tefusing to serve under Speidel

tuese Danish students demonstrated in Copenhagen agai Mer Nazi general now commanding NATO Jand fo: inspection recently in the Scandinavian coun tries:

Norway and Sweden: The sign at left reads

“Go home,

nst General Hans Speidel, for- rces in Europe, when he made a tour of Similar demonstrations took place in Nazi Hans.”

French jails filled with reservists

PARIS

Louis. Guillermet was 14

When his father was shot by

the Germans in June; 1944.

General Speidel was then chief of staff to Field Marshal

Ommel, commander-in-chief Of Hitler’s army of occupation ™ northern France.

Last month Louis Guiller- Met, now a student and father of two young children, was arrested in his Lyons home by French. police.

His crime? Refusing to serve Under the orders of Speidel, Once more in France, now as Commander-in-chief NATO and Forces, Central Europe.

No wonder the French po- lice sent to arrest Guillermet Were embarrassed as he em-

braced his young wife Jocelyn

efore they took him away- Ven the. notoriously hard-

boiled; rough-handling gen- darmes «showed shamefaced Tespect for his courageous

Stand and calm bearing.

He is one of 168 young Frenchmen who have refused to serve under Speidel.

Their fathers — most of them Resistance heroes — Were martyred by Speidel’s One-time henchmen. In com- Mon with the others, Guiller- Met has written the president Of the French Republic:

’ “T regret that the dishonor- able situation “in which the French Army is placed by the presence here of Speidel

Prevents me, for the present,

from doing my duty as a French citizen.

“Those who approved or tolerated the nomination of Speidel must bear the res- ponsibility.

“Loyalty to the memory of my father, shot by the Nazis, the memory ofall the victims of Hitlerism as well as con- cern for the national honor and love of France, have com- pelled me to take this de- cision.”

Twenty-year-old Henri Samson, who was. arrested earlier this month, was held incommunicado for several days in the notorious Fresnes Prison in Paris.

His lawyer, briefed by the French working-class defense organization Secours Popu- laire, was refused permission to see him.

The military justice code under which these young men are . being arrested lays it down that the accused must

be-brought before an exam-

ining magistrate within 24

hours.

Fresnes Prison is, in fact, being. filled. with. political prisoners just as-it was dur- ing the Nazi occupation. Es- pecially with opponents of the Algeran war. |

Close-to 300 conscripts who have refused to join “the dirty war” are incarcerated in Fres- nes. :

One of its- prisoners is: a brilliant young schoolmaster,

Antoine Pelletier, also father of two young children.

He was arrested in the town of Beauvais on September 6 for distributing leaflets in the streets denouncing the _ tor- tures in Algeria and calling for an end to the war. The leaflets have been distributed all over France.

Pelletier has been charged with “undermining the exter-

nal security of the state.’ One

of his brothers- was jailed, then shot by the Nazis in Fresnes on March 15, 1944.

Anger is spreading through- out France at these arbitrary arrests and legal violations.

Tens of thousands of sig- natures have- been collected from the jailed men’s work- mates and townsmen demand- ing their release. Money has been collected to aid their dependants.

In Beauvais, a number of the town’s most prominent citizens, including leading headmasters and_ teachers, have signed a petition de- manding Pelletier’s immedi- ate release.

The non-Communist League of the Rights of Man in the town has issued a declaration saying:

“In distributing leaflets‘ de- manding peaceful negotiations in Algeria, Antoine Pelletier ‘was consciously using his. rights as a French citizen to express the opinions of. the majority of the population.”

s

BCFL CONVENTION

Political

action,

jobless on agenda

When the British Columbia Federation of Labor opens its second annual convention in Vancouver this coming Thurs- day, October 24, questions ranging from political action to workmen’s compensation will be on the agenda. Some 300 delegates from every part of the province are expected, repre- senting almost every section of the trade union movement.

High on the agenda will be the question of political ac. tion. At the 1956 convention, a committee of 14 was struck off to make a political study of the province, in order to assess the possibility of a po- litical. alliance involving the trade unions, the farm organi- zations and political parties supporting labor’s legislative program. -

In some B.C. circles, the idea.of federated labor party is being considered and the question may be debated at the convention. Claude Jodoin president 6f the Canadian La- bor Congress, who will address the delegates, is said to favor political action by the con- gress through a separate or- ganization including its af- filiates.

- The strong condemnation voiced recently against the

Workmen’s Compensation Board is expected to be re-

flected in a large number of .

resolutions on the subject and the demand for the resigna- tion of chairman Edwin Eades, former NPA school trustee in Vancouver, will no doubt be endorsed.

Eades is blamed for‘ the sharp increase in the number of injured workmen refused compensation , on _ technical, medical or legal grounds.

However, some union offic- ials have told the Pacific Trib- une that in their estimation, Eades is merely carrying out the policy laid down for him by the provincial government. They feel that while Eades should be replaced, a way must be found to expose the hand of the Victétia policy makers.

_-With William Black, pvesi- dent of the B.C. Federation of Labor, already on record as predicting ‘that there may be 60,000. unemployed. in. the province this winter and the Building Trades Council mak- ing a similar estimate, unem- ployment -is: certain to occupy an important place in conven- tion deliberations, as will im, migration.

There probably will be a number of resolutions calling

for provincial and federal zgov- ernment action for increased public works, more money for housing and for expanded world trade.

On the development of nat-

‘ural resources, the stand al-

ready taken by Vancouver La- bor ‘Council indicates that there will be a strong demand for public ownership and de- velopment of hydro power through the B.C. Power Com- mission. Last year’s conven- tion went on record in favor of public ownership of the B.C. Electric.

Internationally, the question of peac®ul coexistence is the largest single issue before the trade union movement.

ince the last convention, this has found its reflection in the increasing world-wide de- mand for an end to H-bomb tests. Recently, the British La- bor party and Trade Union Congress came out in favor of ending the tests.

It is likely that the question will be debated at the Van- couver meet.

B.C. labor has been outspok- en in its opposition to rule of local unions by appointed ad- ministrators. There has also been a strong consistent de, mand in the province for re- admission of independent un- ions expelled on political grounds. This should hit the floor again, as it did last year.

Undoubtedly, the conven- tion will be closely watched by labor, business and gov- ernment circles in the prov- ince and across the country. On more than one occasion B.C. labor has set the pace for the country.

Provincially, one of the main purposes of the gathering is to work out proposals for the an- nual brief to the provincial government. Whether or net there will be a demand this year for a labor lobby involv- ing representatives of the af- filiated unions remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: there will be many demands for new policies and legisla- tive- changes by government.

October 18, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE li