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Solidarity In GDR

By VVAW

Vo Thi Lien, the sole survivor of the Song May massacre led by Lt. Calley, with tears streaming down her face, turned to us and said: 'I cannot help but be bitter about the murder of 18 members of my family by US troops, but I know you, the progressive people of America, have struggle valiantly to stop the US government's genocide against my people." Then the two members of VVAW/WSO present at the meeting were introduced to the 100 Vietnamese delegates, and to our deep humility, the Vietnamese stood and applauded, shouting, 'Bravo! Bravo!

This was the second day of the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students, an international event to promote Peace, Friendship and Solidarity between the peoples of all countries struggling for peace, justice and against US imperialism. 300 people from all over the United States and many different organizations united together to meet delegates from 118 other countries, some of them socialist, some still colonies, and other. There were delegations from Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the African National Congress, Zimbabwe (South Africa), Zahre, PAIGC, FRELIMO, Senegal, France, Chile, Argentina, Palestine, and scores of other nations and liberation movements. The festival was held for 10 days in the German Democratic Republic's capitol city, Berlin. Over 300,000 people participated in the Festival.

We went to Berlin with some misgivings. Afterall, we were coming form the country that has and is wreaking unprecedented devastation throughout the world, and here we were going to meet the very people that we had fought against, bombed, and mined. The Vietnamese, the Laotians, the Koreans and many others. However, all was overcome in the great spirit of solidarity that these people showed to us as we both recognized the common struggles that the peoples of all our countries are facing--the monster US military and economic domination.

The Festival was packed with political events every day from dawn to midnight. There were seminars for discussion of various problems throughout the world. There were massive solidarity rallies everyday the first being solidarity with the Indochinese people. VVAW/WSO had the great honor to speak for the US delegation at the solidarity rally for the Vietnamese people. Over 10,000 people were present as we spoke to the world of our deep commitment to the Vietnamese people and all the Indochinese; a committment to see that any continued US involvement in their affairs is stopped and that the US government implement fully the points of the Jan. 27th Peace Accords. VVAW/WSO then presented the entire Vietnamese delegation with a roll of our "The Vietnamese have been Victorious on the Battlefield" poster.

VVAW/WSO also led the US delegation to the bi-lateral meeting with the Laotian delegation. For the first time, a large group of Americans met with a large group of Laotians to drink, sing and dance. When one considers that US bombers have totally destroyed the people of Plain de Jars, and when one considers that the Laotian people have faced the largest bomb tonnage per person of all the countries of Indochina, it is not hard to understand our feelings as we hugged and drank with these fine, warm people. The Laotians asked VVAW/WSO to make a tape for their radio broadcast which was gladly consented to. In it, we spoke of our resolve to learn more and teach the American people what has happened in Laos and who the people of Laos are.

It is impossible to recount in words the different feelings that came up in these meetings with the various delegations. At first, we felt some guilt. Afterall, we do live in the heart of the beast. But that is exactly what makes the people of the other delegations respect us more than ever. They will tell you in no uncertain terms, as they told us time after time. We have the greatest, hardest, and most respected struggle of all, that of changing a government whose deadly fingers reach around the world, seeking ever greater profits and power. The rest of the world recognizes the great repression we face in our task, and they love us for it.

Again and again, the role of US imperialism was brought home to us. Many of us tend to forget that there are 50,000 troops stationed in South Korea, and that the government of South Korea is as repressive and dictatorial as the Thieu government in South Vietnam. The US delegation met with the delegates from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for over three hours. The Koreans laid out the 5 point plan for peaceful reunification that their leader, Kim Il Sung, made public along with a similar committment from the South Korean authorities. They stressed that again and again, the US troops in South Korea are used as a provocative force, to keep the two Korean societies apart.

If space permitted, any of our meetings with delegations of other countries could be used to show the depth of solidarity between struggling nations and the progressive people here in the States. We had a brief glimpse of the extent to which the US military is used to force profits and resources from other poor people in every continent of the world. The African people, the Latin people, the Asian people, the Arab people and European people all have something to teach us about our country. The 10th World Festival of Youth and Students went a long way towards cementing a deep friendship between the American people and the peoples of the world.