The importance of the October peace demonstration
The peace demonstrations in West Germany from Sep- At the same time, in view of the failure of the peace tember 19 to October 20 have been the first test of movement to stop the first phase of deployment, exthe staying power of the antimissile movement since cept in Denmark, some forces have been more attractthe start of deployment in the decisive country in ed to direct action, civil disobedience. In its October
Europe for the new imperialist arms buildup.
the Fourth International, pointed out that this pro-
The results indicate that the peace movement has vided an excuse for liberals and leaders of the SPD left gone into a difficult phase but is maintaining its basic wing to distance themselves from the movement.
In fact, the movement has polarized be- Thus the demonstration against Nato at Fulda on tween those who favor retreat, turning toward de- September 29 drew 50,000 mands for restraint of the arms buildup rather than for but as much or more than the mass antinuclear disarmament and shying away from any challenge to rallies that some years ago opened the new epoch of
Nato, and the main actvist forces that are for contin- mass demonstrations in West Germany.
uing the campaign against the arms buildup and link- more, this was mainly a regional action in a generally ing it with opposition to Reagan's war drive in Central quite conservative area.
America and austerity. (See the article on the Perugia The October 20 antimissile demonstrations brought conference of European peace activists in IV, No 61, out about 300,000.
from the issue of Was Tun preceding the actions.
PEACE MOVEMENT 15 October 1984).
The Kohl government is trying to take advantage of the peace movement's crisis of orientation and the difficulties it is having in mobilizing not just against the missiles but also against Nato and the latter's recent military maneuvers to split the movement. Whether the peace movement can meet this challenge also depends on how it responds to the defeat it has suffered. An attempt to minimize it would lead as much into a blind alley as the defeatist mood that has been spreading among the radical forces in German youth say no to Cruise missiles!
PERSHINGUI CRUISE MISSILES
NEIN!
11 issue, Was Tun,
The fact is that the bulk of the planned deployment of the Pershing II missiles and the deployment of the Cruise missiles is still ahead of us and not behind us. The fact is that deployment has been slowed for political reasons. For example, it has leaked out that the West German government has asked the American government to refrain from further deployment of the missiles. The fact is also that the West. German government cannot take on the peace the paper of the German section of people, less than hoped FurtherThe following is the editorial movement directly, because despite the latter's initial partial defeats, it still has the majority of the population behind it.
That fact alone represents the success of last year's mass demonstrations. However, that is not enough. This is not because our demands were not radical enough, but because the only way to stop the deployment of the missiles is to stay the hand of the government run by Reagan's missile-loving crony, Kohl.
It is this goal that the peace move. ment must work for with its own means -by showing through massive protest actions and demonstrations where the majority stands and that it is not going to accept the arrogant policy of the minority around this missile government, by focusing attention more strongly on the preparations for deployment of the Cruise missiles, which are planned to be deployed in 1985, by systematically making the missiles an issue in all the coming elections.
The threat of a military invasion of Central America by the US imperialists is creating a situation where the movement has to see the achievement of its demands more clearly in connection with the international class struggle.
Solidarity with the struggle of the peoples of Central America against imperialist aggression is no substitute for fighting against the missiles. But it is a test of whether we can oppose the war policy of imperialism in an area where war is no longer merely a menace but actually being waged.
We must make sure that the big rallies on October 20 in Bonn, Hamburg and Stuttgart, and the countrywide Nicaragua demonstration on November 3 are truly massive. This will be the strongest answer to all those who are writing premature obituaries for the peace movement.