of domestic and international protest.
A general strike called by leftwing and underground workers organisations on Monday was reported to be 90 per cent effective in the two key Basque provinces of Guipuzcoa and Vizcaya. In the city of San Sebastian thousands took part in protests, and six demonstrators were shot by the police. Virtually all the city's traders closed their shops in sympathy with the strikes, despite police intimidation. Further mass demonstrations are taking place throughout the Basque COUnLIV.
The massive tide of indignation sweeping the European working class has laid the basis for totally isolating this bloodstained regime. In many countries trade unionists have already taken steps to cut off Spanish transport and communication links. Most European Governments have been forced to re-call their ambassadors from Madrid in the face of these protests, and the Mexican Government has ordered the closing of all Spanish GovernThe brutal Franco regime - spawned by Hitler and Mussolini in the Civil War of the '30s - is today being rocked to its foundations by a huge wave in Blackpool, Foreign Secretary Callaghan read out a pious statement from the Executive stating its total abhorrence and condemnation of the death sentences. Callaghan told the Conference: *Let us send a simple message to the Spanish people: what you are witnessing is across Europe: utions.
Callaghan nor the Labour Party Executive has anything to offer.
Indeed, Callaghan and the Labour Government have refused to take Franco's brutal murder of five anti-fascist militants evoked a massive wave of international protest In France tens of thousands gathered outside the Spanish Embassy in Paris on both Friday and Saturday nights. Both the Spanish tourist offices and the Spanish rail offices were physically wrecked. Demonstrations took place in at least 12 othe cities across France, including Nantes where the spanisn consulate was destroved In Italy some ten thousand demonstrators assem bled outside the Spanish Embassy in Rome on Fri day night to demand amnesty for the Five militants.
When the executions were announced on Saturday their ranks swelled to 150,000. On Monday workers in dozens of factories all across Italy downed toois tor nive to ten minutes in protest artne вєс In Holland 40,000 took part in a protest demonstration in Utrecht offically supported by the But the Spanish people understand this only too well. What they need at this moment is practical aid in their fight to shorten this bloody death agony. On this point neither Government and led by the Socialist Party Prime Minister. The top floor of the Spanish Embassy in the Hague was destroyed by fire.
In Portugal thousands of anti-Franco demonstrators, supported ov tank and tue soiciers, destroved the Spanish Embassy in Lisbon.
In Greece Germany and Switzerland there were demonstrations totalling tens of thousands. meanwnie, curopean workers nave beaun moves to break all links with the Franco regime:
Dockers in italy and France are blacking al Spanish ships; Airport workers in Italy, Belgium and Sweden are refusing to handle Spanish aircraft; Postal workers in Italy are blacking Spanish mail; The CFDT trade union federation in France has called for a day of protest by the European work ing class' on 2 October.