First Published: Worker’s England Daily News Release, May 25, 1973
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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Inspired by the call of the two sister Parties, the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist) and the Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist), the revolutionary people of England and Ireland have come forward with boundless enthusiasm to gloriously celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of the Founding of the Internationalists. The celebrations began with a grand rally held in London on May 12th and attended by 300 revolutionary people. The rally, jointly organised by the Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist) and the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist), was attended by workers, national minorities, youth, students, intellectuals and professional people, and a delegation from the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist). Fifteen speakers, including representatives from the two sister Parties, fraternal Parties and organisations,, national minority organisations and veteran internationalists, gave messages to the rally which was chaired by Comrade Chris Coleman, Vice-Chairman and Leading Spokesman of the Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist).
In preparation for the rally a special poster was produced which included three important photographs which highlighted the importance of the contribution made by the Internationalists to the development of proletarian socialist revolution in the imperialist heartlands. These posters, on pink and white background, which have been postered up throughout the major towns and cities of England and Ireland, were displayed on the walls together with a colourful display of banners upholding the main slogans of the Tenth Anniversary Celebrations and the organisations which have contributed to building CPE (M-L) and CPI (M-L). Large posters of Comrade Bains, the founder of the Internationalists and Chairman of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) were displayed in prominent positions on the walls. The back wall of the hall was devoted to a photographic exhibition explaining the development of the Internationalists and highlighting significant events in the building of the two sister Parties from the English and Irish Internationalists, and a selection of literature from the early days of the Internationalists was displayed. Comrades and friends took the opportunity before the rally began to study the exhibition and literature display and hold discussions on the glorious history of the Internationalists and the contributions made by them, and the important lessons to be learnt from that.
Comrade Chris Coleman opened the rally by welcoming all the comrades, supporters and friends and representatives of fraternal organisations and Parties, and then made a short opening speech detailing the origins of the Internationalists in the youth and student movement of the 1960’s and some important lessons to be learnt from the ten years history of the Internationalists. He then introduced in turn representatives of the two national liberation movements who were the first met by the Internationalists before the Necessity for Change Conference of Youth and Students in August, 1967. Comrade David Sibeko, the official European and North American representative of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (P.A.C.), and Comrade Jorge Sangumba, the representative of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (U.N.I.T.A.) were both greeted with great warmth and a sustained ovation by the audence. Both stressed the warmth and comradeship that their organisations felt towards the Internationalists and explained some of the lessons that they had learnt from the Internationalists.
Comrade Coleman then introduced a member of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) to address the rally. This comrade, a veteran Internationalist who has had warm, close relations with the Irish and the English Internationalists since their founding in Dublin in 1965 and in London in 1967, was joyfully greeted by his old comrades and was given a prolonged and enthusiastic welcome by all the comrades and friends who had gathered for the rally. The comrade made several important points concerning the application of the living experience of 10 years work to the tasks now facing Marxist-Leninists in our three countries. The comrade presented guidelines for a) organising the Marxist-Leninist Party among the masses and b) organising to lead the actual struggles of the working class. These timely guidelines are the concentration of the actual experience of CPC (M-L) and the Internationalists. The Comrade’s speech was warmly hailed by the participants at the rally and formed the basis for many discussions which comrades and friends carried on later into the early hours of the morning.
Comrade Coleman then introduced a series of speakers from minority organisations who had contributed to the building of the Internationalists and CPE (M-L). He explained that upholding proletarian internationalism in practice had always been stressed by the Internationalists, and that the large number of national minority speakers reflected this. The national minority speakers from the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Movement, Pakistan Progressive Study Group, Afro-Caribbean Study Group, Malayan and Singaporean Student Movement, Far East and South East Asian Progressive Study Group, Ad Hoc Committee for the Formation of a Black Revolutionary Workers’ Movement and Indian Progressive Study Group explained how they had been inspired by the Internationalists to take up the task of building the revolutionary Party and the revolutionary movement among their own people, the lessons they had learnt, from the Internationalists and praised the leadership of Comrade Bains. To long and sustained applause, Comrade Coleman welcomed an important guest at the rally, Comrade Ntantala, the Deputy Chairman of P.A.C. Comrade David Vipond, an official representative of the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist) who was also the first comrade to be arrested in building the resistance movement in England, was given an enthusiastic welcome by the comrades and friends present, and was followed by Comrade Chris Thompson who has contributed to building the resistance movement, and a veteran Internationalist, Comrade Jackson, who participated in the Necessity for Change Conference in 1967.
After each speech the participants rose to shout enthusiastically “HAIL THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE INTERNATIONALISTS” and “LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS”. Finally, at 11:15 p.m. Comrade Carole Reakes, an official spokesman of the National Executives of both the Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist) and the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist) was introduced to the audience who received her with great warmth and enthusiastic applause. Comrade Reakes spoke briefly and made several important points concerning the lessons we should learn from the first ten years of the Internationalists in order to move forwards over the next ten years and make a further contribution to proletarian revolution.
The rally in Dublin followed on May 19th and was held amidst much harassment by the lackeys of British imperialism of the comrades and supporters of the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist). Despite this, the rally went ahead with great enthusiasm and optimism. The hall was brightly decorated with banners hailing the tenth anniversary of the Internationalists and upholding the main slogans of the tenth anniversary celebrations. One wall was devoted to the photographic exhibition on the history of the Internationalists. The rally was attended by revolutionary elements who have participated in the struggle against British imperialism for many years, by friends of the Internationalists who have known the Internationalists since their early days in Trinity College, Dublin and broad masses of the people, as well as by comrades and supporters of CPI (M-L) and a delegation from CPE (M-L). The rally was chaired by Comrade David Vipond and the main speech was given by the Comrade from CPC (M-L). Solidarity messages were also given by a representative of the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Movement on behalf of national minorities in England, by a representative of CPE (M-L) and by a veteran Irish Internationalist.
The important speech by the comrade from CPC (M-L) and the solidarity messages were all greeted with great enthusiasm; throughout the rally a revolutionary atmosphere prevailed which was fully in keeping with the historic occasion. After each speech the comrades and friends rose to militantly shout the revolutionary slogans “HAIL THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE INTERNATIONALISTS”, “LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS”, “LONG LIVE THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND (MARXIST-LENINIST)”, “LONG LIVE THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF ENGLAND (MARXIST-LENINIST)”, “LONG LIVE THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CANADA (MARXIST-LENINIST)”. The audience warmly received a written message of solidarity from the European and North American representative of the Pan-Africanistist Congress of Azania who was unable to be present and the rally closed after the comrades and friends joined Comrade Vipond in singing the first verse of the Internationale.
A public meeting hailing the Tenth Anniversary of the Internationalists was held jointly by the Sussex Student Movement and the Afro-Asian Society on May 17th at which the Comrade from CPC (M-L) gave the main speech. The meeting was attended by comrades and friends of the Party from both the University and the Brighton community. After the meeting in Sussex University, the university where the Internationalists first began to organise in England, the speaker was enthusiastically surrounded by broad masses who engaged him in serious discussion for a long period of time and discussed several important points arising from his talk.
A third major rally on the Tenth Anniversary of the Founding of the Internationalists is to be held in Birmingham on Saturday, May 26th, and public meetings are to be held in Leicester on Wednesday May 23rd, in Manchester on May 25th and in other towns and cities at future dates.