EUROPEAN SOCIALIST YOUTH. STAGE VIETNAM SOLIDARITY MARCH.
Brussels
More than 4,000 youth from all over Europe participated in an anti-imperialist demonstration in Liége on October 15. It was an impressive gathering from any point. of view, even the police putting the number of demonstrators at 3,000.
The feature giving the demonstration a new character was the hundreds of young revolutionists who came from twelve other countries to join the Belgians. These © ~~ included the Young Socialists from England, the youth grouped around the French publication Révolte, the Revolutionary Communist Youth of France’ and less numerous groups from Denmark, West Germany, Spain, Italy and still other countries ‘as well as delega-: tions from Canada and the United States.
Besides sending delegations, the participating organizations utilized the Liége demonstration as a topic for agitation and propaganda in their own countries. The Revolutionary Communist Youth in the south of France, for instance, who were too distant to send a big. contingent, campaigned to show their solidarity with the demonstration.
The demonstration, which was conceived as a united front action in solidarity with the Vietnamese revolution, met with an unfavorable response from some of the Stalinist centers. Thus at Havre and Gennevilliers, physical intimidation was utilized against activists belonging to the Revolutionary Communist Youth who came out in support of the Belgian Socialist Young Guard, the organization that sponsored the demonstration.
In Belgium, under pressure from the rank and file, the leaders of the Communist Youth agreed, with some reluctance, to support the October 15 demonstration. They even pasted up. leaflets publicizing the demonstration, featuring some of the slogans ("Kick NATO Out of Belgium!" and "U.S.Aggressors Get Out of Vietnam!"). But they did not mention the sponsoring organization, the Socialist Young Guard [Jeune Garde Socialiste]. A case of identity in opposites? Keep Left, the publication of the Young Socialists of England and Révolte likewise omitted mentioning that the initiative in organizing the demonstration came from the Socialist Young Guard.
The appearance of a slogan, carried by the English ‘Young Socialists, hailing the Hungarian revolution of 1956, was seized on by the leaders of the Belgian Communist Youth as a convenient pretext, offering a semblance of justification for withdrawing from the united demonstration and lining up with the position of the French Stalinists.
The Young Socialists could be asked why the members of the organization with which they are in political solidarity, the Socialist Labour league , did not carry a similar banner when they participated in the Shell bus strike in 1958. At that time they correctly refused to force all their positions on the workers. Does the united front consist of nothing more than a constant confrontation of all the positions of its participants?
After the leaders of the Belgian Communist Youth, followed by a large number of members (about 100), left the demonstration, the march began. Aside from a group of young "Provos" from Holland, it consisted mainly of young revolutionists.
The Liége demonstration constituted a first step along the road of coordinating their organizations and engaging in common actions. The obstacles and pitfalls on this road are not small ones. In the October 15 demonstration, for instance, the Belgian authorities refused to permit the carloads of young Dutch socialists from entering the country.
For the European bourgeoisie, the ministers, technicians and military brass of any country can meet in Brussels to put the finishing touches on their military plans. But when youth of these countries seek to come to Liége to protest against the aggression in Vietnam and against NATO, it's a crime!
STUDENTS WIN