Vietnam Solidarity Campaign Activities

by. David Robinson The main activity of the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in the last few months has been working for the International War Crimes Tribunal. However, there has been a growing interest in the campaign from a wide section of the movement over and above the war crimes activity. A new branch of the campaign has been formed in Birmingham following the successful visit of the photographic exhibition to both of the Birmingham universities. The attual decision to form a branch was taken at a public meeting held at Aston University on the occasion of the showing of the exhibition. Some 40 people at the meeting registered their support for the forming of a local branch. A programme of public meetings has been arranged for the first six months of 1967 and copies can be obtained from the branch's chairman: Barbara Allen, 51, Lomaine Drive, Birmingham 30. At the last London members' meeting it was decidéd to set up local branches in outer London ares The plan is to hold either a demonstration or leaflet distribution in the shopping centres on Saturday afternoons, with the aim of forming a local organising committee. Already this has been put into operation in the Hornsey area. Nearly 20 members of the local YCL, YCND and Young Socialists gave out Vietnam Solidarity Campaign leaflets on Saturday, December 24th. Representativws from all three of these organisations spoke over loudspeakers to the Christmas Eve shoppers, explaining the nature of the Vietnam war. It is expected that similar activities will be carried out in such places as Walthamstowe, Hammersmith and Croydon very shortly. On Sucmlay the 18th of December Vietnam Solidarity Campaign members took part in a march organised by Youth for Peace in Vietnam. Leaflets were distributed and badges and Bulletins sold at the meeting held at Speakers' Corner before the march which went to the \merican Embassy to hand in a.letter of protest. The march then proceeded to Dow Chemicals in Wigmore St., where another letter was handed f Oo protest * "2 against this firm's manufacture of Napalm. The demonstration which was supported by over 1,000 participants, received wide coverage on both BBC and ITV news programmes. In spite of threats of arrest, made personally and over the phone, members of the VSC demonstrated in Oxford St. on the 20th of December, the Sth arniversery of the founding of the National Liberation Front of Sovth Vietnam. A double-sided banner with a 4 feet by 3 feet photographs of child victims of the Vietnam war was carried. Those carrying the banner were again threatened with arrest and members were prevented from distributing the leaflets. Finally the dem©nstrators carried the banner back to Piccadilly Circus - but thousands of shoppers saw it while was being carried: probably more than if the police had allowed them to keep on Oxford Street! The demonstration and banner were highlighted in a photograph on the Front page of the Morning Star the next day.