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    Vol.60/No.5           February 5, 1996 
 
 
25 And 50 Years Ago  
February 5, 1971
NEW YORK - The Women's Strike Coalition, which has carried out two successful actions since the Aug. 26 women's demonstration in New York, has now set itself the task of responding to attempts to cut the heart out of the liberalized New York State abortion law passed last year. Bills have been introduced in the New York legislature (13 in all) which propose a multitude of restrictions to the law. Among the most dangerous is one which states that "an abortion may be obtained only to save the life of the mother."

The Women's Strike Coalition intends to respond to this blatant attempt to quietly abolish the gains women have made in fighting for free, legal abortions in New York, by organizing a massive demonstration to take place at the legislature in Albany during the last weeks of March - to coincide with the legislature's debate on the abortion law.

The Coalition is also planning a city-wide Women's Liberation Conference at Barnard College on the weekend of March 6. Most of the work of organizing the conference is being done by Barnard and Columbia Women's Liberation groups, with the office of Barnard Women's Liberation serving as the organizing center for this Coalition activity.

February 2, 1946
Twenty thousand Chinese students marching through the streets of Shanghai on January 13 defied police efforts to disperse them and shouted at Americans along the route: "Why don't you go home?"

Leaders of the students said the demonstration was part of a nationwide movement demanding establishment of a democratic China and withdrawal of United States forces.

The following day thousands of students again paraded in Shanghai's streets. They demanded that American troops quit China and shouted "Down with imperialism!"

Besides the desire of the Chinese people to solve their problems without interference from Wall Street's forces, they have other reasons for urging immediate withdrawal of American troops.

The Chinese people suffer daily from the brutality of American military police. "In railroad stations crowds cringe back from the ugly little batons that American M.P.'s carry," says Robert P. Martin, correspondent for the N.Y. Post. "Those clubs have been used."

In addition to the military police, other American soldiers under the imperialist ideology of the Brass Hats likewise treat the Chinese most brutally. "Every night in Tientsin, Peiping and Tsingtao," Martin declares, "the shattered bodies of Chinese killed by American trucks and jeeps are dragged from the narrow winding streets."

However, according to Martin, only about 10 per cent of the servicemen have been guilty of crimes against the Chinese. The vast majority of the GIs condemn the actions of this misguided minority.

American soldiers and Marines are embittered and dissatisfied because they are forced to remain in China. They would be only too glad to accede to the demands of the Chinese people and go home. But Washington does not guide its policy either by the desires of the American soldiers or by the demands voiced by Chinese ricksha men, peasants, laborers and students.

 
 
 
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