Socialist R

ON June 4th, the US President arrives. in Dublin. No doubt there will be a lot of ballyhoo! Some readers will remember Some readers will remember the Kennedy visit and craven euphoria which descended on the Irish population. Hard times and economic recessions can make anything out of the ordinary — like a US President's visit and the pomp and ceremony that goes with it — seem like light relief!

US WAR DRIVE But Reagan’s visit represents more than light relief. He sums up the aspirations of capitalists everywhere, a figure head of world imperialism. And he is intent on deepening the cold war atmosphere we have become familiar with. Aggressive and confident enough to smash the revolution in Grenada, determined enough to undermine it in Nicaragua and_prevent it in the Middle East, Reagan is even bad enough to risk nuclear war — extermination to stop the advance of socialism.

Widespread opposition to Reagan's visit has already been expressed by the anti-imperialist and socialist organisations, CND and_ the Central American Solidarity groups. This should be brought together in a broad united movement to ensure a proper welcome for the US _— president. AntiReagan mobilising committees should be set up in all the major cities and towns.

‘Already some good proposals have been made such as that to have a peace camp in Ballyporeen. The Cork Ford workers, recently deprived of their jobs by the giant US corporation, have expressed a willingness to be involved in protesting the visit.

IRISH NEUTRALITY All agree that Reagan’s visit will involve an attempt to win Irish votes in the US Presidential elections and win support for US military interventions in Central America and the Middle East from the British and Irish governments. Reagan will also push FitzGerald on Irish neutrality and the need for Ireland to join NATO in support of the nuclear missiles race.

There is of course, another side to Reagan's visit — and that ts the growing convergence between US and British fory policy on Northern Ireland. Or, the agreement between Thatcher and Reagan on defeating ‘terrorism’ and the IRA. America fears another. Cuba, as does Britain! The US has already announced through Price. its US ambassador to London, a new clampdown on US fundraising lor the Northern struggle, Anti-impertalists. socialists and. repubhcans should also draw these implications into the campaign.

DEFEND DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS Finally, the threatened clampdown during the (our on ‘subversives’ should be loudly challenged by the campaign as a direct attack on democratic rights and the right to protest. Where is FitzGerald’s liberalism now???

JOHN MEEHAN and JESSIE McDONALD US CONDONED DEATH SQUADS Former US Ambassador to El Salvador, Robert White, has testified to a White House subcommittee that ‘US officials have condoned, if not encouraged, death squad activity for years and protected wealthy Salvadorean exiles living in Miami, who finance the terrorist operations.

According to White, six wealthy Salvadoreans ‘hatch plots in Miami and communicate instructions to their agents in El Salvador identified by White as Major d’Aubuisson of the right wing ARENA party. White also testitied that the US embassy in San Salvador gave evidence to the US State Department that D’Aubisson had personally organised the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Washington did nothing with this information, White said.

and axe | 8) Ss COMMUNITY CONTROL AND POLITICAL ACTION NEEDED:

If one was to believe the recent reports in various newspapers in Dublin on Community Against Drugs, vigilantes are‘on the rise, Of course, any action by the community independent of Leinster House politicians or gardai will be seen as a threat to their political power over the community.

SELF-ORGANIZATION There is no doubt that the self organisation of local communities hasf local communities has rattled» the TDs and gardai — they would prefer that people in Crumlin, Ballymun and Teresa's Garderns stayIt PF (IF ed off the streets. All the evidence points to an abysmal failure ‘to protect communities against long-time drug pushers, and a complete neglect of the young people suffering from drugs.

The politicians are hypocritical in their concern about drug abuse, while doing nothing about unemployment. These communities are to be encouraged in _ their efforts at self defence.

While the state refuses to provide jobs or funds for drop-in centres, the frustration and angér will grow.

POLITICAL SOLUTION The next phase of the campaign must raise the need for a. political solution. Demands for more police and longer prison sentences are a diversion. Such repression’ would be directed IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE. PEOPLES DEMOCRACY AND FIGHTING FOR A SOCIALIST 32 COUNTY REPUBLIC, FILL IN THE FORM BELOW AND SEND IT TO:

NAME: sll disap aaean cise ae ao ADDRESS? sctitassskcisiis.naascevs smacieunsiveiedoateessnotees eh eerees mainly against the unfortunate victims of the drug pushers and not against the organised big time. criminals. Equally dangerous for the campaign would be a response in kind to the provocative violence of the pushers. This would only obscure the responsibility of the politicians and take the spot light off their abject failure to really help the communities scourged by the pushers.

The campaign should moye in the opposite direction. Expulsions of pushers from communities are best linked to demands on the government to provide jobs im surrounding __ localities and develop community facilities for drug afflicted youth.

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