SWP (US) Work in Britain

["D OC" <donaloc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Although they are a small group of people. I'm continually impressed by the
activities of the SWP (US) cadres in Britain. They're always on-the-ball and
it seems like they have orientated towards activities linked to Irish and
black communities in Britain - specifically in places like Glasgow. I've got
to know a few of them pretty well and despite our very different
organisational origins, I have nothing but respect for those guys. I'm just
posting this account of a rally held in London recently, in recognition of
their continued and dogged support for our cause - if only the rest of the
British left were so consistent allies.

London march backs Irish freedom fight

BY PAUL DAVIES
LONDON?Some 200 people from across the United Kingdom took to the streets
here May 24 in a march for a united Ireland. Led by lively republican flute
bands from Glasgow and Liverpool, the marchers made their way through
Westminster and past Downing Street.
?We?re marching through the heart of the British establishment. What can
Britain do in Ireland? The short answer is?leave,? said Peter Leary. Leary,
from Enniskillen, is a member of the British-based network, Student Friends
of Ireland.

An Irish student who did not wish to be named said he was marching because
?there is still a British military presence in south Armagh where I come
from. The army still patrols our streets. They still set up impromptu
roadblocks. The police harass prominent people in the nationalist community.
The army still flies helicopters over our areas.

?It?s all part of the ongoing degradation of the nationalist community. The
day you get used to it is the day that you accept it. That is why we will
carry on protesting,? he said, referring to the brutality of British rule
over Northern Ireland and the discrimination against the Catholic
population.

Many of the marchers carried placards that read, ?Build a united
Ireland?Support Sinn Fein,? and ?Reinstate elections in the North of Ireland
now?Defend the right to vote.? The latter referred to the British
government?s recent decision to postpone elections to the Northern Ireland
Assembly that are due in May.

...snip...

Also on the march were a group of Basque youth resident in London, who
carried Basque flags and drew attention to the ongoing struggle of the
Basque people against their national oppression by the Spanish state.

Among the speakers were also Diane Langford from the Palestinian Solidarity
Campaign and Ghada El Najjar of the Palestinian Progressive Youth Union in
the Gaza Strip. ?Irish and Palestinian people all over the world are
struggling against imperialism,? El Najjar told demonstrators. ?Our
struggles are not religious ones. They are conflicts over human rights and
against discrimination,? she said.

for full, see:

http://www.themilitant.com/2003/6720/672052.html

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