As a response to the terror bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, the indochina Solidarity ConTerence called an, emergency demonstration for Saturday, 23 December. Despite the short notice almost 800 militants from the IMG.
AREAS, CFB(M-L), CP (Clapham branch) and the Indochina Solidarity Conference turned The demonstration marched from Hyde Park to the American Embassy in Grosvenor Chants of Victory torten fee was burnt amidst (a) The reason we are on the streets is because chants of "Victory to the NLF" and similar slogans. An appeal was made by the organisers of the demonstration to make the January 20th demonstration the most militant and biggest That is why we raise slogans such as Victory mobilisation of recent months.
An international call has been made by a whole number of antiwar and solidarity organisations for making January 20th an international day of protest. These include the National Peace Action Coalition (NAC) in the United States and the Indochina Solidarity Front (FSI) in France.
The pacifists, vegetarians, social-democrats and their camp-followers in Britain see the protest essentially in terms of pressurising Heath to stop their activities to applying electoral pressure. Our position is completely different, because we view the struggle in Indochina from a differ. ent vantage point. For us the struggle of the Indochinese people is part and parcel of the international class struggle against capitalism. The fact that they are in the frontline of this struggie means that we have to educate workers in other parts of the world (including Britain) on the meaning of what is going on in Vietnam. Our solidarity actions have therefore to stress: we support the Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian workers and peasants. We want them to win. We are for the defeat of US imperialism. to the NLF" or "All Power to the PRG". (b) This victory would be considerably aided by the withdrawal of all imperialist troops from the area and a stop in the bombing. We do not support the right of these troops and planes to be there in the first place. That is why we raise the slogan of "For the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US forces in Indochina", (c) Precisely because we are in favour of the "unconditional withdrawal of all troops, etc., we do not give any support to the concessions which the United States has gained from the Vietnamese revolutionaries over the last few months. This does not mean that we are criticising the Vietnamese comrades for making these concessions. No, the Vietnamese militants have been placed in this situation by the treachery of their allies in Peking and Moscow.
They need a breathing space.
The role of the solidarity movement in the advanced capitalist countries is, however, not the same as that of the militants in Indochina, though the goal is the same. Our tactics are determined by how best we can ensure the victory of the revolution in Indochina. That is why we are not in favour of the "Sign Now' position. It eduin the solidarity movement and it implies that once a treaty is signed all our problems will be over. This is not only false but it helps to sow dangerous illusions. Even after a treaty was signed machine; but they need not be negligible. Regular the civil war would not be over. The 200,000 political prisoners locked in Thie's prisons face extermination. Thieu is threatening to arrest and "neutralise" other NLF supporters.
The dynamic of the situation will result in new mass upsurges, particularly after a ceasefire.
That is why our slogan can only be SOLIDARITY. 21 Priory Grove, London S.W.8. TILL FINAL VICTORY The Indochinese Resistance The recent Indochina Solidarity Conference pledged full support to the peoples of Indochina in their struggle against US aggression. With the new bombing onslaught on the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the prospect of four more years of war for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the need to fulful that pledge is even more urgent.
The International Fund to Aid the Indochinese Resistance, while supporting the other soldarity activities now being organised, also offers a practical way or showing sondanty with the Indochinese peoples: making a financial contribution to their struggle.
The Fund, which was one of the conference sponsors and is working in the ISC continuing committee, cates no one. It politically disarms militants activel and revolutionary administrations of Indo china, to colects money to give to the liberation movement: use as they wish. The amounts which can be collected are of course small compared with the need, let alone with the colossal spending of the US war contributions on a mass basis can add up to a real and worthwhile expression of our solidarity. Send a contribution now cheques payable to "Indochina Fund"') to the address below. Bankers order forms for regular payments are availble. Jane Prince