SOUTHALL mourned as if it had been one of its ow who had died. And in a sense, of course, it was. All Talk of outside CELLOT OVCTshadowed last Saturday as 10,000, mostiy local Asians, marched in memory of Blair Peach. the anti-fascist mur dered by police the previous Saturday's demonstration pusses the spot where Blair Peach was murdered Monday.
The banner of the Sourball Youth Movement placed his name alongside that of Gurdip Singh Chiggar i the Auan murderd by racists in 1976.
A relatively small group of Asians and socialists met at che assembly point in the Dominion cur park to grow almost geometrically. More people seemed to come young came from everywhere shops and houses and from the pavernients.
The march started off lightly white grouped in rows of six. It was Talent as it passed through the empos sreets, broken only by die feedback of moved off its numbers seemed | the police radios.
where Blair Pract - front police station and to a the stillness tood became militant WerE thousands a virtue for unmarked we'll say Freets:
implement the police station.
mitcee has E10.00 50.00 10.00 majority 3.30 4.50 tried 50,00 operation hist 15:00 26.00 6.00 30.00 5.00 1229.80 £501.55 assessment of the As it went on past the spo was killed into the Broadway, past the final Nazi tally in Southall Park, the original stewarding plans went sit the window. The demon- only stration swelled to cover the themscives entire width of the road and the increasingly make The police maintained wha they cull a low profile — ther them.
However, Blair Peach's mur derers in the Special Patrol Group were kept hidden, their green and blue Transit vans lurking in the sid.
The mounsed police were immigration. Kept out of sight 1o0 — Hhough the evidence of their presence lay steaming in the road outside The Southall Defence Cam taken sratements march. from most of those arrested last Monday, proving, contrary to press reports. that the vast were local Asian youth. But if the police had La similar repressive Saturday i would have faced defeat, boct politically and on the streets, This enormous mobilitation of local sentiment seems 1o dwarf the efforts of individual policial organisations. Nevertheless il is possible to make an various leadership of the movement.
side the Southall Youth Movement and the Anti League emerge credit. On the other Sydney Bidwell and the Labour Party succeed coverine with further nominy with every move they In. contrast to last Mondas Bidwell did attend Saturday's demonstration, but only alier a he Ealing Communily: ions Council the previous night. Asians had rentinded Bidwell in none too friendly manner of his record in signing the Select Comintilee report on When the MP told one of them to Sir down you arrogant sud' the meeting crupted angrily: So Bidwell can probably count himself lucky That he war allowed on the Many voters this Thursday may compare Bidwell's own aerogant manner towards the 'ethnic vote with the achieve ment of Tariq All's Socialist Chity compan in putting itself at the service of the struggle.
The altitude of police and press in selecting Tarig as thie novement's leader berrays a characteristic concentration on convenient symbols rather chan issues, but it also reflects a cectuin reality. The backbone of the Southal movement is the your und Taric is the most promineot figure to give voice to their unyielding bostlity to she police and fascists On polling day Asian voters luce the sance dilemma as others where Socialist Umity is Standine - whether to vote for à socialist alternative or make certain of returning a Labour MP. In Southall, however, this will be weighed against th decline of the Labour Party' influence rise independen black politics.
Sourhall is significant for Socialist Unity nationally in thatit is the first instance of an election campaien which ba moved beyand mere politica propaganda and putsiself at the disposal of a genuine mass movement:
That mich can be seen simply from walkine down the street with Tarig. He is stopped bypassers-by, enthusiastically greeted in shops, and his advice consistently Thaugh many of these people will not vote for him he is nevertbeless their candidate Socialist Unity has won is following by the fact that it ponent alerte hate political alternative Labour government and a set of nubitant, intransigent and eminently practical actics.
Bur it is still only part of a larger movement whose for continued on page 3