Appeal to defend China students, workers made public in Hong Kong

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An international appeal in defense of the Chinese Democracy Movement was made public at a July 4 press conference in Hong Kong by Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone. Schoenman is the former director of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation.

The appeal calls on the Chinese government to end martial law, stop the executions, release all those imprisoned, and bring to justice all those responsible for the massacre of the Chinese students and workers. It is signed by notable writers, artists, intellectuals, trade unionists, political figures, and human rights activists throughout the world. [See text and signatories on opposite page.] In our June 1989 special supplement on The press conference, which was covered by 19 international media services, was organized and chaired by Li Cheuk Yan, general secretary of the Clothing Industry Workers General Union in Hong Kong. Li was in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, when the massacre of thousands of students and workers occurred. He was detained and then deported. Li had been collaborating with workers in Beijing who were calling for independent trade unions.

In his introductory statement, Li stressed the important role of unionists and all supporters of workers' rights in the struggle to defend the Chinese Democracy Movement. He said that Hong Kong unions would be in the forefront of this international effort and noted that considerable follow-up work would be needed to advance the goals of the appeal.

Schoenman fielded questions by reporters, many of whom were curious about the important number of trade-union leaders and socialists among the signers of the appeal.

"We emphasized that people who are involved in this appeal are people who have been active in social struggles for workers' rights, students' rights, and democratic rights in all parts of the world," Schoenman told Socialist Action.

"We made it clear that we deplore the hypocrisy of those who shed crocodile tears for the Chinese workers and students while obstructing and often repressing the struggles of workers and students in their own countries," Schoenman said. "Our theme was that to be a supporter of worker and student struggles in China requires that you are a genuine supporter of worker and student struggles everywhere."

Schoenman continued, "Our point of departure as initiators of the appeal is that socialism and democracy are inseparable. Of course, the broad list of signers who subscribe to the content of the appeal are not asked to endorse this view."

Schoenman reported that meetings to discuss the appeal were held with Andrew To, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Students; Chow Wing Hang, president of the Hong Kong University Students Union; and Irene Ng, acting president of the Chinese University Federation of Students.

Schoenman and Shone also met with Leung Hon Hoi, deputy general secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the broadest alliance of trade unions in Hong Kong. All supported the appeal and undertook to get the endorsement of their organizations.

BOSTON-Seventy-five people gathered at a Socialist Action forum here on June 16 to hear a Boston-area Chinese student activist.

The Chinese student, C.W., asked that only his initials be used in this article because of serious threats the Chinese regime has made against student activists in the United States. During the forum, a local TV news team arrived, and C.W., citing potential danger to his parents back home, asked that he not be filmed.

C. W. began by tracing the origins of the student movement. Students in China have never recovered, he said, from the aftermath of the 1986 demonstrations for democracy.

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Chinese student addresses Socialist Action forum in Boston