January 15, 1971
Expressing years of hatred for U.S. occupation of their
island, some 3,000 Okinawans attempted to storm the U.S.
military base at Naha, Okinawa, early in the morning of Dec.
20.
The protest began at 1 a.m., "when a car driven by an American serviceman struck and injured an Okinawan outside the air base," UPI reported.
According to AP, the Okinawans "hurled gasoline bombs, empty bottles and stones at United States military personnel and Okinawan policemen and damaged 60 American vehicles....
"Police sources said 16 Okinawans and a number of American servicemen had been injured. About 800 U.S. troops and military policemen fired warning shots and scores of tear gas shells to disperse the rioters. They arrested at least 50 Okinawans during the four-hour outburst."
At Misato, the previous day, about 2,600 Okinawans participated in a demonstration demanding immediate and complete withdrawal of U.S. nerve gas stored on the island. Washington has stated its intentions of removing the nerve gas, but has not announced satisfactory safety guarantees for transmittal, the Okinawan demonstrators said.
The U.S. military complex on Okinawa constitutes the largest air base in the world. It is presently a key link of U.S. imperialism's global police network.
In addition to stockpiling nerve gases and other forms of chemical warfare, the Pentagon also maintains nuclear- armed "Strategic Air Command" bombers at Okinawa. The base is a staging area for the B-52 fights that daily and nightly pound Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
January 12, 1946
PARIS, France, Dec. 13 - Despite inadequate
transportation, some 100,000 striking civil service workers
demonstrated yesterday at the Velodrome d'Hiver against
Pleven, Minister of Finance.
"We want our 1,000 francs!" shouted the demonstrators. "Down with Pleven!"
This demonstration is a highly significant indication of the militant mood of the French workers. It is the first strike of the civil service employees in years. The last demonstration occurred February 12, 1934, when these workers protested against the rising danger of fascism. But not even that demonstration was comparable in size to the present one.
If the de Gaulle government threatens the strikers with disciplinary reprisals, declared Jean Neumeyer, head of the Federation des Fonctionnaires (Federation of Civil Service Employees), a general strike will be called. Such a strike will have the approval of the CGT (General Federation of Labor).
The day before the huge demonstration, Andre Malraux, de Gaulle's Minister of Information, declared that "the government will not discuss under the strikers' threat." The day after the demonstration, however, a placard signed by the whole personnel under Malraux was posted at the entry of his Ministry threatening a general strike if the General Federation of Labor gives the word.