Bay Area campaign for Spain
Over 500 people gathered before St
Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco on
October 11 to protest the execution
of five Spaniards by the Franco
regime. Mon-signor Flynn of the
Commission of Human Rights of the
San Francisco Archdiocese, called
for an end to the reign of terror un-
leashed by Franco against the Basque
people and an end to the executions.
Then, banners unfurled, placards
held on high and to the ac-
companiment of an inspired four-
piece band thumping out Ay! Ma-
nuela!, the procession marched four
miles along some of the busiest
streets of the city passing out some
ten thousand leaflets to 3 people who
for the most part, kept them to read.
The slogans' "NO GUNS FOR
EXECUTIONERS" and "VETO
THE MADRID PACT, VETO
FRANCO," picked up from the
leaflets, echoed along Van Ness and
Union Streets to a crescendo before
the Spanish Consulate on Baker.
Dr. Manuel of the Democratic
campaign Junta, Ms. Marisi,
representing the Spanish
academicians in the USA, and Frieda
Wolff of the USCDS spoke from the
balcony of the Consulate to the
crowd which by now closed off the
street to vehicular traffic.
Expressions of support from Senators
Tunney and Stevenson, Congressmen
Burton and Dellums, Senatorial
candidate Tom Hayden and others,
were greeted with warm applause.
An effigy of Franco was set afire at
the end (bringing out the Hook and
Ladder and other equipment) to
chants of "Democracia Si, Franco
No." All major TV channels carried
the story on both evening and late
news broadcasts - NBC, CBS and
ABC. In all cases our message came
through loud and clear.
The demonstration was organized
by the SPANISH DEMOCRATIC
ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA and the U.S.
COMMITTEE FOR A
DEMOCRATIC SPAIN. It was
sponsored by VALB and 14 other
organizations.
SAN FRANCISCO
Three hundred and fifty students,
members of the faculty and
"towners" on October 29th jammed
Wellman Hall at the Davis Campus
of the University of California for a
showing of DREAMS AND
NIGHTMARES sponsored by the
Spanish Students Association and
USCDS. In spite of an unfavorable
"preview" in the school paper it was
a standing-room-only crowd that
cheered the film and stayed for hours
afterwards asking questions and
exchanging opinions with
representatives of the Spanish
Student Association and Milt Wolff,
who appeared for
VALB.
Frieda Wolff, as always, spoke
movingly of the situation in Spain
and the work of USCDS. Over one
hundred signatures were obtained on
the petition calling for nullification
of the Madrid Pact. Many more
petitions and leaflets were taken by
some of the students who committed
themselves to further work for a
democratic Spain.
San Francisco demonstrates against Franco terror. Over 500 pickets before the Spanish Government Commercial Office in
the center of the city, created such crowds of on-lookers that traffic in the vicinity was interrupted.
