THE Iranian Trotskyist ganisation Hezb-e Karegaran-e SOCIATISE (Socialist Workers Party) planned to hold its first public rally on 2 March Tehran. But the rally, the first to be organised by a left party, was sabotaged and prevented from taking place.
After a considerable struggle the HKS had forced the new authorities to let them use a sports hall at Tehran Polytechnic, but when more than 2,000 people, including workers from Tehran factories, arrived for the rally they found the Poly locked. They sent a delegation to the Committee (headquarters of the Khomeini militias who have taken over police duties) to Protest about tne situation. After considerable argument a group of militia came to open the building They were reluctant to let the rally take place and it was only the large number of supporters which forced them to concede, SHIAN GROGAN, from the socialiet shalence editoria Board has ine returned from Iran and is on a tour o meetings all over the country celals or the venue are not owen on 8 March. 1.30pm Salford University Drudents Union. 7.30pm Bolton, LION 14- MarC Cardiff. Lane Street). 23 March on the radio. or- But no sooner had the rally begun than a group of about 200 people in began disrupting it by heckling. in The chairperson told them that if they had disagreements or objections they allowed to raise them and eventually their spokesperson was allowed to address meeting.
He had little to say other than slanders against the HKS and a number of its leading members, whom he accused SAVAK agents.
There were strong protests from the audience.
got up and said: We pro Tought and gave our lives to put an end to such methods of slander and thuggery and now you are bringing them back in the name of the revolution.' When the HKS was accused of having insulted the Great Comrade Stalin' there were roars of laughter from the audience.
Having failed politically the disrupters turned sabotaged the microphone. Since it was impossible to hold the rally without a microphone, it was eventually decided to DUSLOUIC IL The disruption time when the HKS's activities are having increased success.
line of uncompromising opposition government's attempts -winning support The recruit many militant workers, the audience including some who had played La leading role in the general strike in the oil, steel and printing industries and the would be railways.
The third Trotskyist Kard (What published last week is now 16 pages. 50,000 printed and are selling so well that there may be a second run of being of 20,000.
From next week Che Bayad Kard will be incorporated into a One young weekly 16-page called Kazegar (The Worker), the first weekly paper of the left to be published in Iran. sellers arrested by taken to the Committee. But in all cases the militias have had to immediately under pressure.
Many of started the disruption of last win week's rally are believed to be supporters of an ultra-sectarian they Maoist group called the Union of Iranian Communists. This group has a long history of using violence and disruption against other currents on the left. In the present situation, comes at a when increasing attack from the new government, sectarian politics can only aid counter-revoluBazargan tionary forces. to The history of this Maoist COMMITTEE AGAINST REPRESSION IN IRAN CONFERENCE Saturday 31 March, 11am, University College, Gower Street, London WC1 Delegates' credentials £2, observers' E1, from CARI, Box 4, 182 Upper Street, London N1.
has begun to recent tion.
SUCH demand issue of the paper Che Bayad Done)
copies were are often the militias and the comrade almost the people who iS nature and the extent to which It was being used by the agents of the Shah's regime to create divisions among the opposiBritish socialists must protest Bazargan and . that the Bazargan government immediately give full legal status to all organisa tions of the left and remove all obstacles to their activity.
At the same time, now that SAVAK has been dissolved, the open all SAVAK government files MUSI and expose how SAVAK tried to disrupt the opposition by penetrating and manipulating 'opposition' organisations.
The HKS has now rescheduled its rally for fortnight's time. This time counter-revolutionary forces must not be allowed to disrupt Socialist Challenge 8 March 1979 page 1
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Grogan tour
meet arch, 1.00pm Birmingham University. Unio