal Society Party), the colony's first political party, and a thorn in the side of the planter regime.
much-appreciated series of sketches illustrating women's oppression and a women-only party.
Comrades at the gay and lesbian space turned their energies towards explaining to all camp participants the importance of sexual liberation for everyone, whatever their personal orientation. As always, the party they organised was a highlight of the camp's social activities.
These young European comrades, deeply involved in struggles that concern them directly, never forget the importance of internationalism. Their invitation to the European representative of the Indonesian People's Democratic Party (PRD), Robbie Hortona, their enthusiastic reception of the message from the Mexican Zapatista Front read at the opening meeting by Flavia d'Angeli, leading member of the Giovani Comunisti and the Italian 4th Internationalists, and their response to the moving Algerian testimony reflect their deep internationalist convictions.
Closing the camp, the comrade of the Fourth International responsible for working with the youth organisations, Penny Duggan, stressed the importance for the Fourth International of renewing itself by recruiting young comrades who could bring an understanding of today's problems and tomorrow's solutions. erialism
The British settler elite was outraged at Bracegirdle's exposé of the sub-human conditions on the plantations, and they began to agitate about the "communist threat to law and order and worker discipline." The Times of Ceylon newspaper, and the British-dominated police forced the Governor to order Bracegirdle's deportation.
The young activists went underground, shielded by members of the LSSP. He was finally arrested in 1937, after he addressed a mass rally of 50,000 in Colombo's Galle Face Green. His lawyers argued that the Governor's exercise of absolute power interfered with the liberty of a British subject, violated the rule of law and the colony's constitution.
The camp next year in Portugal for which the comrades promise 200 young Portuguese will be another step towards this goal. Not to be missed!
The average age of participants was 21, with women making up 38%. There were 18 delegations: France, Portugal, Italy, (60-150) Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Denamrk, Netherlands, (20-40) Poland, Sweden, Canaries, Greece, Russia, Saragossa, Luxemburg, Norway, Austria, and Britain (12-2) [PD/JD] *
Net Working
Husson
Our economics writer Michel
Husson now uploads most of his own articles onto his personal hompage.
http://home.worldnet.fr/hussonet/
News From Within
Israelo-Palestinian magazine.
http://aic.netgate.net/nfw/index.html
The Bracegirdle affair focused the attention of educated classes of all ethnic groups on the need to free the island from colonial rule. His anti-imperialist determination provoked a national debate on the freedom of the individual, the limits of executive power, the right of the judiciary to question the executive, and the political question of workers rights.
Bracegirdle left Ceylon in 1937. He was a conscientious objector during the second world war, and later joined the Aldermaston marches against Britain's nuclear weapon programme. He was an active member of Britain's Labour Party. In the 1970s, he worked as a Transport Manager for Zambia's Flying Doctor Service. [WM/JD] * The Bracegirdle Affair, by Wesley S. Muthiah and Sydney Wanasinghe, is available from 27 Belmont Ave, London N13 4HD, Great Britain. Tel. +44 181 882 3423
International Viewpoint #315 October 1999 35
well read News From Within, 8/99
Palestinian Sociologist Dr. Salim Tamari heads the Institute of Jerusalem Studies and is a member of the Refugee Working Group that deals with the question of refugees established in the wake of the Madrid conference.
In this interview, Tamari describes the new book Jerusalem 1948 (which he edited) containing a collection of articles on Palestinian residency in West Jerusalem before the 1948.
Tamari provides insight into what the Israeli strategy has been vis à vis the refugees in negotiations and discusses what the PA will have to face when final status negotiations begin.
Other articles address the issue of European Union Aid to Palestinian Authority "Security" services, an analysis of Jewish History Text books, a critical assessment of Azmi Bishara's "Tajamu'" party and its failures both ideologically and tactically in the last elections, and much much more. News From Within, July 1999
Includes articles on the actual and real possibility of the Right of Return (by Dr. Salman Abu Sitta), an assessment of Barak's coalition and what he did to get Shas in his government (Dr. Tikva Honig ( Parnass), a scathing analysis of the Palestinian Authority and its Facade War against NGOs all the time in the back wings making million dollar deals with the Peres Center for Peace, and the story of how the Israeli establishment closed down a progressive school for undernrivelaned Mizrahi vouth. privelaged Mizrahi youth.
36 International Viewpoint #315 October 1999