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African Liberation Day: 1600 March and Rally

By VVAW

On African Liberation Day, May 28th, over 1,600 people of all nationalities, Black, white, Latino and others, marched in Washington DC to the steps of the White House in a militant show of support for the people of southern Africa who are fighting for their freedom. A contingent of veterans from VVAW marched in military cadence behind a banner proclaiming, "US Out of Southern Africa--Superpowers Hands Off!"

It was the most powerful ALD since this day was called by the Organization of African Unity in the early 1970s, because for the first time the focus of the march was aimed at the common enemy of both the people in southern Africa and the people in the US--the US ruling class.

While Jimmy Carter has his Black front man, Andrew Young running around the world foaming at the mouth about how he hates the racist government in South Africa, the people of the United States were exposing the truth about the situation there, saying "Get the hell out of Southern Africa."

But what Carter, Young & Company are doing is trying to make the best of the bad situation they find themselves in. They're trying to figure out how they can keep that area of the world safe for US business. What they'd really like to do is get rid of the racists in Salisbury and Pretoria and replace them with another set of puppets, only this time Black ones.

And while they are trying to run this, they are locked in stiff competition with the Soviet Union, the other superpower, who is trying to get in the back door by posing as the friend of the southern African freedom fighters, all the time really wanting to replace the US as the chief plunderer of the area.

An African Liberation Day proved that the American people aren't buying the schemes of the ruling rich. As the demonstrators wound their way through the streets of a Black neighborhood, chanting, "Carter, Young, You Can't Hide, We Know You're On The Racists Side," thousands of Blacks stood on the sidewalks, many shouting their approval, raising clenched fists of support, and some joining in the march.

CAMPAIGN BUILT BROAD

Around the country members of Youth In Action, VVAW, African Liberation Support Committees and the Organizing Committee for a National Workers Organization built for the rally broadly, stressing the need for multi-national unity. In Boston during the last week of the campaign the number of people going doubled. In New York an extra busload of people showed up at their meeting site. In Chicago an entire busload was filled with Black and white youth, many going to their first major demonstration in Washington.

At the march and rally not only were workers, students, youth and vets there, but students from Iran, Ethiopia and Eritrea also came to express their support for the South African people. In Atlanta, Lou Hudson and Walt Bellamy, members of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team donated their sneakers to the fighters in South Africa and held a press conference urging other basketball players to do the same.

NAZIS, KLAN WHIPPED!

While building for the march was going on in Washington, the Ku Klux Klan, scum of the earth, threatened to disrupt the demonstration. They attacked the ALD office in Washington in the secrecy of night, breaking the window with a can of spray paint with a note attached stating, "Nigger-Commies Beware," and saying that they would stop the rally. But members of the ALDC retaliated immediately with a leaflet reading in part, "They (The KKK) fear working people, Black and white standing up against them....We will not let a bunch of racists, bastards and chickens stop us...we'll roll right over them if they try."

On the day of the march the cowards didn't even get close, but their brothers in hate, the Nazis, did show up. About six of the stupidest people in the world marched in their brown shirts into the park where the people were gathering and swiftly and surely got their asses kicked by the Vietnam Vets Against the War and others. These fascist dogs were saved only by the police who ran in to protect these scum from the people's wrath. Instead of breaking up the rally these jerks made everyone more determined, particularly those who had Nazi blood on their knuckles.

IMPORTANT RALLY HELD

At the rally in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, speakers talked about the struggle of the southern African people and what it means to the American people. One of the highlights of the rally was when David Sibeko of the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (South Africa) announced the formation of the Azanian People's Liberation Army to take up the armed struggle against the racist, capitalist system in his country.

This crucial, important step in their fight for freedom was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation. He said it was an honor to be at the rally and that he was impressed with the vets who had fought for the US ruling class and who now stand in support of the Black South Africans. He compared the youth at the demonstration to the youth in Soweto, South Africa--site of the militant fights against the police and army.

After his speech six Vietnam vets from VVAW presented military fatigues to Mr. Sibeko in an emotional show of support. One vet spoke to the rally reading from a letter sent to the southern African people. It said in part, "Wearing these military uniforms, or ones like them, we veterans of the US military learned firsthand about "freedom" and "aggression" Instead of fighting for freedom and stopping aggression, we found ourselves fight for the profits of the ruling rich and trying to crush the people's struggle....We have come to actively oppose the system that exploits and oppresses the people of the world, vowing to "fight the rich, not their wars". We are not pacifists for we know of the necessity to fight, and fight hard, for freedom. Please accept these fatigues as concrete aid for your struggle. Our hopes for your speedy victory."

This was greeted by another standing ovation with the crowd chanting, "Victory to the Southern African People!"

When the buses rolled out of Washington at the end of the rally important lessons were summed up as people spoke about the success of it. Building multi-national unity in the fight for freedom is not only important to the support we have for the struggle in southern Africa, but it is also important to continue our fight at home. With this in mind, the campaign of support for African liberation will continue as we fight day to day for our own freedom. Next year on African Liberation Day the rally should be bigger and more unified as a result of the fruits of our work all year.

VICTORY TO THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEOPLE!