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   Vol.66/No.10            March 11, 2002 
 
 
Letters
 
Support Sinn Fein
I would like to respond to a letter in the February 25 issue which called for revolutionary socialists to review the support they gave to Sinn Fein. It appears that the contributor feels that the party is about to "follow the ANC" and embrace neoliberal politics.

Criticism of Gerry Adams' visit to the World Economic Forum occurs without any reference to context. In reality, he was attending a debate on the future of the North of Ireland. Also attending was David Trimble (pro-British Unionist party) and Mark Durkan (Social Democratic Labour Party, a bourgeois nationalist party). Is Mr. Fritz suggesting that Sinn Fein allow other parties to argue their cases but for Republicans to "cut off our nose to spite ourselves"?

The Republican movement is in the midst of a conflict resolution process, one in which it is involved in strategic compromises, one which offers a road map to Irish liberation (and the subsequent achievement of a 32-County Socialist Republic). This situation has come about because of the inability of either militant Republicanism or British Imperialism to achieve an all-out military victory. If Gerry Adams can bring any (bourgeois) political forces to bear to support the cause of Irish reunification through his acts of participation (and still make comments on the need for canceling third world debt) then we as Socialists should support that.

The crucial issue here is that the Irish Republicans are acting, objectively, in the interests of the international proletariat. Indeed, I would contest that any national liberation movement which acts to defeat imperialism, to limit its strength, and to pass power back to the oppressed peoples is something which needs to be supported completely.

The movement for Irish liberation is precisely such a force; it has a mass base and can effectively mobilize tens of thousands onto the streets for progressive objectives. Sinn Fein is a party committed to the achievement of the 32-county independent Irish Socialist Republic. It is constitutionally bound to the achievement of the 1919 Democratic Programme passed by the first all-Ireland parliament which made explicit the common ownership of the means of production.

D. O'C.
Ireland

Pizza Hut workers
I am writing from a newly formed union of Pizza Hut workers in Greece. The core of initial activists are anarchist, but there are now many more independent workers. We participated in the big strike in Athens last April and have managed to get a colleague rehired who was fired last July. We have achieved better working conditions at one shop and have organized another. We have contacts with Pizza Hut workers in many more shops, including in Thessaloniki.

We would like to establish contact with workers in Pizza Hut all over the world (globalization of resistance is the only way to confront the globalization of capital). If you can help us we would be pleased.

Michael Stathogiannis
Athens, Greece

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of interest to working people.

Please keep your letters brief. Where necessary they will be abridged. Please indicate if you prefer that your initials be used rather than your full name.  
 
 
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