Newspaper Page Text
FEBRUARY 1, 1963
THE MAROON TIGER
Page 5
A REVIEW OF 1962
"AROUHD THE WORLD”
Spotlight On Spain:
A Year Of Political Upheaval
Maria Rosa Borras
World Student News
The academic year which
has just ended was undoubt
edly one of the greatest poli
tical upheaval in the history
of the anti-Franco university
movement. It can be said
without exaggeration that
since the Civil War and the
victory of fascism in Spain
the demonstrations and
strikes of this year marked
the high point in anti-Franco
activities among students.
If we take as a point of re
ference the external reper
cussions of anti-Francoism
in the university, we find
that during this academic
year the students not only
demonstrated against the
dictatorship within the uni
versity walls, as on pre-
•Vvious occasions, but that
vious occasions, but that they
took their struggle and de
monstrations into the streets
with cries of “Freedom!”
And it was in the streets
that the students of Madrid,
Barcelona and Valencia
shouted and manifested their
opposition to the dictator
ship, proclaiming their will
for democracy.
But to put some order
into this brief account, per
haps it would be best to re
view the student actions of
this year chronologically.
In February, demonstra
tions and strikes took place
at Barcelona University. 20-
th February marked the fifth
anniversary of the 1st Free
Student Assembly was called
which became a protest de
monstration that ended up in
the streets with cries of
“Freedom, Democracy
Down with Franco, Am
nesty!”.
From 20th February to 2nd
March, strikes and street
demonstrations followed one
another. The police attacked
all of them with customary
brutality in order to disperse
the students. But each day
the number of demonstrators
was bigger and the slogan
“Freedom!” a more con
scious one.
Four students had been
arrested for painting on the
University walls the words
“Freedom, Democracy and
Amnesty!”. They were un
der military jurisdiction and
charged with actions aimed
“against state security”
1962
given prison sentences and
Pedro Parra was set free for
“lack of evidence”.
Barcelona University Mani-
In May, the Comite de
Coordinacion Universitario,
a body which groups students
from the opposition politi-
Demo-Christians to Com
munists and including the
Socialists, Progressives and
Nationalists - issued a mani
festo in which the main aims
of the Barcelona University
student struggle are out
lined. Because of the docu
ment’s importance I think it
would be interesting to men
tion at least several points
it contains since space does
not permit me to quote the
entire text:
“For the national and cul
tural freedoms of the
Catalonian people (right to"
self-determination for the
people of Catalonian, teach
ing of the Catalonian tongue
in schools, a bilingual Uni
versity, etc).
For basic political free
doms (full freedom of press,
the right of association, to
strike, etc.).
For the full democrati-
sation of the University stu
dent union (a free and non
political union, a free stu
dent congress).
For tne annesty of Spanish
political prisoners and
exiles.
For peace (against nuclear
tests, against the presence of
foreign military bases on
Spanish soil.)
In was this same Comite
de Coordinacion Univer
sitario which, in the name of
our University students, ad
dressed the International
Conference in Rome/Genoa
for the freedom of the Span
ish people, held from 13th
to 15th April. I quote from
the address:
“Catalonian university
students lend their support
to this Conference for the
freedom of the Spanish peo
ple.
“We hope that the re
sults of this Conference will
not be limited to a mere
moral condemnation of
General Franco's political
regime but will express its
disapproval in concrete
Spanish resistance move
ment.
2. Setting up a Committee
to aid the Catalonian and
Spanish university students,
and chiefly the establishment
of a scholarship system for
exiled students.
3. Coordinated action by
the European democratic
forces to prevent the entry
of the Franco regime into the
European Common Market.
4. International pressure
to obtain the democratisation
of the Spanish trade unions.”
But the activities of this
academic year do not end
here. The strikes and other
actions that occurred in
Spain in April are justly
regarded as the biggest anti-
Franco manifestations of the
Spanish people and are con
sidered to be unique because
of the ban on strikes under
a fascist regime in which the
rights of association and or
ganisation are completely
denied. The fact that 400,000
workers participated in the
different regions of Spain-
gives us a measuring stick
' 1 fry which to gauge them,
^reince the press of all ten
dencies in almost every
country. Has reported wide
ly on this strike movement,
I only wish to mention the
Champion of Underdog:
Steinbeck Wins
Nobel Prize
STOCKHOLM - John Steinbeck, whose hard-hitting novels
brought him wealth and fame as a champion of the underdog,
won the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature yesterday.
The 60-year-old California-born author, considerably
mellowed in his writing and temperament since “The
Grapes of Wrath” shocked the social conscience of the
United States, is the sixth American to win the premier
literary award.
For nearly 30 years Stein
beck has been turning out
best sellers-a total of 27
books and countless maga
zine and other articles that
stirred controversy and rap
tures of praise.
FORMAL CITATION
The 18-member Swedish
Literary Academy, in
awarding him the Nobel
Prize, issued this formal
citation: “For his at one and
the same time realistic and
imaginative writings, dis
tinguished as they are by a
symphathetic humor and a
l^ocial perception.”
Many students were ar-,/^ erms * propose to this
rested during the demon
strations but today the dic
tatorship is so weak that
it cannot suppress the pro
tests which rise from all
national strata. Therefore,
those arrested during the a-
bove-mentioned strikes and
demonstrations were re
leased after a short time
with the exception of the four
students tried on 5th March
by a military court. Joaquin
Sempere, Frederico Sanchez
and Domingo Armora were
Conference will not be limi
ted to a mere moral con
demnation
“We hope that the results
of this Conference will not
be limited to a mere moral
Franco's political regime
but will express its disap
proval in concrete terms,
we propose to this Con
ference consideration of the
following points:
1. Setting up a Perma
nent Committee to help the
forces of the Catalonian and
movement begun by the hero
ic Asturian miners.
“Franco no, Asturias yes!”
In Madrid the students
went down San Bernardo
Street shouting: "Franco no
Asturias yes, Opus no
Asturias yes” They clashed
with police and four students
were arrested, among them
Francisco Buero, nephew of
the writer Buero Vallejo.
The students held a meeting,
attended by more than 1,000,
where they unanimously
called for solidarity with
the striking workers of the
Asturias and other parts of
Spain, and protested against
the recognition extended by
the state to the Opus Dei
University in Pamplona. The
meeting ended with another
demonstration and again the
shouts of "Franco no,
Asturias yes!” resounded on
San Bernardo Street. 40 stu
dents were detained and
many others fined as a re
sult.
The students of Barcelona
held a protest meeting in
the University which erupted
into Pelayo Street with
shouts of “Freedom” and
cheers from the bystanders.
The next day, after gather
ing in the central patio of
the University, the students
were preparing to go out into
the street again 'when police
broke into the courtyard.
They beat the students
brutally with clubs and ar
rested several. The follow
ing day a new demonstration
was suppressed with the
same brutality and more stu
dents who were pointed out
to the police by Opus Dei in
formers were arrested.
This time, incidentally, the
police were armed with guns.
Of the students who were,
arrested some are still in
jail awaiting court martial.
They are:
Anna Salles, Manuel Vas-
quez (journalist) and Salva
dor Clotas of the Arts Facul
ty,
Martin Capdevilla, An
tonia Apponte, Alberto Bal
lesteros, Pedro Puig, of the
Faculty of Economics,
Isidro Molas, Luis Aviles,
of the Faculty of Law,
Alfredo Baron of the Fa
culty of Geology, and
Fernando Fulta of the Fa
culty of Physical Sciences.
The opposition political
parties at the University iss
ued a solidarity declaration
with the striking Asturian
miners.
Out of all these activities
I think the main lesson to be
learned is that unity has been
established among the stu
dents of all tendencies, with-
out any exceptions.
In its announcement of the
award, the Academy went
further':
“Among the masters of
modem American literature
who have already been
awarded the prize - from
Sinclair Lewie to Ernest
Hemingway - Steinbeck more
than holds his own, indepen
dent in position and achieve
ment.
REDEEMED MOTIF
There is in him a strain
of humor which to some ex
tent redeems his often cruet
and crude motif. His sym
pathies always go out to the
oppressed, the misfits and
the distressed, he likes to
contrast the simple joy of
life with the brutal and cyni
cal craving for money.
Steinbeck received inter
national acclaim for “The
Grapes of Wrath,” a power
ful story of the “Okies”
fleeing the dust bowl. It grew
out of his feelings for the
migrants after living with
them. It won him the Pulit
zer Prize in 1940 and became
a hit stage play and movie.
“But in him we find the
American temperament also
expressed in this great feel
ing for nature.”
Steinbeck's most recent
novel, “The Winter of Our
Discontent,” published last
year, is about a small-town
grocery clerk who plots a
bank robbery as a quick way
of regaining his family’s lost
fortune and social status.
HE PUT A NEW NATION 'ON COURSE’