Vol. 73/No. 31      August 17, 2009

Sean Downes’ heart stopped when he was hit in the chest by a rock-hard, four-inch-long plastic bullet fired at close range. Others—including children—were injured as the RUC hit out indiscriminately with batons and plastic bullets.

The march—an annual event—had been called to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the introduction of internment without trial in British-ruled Northern Ireland. Despite being officially ended, internment is still maintained in Northern Ireland through other means. Activists in the freedom struggle are tried in special juryless courts.  
 
August 17, 1959
Five Negro students yesterday demonstrated the heroism that assures ultimate victory over the forces of race hatred. Two of them, Elizabeth Eckford, 17, and Jefferson Thomas, 16, calmly walked into Little Rock’s Central High School after a mob of 250 racists, incited by Gov. Faubus, had tried to claw through police and firemen in front of the school. The night before, 20 minutes after a TV speech by Faubus, a carload of white men pumped bullets at the home of Negro leader Daisy Bates.

The mob at Central High came directly from a Negro-baiting rally at the state capitol where Faubus said he was with them “all the way.” He urged that they avoid violence except as “a last resort.”

A racist woman stood up to a fire hose, screaming, “I’m not going to school with niggers!” Another shrieked, “Communists, Communists!”  
 
August 18, 1934
Riding high over all moves of the reactionary officialdom for postponement, the overwhelming majority of the 570 delegates to the annual convention of the United Textile Workers, now in session in New York, voted for a general strike on or about September 1.

With a strike of 20,000 cotton workers already in progress in Alabama and the report that 2,000 have joined them in Georgia, the sentiment for a general strike which will involve more than 500,000 exploited slaves from Maine to Alabama, swept over the convention like a mighty tide.

As [union president] McMahon concluded his demagogic speech the entire delegation from Alabama, where the workers have faced bullets, tear gas, cops and soldiers, jumped from their seats and shouted for a strike vote.  
 
 
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