The Daily Worker

Campaign to Free the Meerut
Prisoners

By W. M. HOLMES.

London, August 29th.

Just two months ago a National Meerut Prisoners' Defense Committee was set up here: and it is now possible to review the opening stages of the committee's campaign in Britain for the release of the 33 Indian working class leaders who are undergoing at Meerut the first stage of their trial for "conspiracy to deprive the King-Emperor of his sovereignty of British India."

It is notorious that the labor government has in fact assured responsibility for the trial (the declaration of Wedgwood Benn, secretary of state for India, that "he could not interfere" and his refusal to receive a deputation from the Defence Committee) and it is therefore according to plan that the reformist leadership should unite in sabotaging all efforts for the defense.

The General Council of the Trades Union Congress, for instance, has made no response to reiterated appeals from Jawaharlal Nehru, the president of the All Indian T. U. C. and from the Central Defense Committee in India. A section of the General Council's report to the forthcoming Trades Union Congress deals with the Meerut trial. The General Council state that they understand from the All India T. U. C. (i. e., from its well-known reformist secretary. Joshi that "the majority of those arrested are either definitely Communists or active members of the Communist auxiliary organization, the Workers and Peasants Party." They add a paragraph sneering at the "vehement manifesto" of the Comintern on the Indian arrests, giving a ridiculously garbled precis of the manifesto. They report that a deputation from the Council to the Secretary for India on July 9th took occasion to mention the Meerut trial and "press" for trial by jury and they conclude by reproducing, without comment, the statement of Wedgwood Benn that "it will be for the magistrate (i. e., at Meerut) to decide."

Thus the driving force of the Defense Committee naturally comes from militant elements; its chairman is Alex Gossip, the veteran fighting leader of the Furnishing Trades Association, and its secretary, R. Bridgeman, secretary of the British Section of the League Against Imperialism. At the same time, it needs to be noted that among those who have agreed to associate themselves with the Committee's work are a handful of pseudo-left Labor M. P.'s—typified by James Maxton and Fenner Brockway and renegades like Cook. The Committee has broadcast nation-wide an appeal to all trade union branches and other working class organizations in the localities to aid the Meerut prisoners, both financially and morally.

Up to date the sum of 180 pounds has been collected in contributions, of which 100 pounds has already been sent to India. Protest resolutions and contributions have been received from 11 Trades Councils and 18 Trade Union branches (including Engineers, Miners, Railwaymen, Furnishing Trades). A local Defense Committee has been set up by the important Manchester Trades Council and an all in conference to set up a Committee in London is meeting on the 28th of September. The National Committee lays particular stress on the need for establishing these local defense committees.

A feature is being made of the Meerut Defense campaign at Communist local meetings and demonstrations up and down the country.

The annual conference of the Minority Movement passed a strong resolution demanding the release of the Meerut prisoners, and a warning was uttered against expecting that "justice" could be secured for the prisoners merely by bringing pressure on the Labor Government.

The Defense Committee has just issued a penny pamphlet entitled "The Meerut Trial: Facts of the Case" of which the first edition of 5,000 copies is selling rapidly