WEEKLY Mile End Road once more received the attentions of anti-racist militants last Friday. The picket-one of a series-was held as part of a campaign to end the colour bar operated by landlord Gerald Byrne. East London Teachers' Association is also moving to contest his licence with Charrington's, Local militants regard this campaign as particularly important because the National Front stood a candidate (an ex policeman) in the area for the first time in the last election. Launched this year. nghts. A HUNGER STRIKER HAS DIED in a Spanish prison cell - that is the news to have seeped out of Spain over the last week.
158 political prisoners-including a number of priests-have heen on hunger strike for nearly live weeks. For some it is the fifth hunger strike they have Most of Spain's industriai centres have recentiy been racked with strikes, many of which have centred around a comhination of demands for increased wages and demands for the Agir to free assembly and trade union Last week a general strike call in solidarity with the political prisoners was issued by a wide range of lettwing groups-including the workers" commissions (illegal trade union) and the Basque nationalist group ETA.
Nearly 200,000 workers in the Basque provinces of north-cast Spain responded to the strike call. There were numerous street demonstrations and 60 arrests were made. Police opened fire on demonstrators and ote student in the small town of Hernani was taken to hospital suffering from serious bullet wounds. The cops claimed they were firing in the The Franco regime is in a serious political crisis, toing and-froing between the introduction of reforms that would lead to more 'normal' bourgeois democracy and the adoption of a hard lite against political opposition. It is hardly surprising thal important sections of the working class are beginning to exploit this crists in a concerted attempt to win basic political and economic These reforms, once won, could open the way Tor the development of new political and economic strugales which would call into question the existence of Spanish capitalisin. The main roadblocks on this road in the coming months will he the revamped Spanish Communist Party and its Democratic Junta" which will try to have the workers struggles take a back-scat to the mandeurres of "Hibera." capitalist politicians and will constantly try to direct all activity towards reformist ends Actions like the Basque general strike and similar actions against the dictatorship today are an excellent training tor Spanish militants in the problems which will contront them tomorrow.