ATHLETES BACK AN IRISH PROTEST
Algeria did not participate in the fifty-first international cross-country race held March 21 in the Leopardsttown hippodrome in the outskirts of Dublin. Instead of competing, the Algerian athletes honored a request from an Irish national sports organization to abstain.
The ‘Irish distributed a leaflet at the sports event pointing out that "Irishmen are banned" from the race because "they will not beg crumbs from England's tablo." Thus the "Irish" team selected for the competition represented only six clubs out of 600 in Ireland,
Demonstrators were arrested by the Dublin police. Prominent among the victims was Seosamh Mac Criostail. He was treasurer of the Irish Electricians! Strike Committee in 1961 which led a struggle against an attempted government-imposed wage freeze, And he was president of the National Students Council which organized mass doemon~ strations in Dublin in support of the Algerian freedom fighters during the struggle for Algeriats independence,
Labor and sports organizations are urged to send protests over the arrests and demand the immediate release of Mac Criostail from Mountjoy Jail,
Protests should be sent to: The Department of Justice, Government Buildings, Merrion Street, Dublin 2, Ireland,
Send copies of statements to: G. Lawless, % W.I.R. Publications, 574 Gray's Inn Road, London, W.C,.1. on.
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