Page Fourteen

SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday, ApriI i2. I9“

 

 

 

Where Can They Go?

BERLIN PR‘OTESTS
HEAD FOR VIOLENCE

BERLIN, March 29 (LNS) --
Contrary to expectations the
Vietnam Congress and demon<
stration sponsored SDS (Social-
Ist Democratic Students) In
West Berlin on Feb. 17~IB went
0“ without mass violence.

Willi a crowd much larger
than anticipated —— the police
estimated 10,000 and SDS
claimed 20,000 _. t was all un<
deniable success in shortamnge
telms. What it means ill terms
oi the future of the West. Ger-
man student movement is not
so sure.

The movement is not a peace
movement, but mainly a radi<
cal Marxist anti-imperialist or-
ganization. it is certainly the
most radical student movement
in Europe. This is in contrast,
but probably naturally so, to
the abiding conservatism and
latent Nazism oi the West Ger-
man bourgeoisie.

Tile response of Berlin Citi-
zenry and Constabulary to stu-
dellt demands has been TepNS-
slon and police brutality.

The pattern of violent coir
irontation with the police in
Berlin has Continued unbroken
since June 2, 1967, when, In
clubbing and chasing demon~
strators protesting the visit or
the Shah oi trap, the West Bei-
lin police murdered 3 students
(They shot him, unarmed, in
the hack of the head.) Since
then clashes were irequent and
SDS became committed to ac<
cepting violence as on every-
day political tactic.

PRESS DISTORTS

Adding to the dangers of the
situation is the open provoca-
tion by the press owned by Alex
Springer (70 per cent of the
West Berlin press), which reg<
ularly distorts and lies about

the student movement and Ida
cites violence against it.
Springer has reason to four
SDS, 85 one of the students‘
major projects is his public
“trial.“ Not only his Nazi-
ss past but the many lies told
In his papers will be docu-
mented,

Using as an excuse some
trailicstopping sitrdown dem-
oustrations of several weeks
ago, the West Berlin city gov-
ernment banned the February
18 march. As Londoners trav-
clad in West. Berlin, rumors
were about that the authorities
would prevent us from entering
the city [or the Congress, SDS
decided that the march would
go on in any case, and its path
was straight to the U.S. mill-
taiy base; helmets and sticks
as the Zengakuren use were to
be issued to all participants for
defense.

MARCH LEGALIZED

Late Saturday, with the Con—
gl'ess in session and an agi-
tated Crowd collected, the West
Berlin Senat reversed Itself
and legalized the march up in
but not into the American seer

tor. The general understanding
was that the main pressure lor
this about-iaco came from
American military officials,
anxious to avoid the embar-
rassment oi students being
beaten and probably killed.
SDS chose to interpret this as
a victory, and to adhere to a
nonyioient tactic during the
demonstration. Provocaiion was
enormous and only the discl-
phno oi the marchers prevent-
ed street war-tare.

The police, relllsing to offer
protection to the demonstraa
tors, disappeared completely.
Along the march, provocateurs
pushed, tripped and punched
the demonstrators.

Al the filial rally at the
Opera (the scene OI the killing
oi Eenno Ohnesol'g on June 2)
they seized vict Cong and red
flags planted on surrounding
buildings by the demonstrators,
set fire to them, and threw
them into the crowd. At every
threat to the order oi the dem-
onstration the students would
chant in unison: “Nicht provo-
Ziel'en lasscn, nicht provozier-
en lasscn” (Do not be pro-
voked), this breaking the

steady rhythm oi “HoHo- Hos
CIll-Minh" and “NLF Vaincra"
chants.
MORE VIOLENCE
DRUMMED UP

Much more serious violenca
was created by s pro-Ameri-
can demonstration on Wedne5<
day, drummed up by Berlin
politicians, police, and Spring-
er. The Springer press said
150,000 people attended.

The repressive mentality oi
the West German society and
government has pushed its rad-
icals into this total opposition
to the system, Their aliena~
ti o it appears nnbridgeabie.
They have little support from
nDlH'adlCalS and can win con<
cessions only through displays
oi power. Accordingly they
have a sophisticated under<
standing of the ways of power,
and the subtle and less subtle
uses ol it to suppress libera-
tion movements and to ntallh
tain exploitative systems,

The police oi West Bellill,
sns says, are the marines oi
Vietnam. Spurred on by Viet-
namese courage they too have
taught bravely.

But when: can they goa

W
' ' ' ' INTERNATIONAL DISPATCH ‘ ' ' ' NEWSFEATURES ' ' ‘ ' INTER NATIONAL DISPATCH ‘ ' '
—————-—————____~___________

By DAVID SALTMAN

FLORENCE, Italy, April 9,
'(CPS) — The ltalian student
movement is still in embryo,
and some skeptics say it has
addied in the oviduct.

Still, the kicking and squaw-
ling oi the iniant movement is
quite instructive to those in-
terested in the care and ieed-
ing oi student protest,

There had been Virtually no
action on the Italian student
scene until this year. It's pretty
clear that the activists here
were spurred on by Successes
oi well - organized protest
movements in Germany, Hol-
land, France and England. It’s
also clear that some of the
Italians didn’t bother to ﬁnd
out how to do the spadework
necessary for efieclive action.

The center oi student protest
here is Florence. Movements of
one kind or another have arisen
In Turin, Pisa, Naples and
Rome, but the Florentine move-
ment is by far the best organ-
lzed and most effective. In all
these cities, though, the issues
are the same: more student
control of the universities.

in italy the universities are
run by an incredibly archaic
system of “occupann” — old
professors who make policy for
an entire faculty. In the Unl<
versity of Rome's education
racuity, for instance, 35 old
men are virtual slavemasters
over the private and academic
lives of 9,000 students.

Lectures in the universules
are all delivered “ex calhedra".
This means that the old expert
drones on and on and you‘re
not allowed to ask ally ques-
tions. There are no small sec-
tions later on to discuss the
lecture.

The system was okay with

ITALIAN STUDENT MOVEMENT

everyone until this year. There
had been periodic harmmphing
about education reform in the
Parliament, but it merely gave
legislators an excuse to say
“were doing everything we
can."

The combination of p u I) I I ll
apathy, bureaucratic sluggish.
ness, bureaucratic pompousness
and student sycophancy jelled
into astonishment when lhnu-
sands of students held a dem-
onstration in Piazza San Marco
this January 30.

it was a good demonstration,
from the students’ point oi view:
it was well-organized and wella
attended, it made a fetish DI
free speech and democratic tie-
baie about university reform,
and it got the cops out. Dozens
oi cops. swinging night sticks
and asking rnr identity cards
Cop photographers snapping pic-
tures of everyone in creation
“for future reference."

It also got Nicola Bovoli, 22,
into the hospital lor eye and
shoulder injuries due to stick-
\vork.

Bovoli has ﬁled suit with the
public prosecutor against the
chiei of police and the rector
of the university, because the
rector called the caps in the
lirst place.

So in Florence the students
have an absolutely golden issue:
police brutality, cops on cam-
pus, and academic reform. The
leiioi—center parties (Social—
Ist and Communist) are stauncllv
1y allied With the students and
are raising hell daily in the
Florence city council. There
are signs of a split between
those who just want the uni-
verslly to get out of politics and
those who want a political—but

student - run - university, But
the second issue can be resolved
after the iil'sli

The Florence demonstration
immediately sparked one in Tur.
in, two in Siena, two In Fish
and several in Rome. But inves-
tigation shows that the non-
Florentines need some practice.

in Rome, tor instance, on
February 7, about fifty students
gathered at the doors of the
education (acuity With a good
idea: a lockout. “No one gets
through these doors until we
have a democratic parley about
'occupanti,’ " read the sign they
posted.

People argued and slapped
each other on the back. “Cool,
man. A lockout. Cool." "Got To
get rid or those ‘ocoupanti."’
“They’ll have to listen to u!
now, by God.”

Nothing much happened uillll

a proiessor came along about
noon, wanting to get in.

“What‘s this?”

“A lockout. Read the sign."

“i’m going in!"

The protessor was about five-
loet . five and forty — ﬁve years
old, and there were llity oi
them.

"Sorry, man. No one gets In."

A ten-inc argument ensued,
punctuated by ”Mama mia‘s”
and everyone einoysd hiniseli
hugely except the poor proles-
sor, More professors came along
and most. didn't even try to get
In.

it was going fine until halt
a dozen workmen came up to
the doors. Electricians and

painters with work to do Inside,,

led by a red-haired giant who
looked like he could ﬁling the
protest leader clear over the
Colosseum.

lie sized up the siiuaiion at :
glance.

“Get outta my way." he
growled in a voice that rattled
the windows. Everyone shut up.
And they got. The leader at tho
lockout even opened the door
for him. The demonstration dis-
solved.

Even with uniorgiveahle bung.
Ies like ihls. the llalian public
is starting to realize that stu-
dent protest is here to stay.

The conservative newspaper
“L’Espresso” Says “The revolt
ill the universities has become
by now a fact of national poll-
tics,” Though “L'Espresso"
blames the “revolt" on “8X<
trelnists' (people who read
Herbert Marcusc, the paper
says) no one has called the sub
dents "Nervous Nellles" or ac-
cused them of treason.

When the Italian student
movement is illlly born, at least
it will have legitimate parents.

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WILSON PICKETTED AT OXFORD

OXFORD, England, April 10
(LNS) — Prime Minister Harold
Wilson came to Oxiord recent-
ly and was greeted by some zoo
demonstrators protesting nearly
all oi [he Labor Governments
policies — though not too miia
itantly, Arriving in atlend a
,dinner at University College
where he once taught Ear
nomics, Wilson was ushered
lllsllle through a phalanx oi
police to cries or “Wilson out,
Socialism In,"

The PM, taking scant notice
of his detractors, smiled and
chatted \viih Ills hosts as he
made his way into the college.
There was no real violence, as

the demonstrators made only
halfrhearted eiiorts to break
through the protective lines at
Boobies.

Though less exciting in it-
soit, the demonstration was sig
niiicani ill at least two ways.
Police preparations showed an
increasing uneasiness on the
part oi allthorllles ill the wake
of the March 17 demons ation
Ill London. Where studeills and
police battled fiercely for two
hours beiore the American Eur
brassy.

At least torty cops were staa
cloned on or near the front
steps of University College, and
the block on Which the College
stands was ringed by more con-

stables. It was later learned
that iilty additional police were
hidden in a nearby hotel, ready
[or action if serious tmllble de-
Veloped,

Placards ranged in tone from
“Oxford immigrants Oppose
Wilson‘s Racialism" to “Dim
Socials from US. Genocide" to
“Wilson is a ’lory.” Whatever
the speciﬁc complaint, people
ielt that Harold Wilson should
not be allowed lo Come within
shouting distance without b9<
ing shouted at. This is hap<
pening to Wilson and members
of his government with in.
creasing frequency, as his pol-
icies begin to look more and
more bankrupt.

 

