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Show Ideological differences split SDS by Kathy Wille College Press Service CHICAGO-SDS split this week -nd over serious ideological differ-nces differ-nces on racism, black and Third v'orld Liberation, and women's li-eration. li-eration. After purging the Pro-ressive Pro-ressive Labor Party (PLP), SDS, ed by National Secretary Mike llonsky and Inter-Organization ecretary Bernadine Dohrn, left the Chicago Coliseum announcing that Sunday's meeting would be elsewhere. PLP and friends remained, re-mained, also claiming to be the real SDS. Early in the convention it became be-came clear that the differences between be-tween PLP, supported by the Student-Worker Alliance, and other members of SDS would not be easily solved. The initial walk-out took place Friday night after a presentation pre-sentation by the Illinois Black Panther Pan-ther Party. The Panthers read a statement signed by themselves and several other Third World revo-lutionary revo-lutionary organizations condemning con-demning PLP's position on racism. PLP and WSA saw the black struggle strug-gle as inseparable from the general class struggle of the Proletariat. PLP condemned national struggles as wrong because they divide the working class. Jeff Gordon, PLP, took over the platform, demanding the right to reply. His speech, like most others during the convention, was in-terupted in-terupted by noisy chanting both in support and in condemnation of his words. A delegate moved for a recess, saying the atmosphere of the convention was impossible for tion Front. Rudd, a leader of the 1968 Colu bia occupation, national secretary Jeff Jones was elected Inte ' Organizations Secretary and M Ayers education secretary. The three ran on a ticket which sees American blacks as a sepa colonized nation and sees the it, gle for black liberation as 3 tialpart of the international pro ' tanat revolution. They see the white proletariat in the US asim portant to the struggle, but not' key. They further view women's lj. beration mainly in the context of organizing women to participate i, the full struggle for liberation of oppressed blacks and Latins in the U.S. and in the struggles for nation-alizm nation-alizm and socialism in ThirdWorld countries. They emphasize the student movement as a focal point for fermenting fer-menting revolution for socialism There is a caucus, Revolutionary Youth Movement, which disagrees with the emphasis on a student movement and instead believes organizing or-ganizing workers is essential to a strong on-going revolutionary movement. Now, PLP, "purified" SDS, and their splinter groups will return to their campuses to attempt to solidify soli-dify membership. PLP is expected to challenge the regulars particularly particu-larly strongly on both coasts. However, How-ever, the SDS now run by Rudd controls the national office with all membership records and a new printing press. day, PLP, the "purified" SDS (regulars), (reg-ulars), and independent caucuses all held separate meetings, although al-though the independents later joined one of the two primary groups. PLP did not consider itself expelled, and meeting in the coliseum coli-seum with about 600 people, it elected John Pennington national secretary and insisted that this is the real SDS. Meeting at the Urban Training Center, two blocks from the national na-tional office, "purified" SDS with about 1000 people decided that five principles of unity among themselves should be circulated to the membership through New Left Notes . These principles include : (1) opposition to white supremacy, suprem-acy, full support to the national liberation li-beration struggles of the oppressed people against U.S. Imperialism, support for the right of self determination deter-mination for the black and Chicago peoples, and independence for Puerto Rico; (2) opposition to male supremacy and support for the struggle for women's liberation; libera-tion; (3) support for armed struggle; strug-gle; (4) exclusion of anti-communism, and (5) support for the fight for socialism. Several outlines for national action ac-tion were presented. SDS called for three days of demonstrations and actions in Chicago beginning Sept. 26 to coincide with the trial of the Conspiracy Eight, who are under federal indictment for crossing state lines to incite a riot at the Democratic National Convention last August. These demonstrations are planned to demand immediate military withdrawal from Vietnam and everywhere else in the world, support for GI rights and GI rebellion, rebel-lion, support for black liberation, the freeing of Huey Newton and all political prisoners, independence for Puerto Rico, and and end to the surtax. The week of Nov. 8 was set for massive anti-war action unless the U.S. accepts the ten point peace plan of the National Libera- the discussion of racism. During debate de-bate on the motion Klonsky seized the microphone and asked people to leave the floor and discuss whether non-PLP people should continue to work within the same organization with PLP. About one-third of the body left. PLP and WSA resolved that there still is unity in SDS. Following Fol-lowing that vote they replaced the chairman with a member of PLP. The two caucuses met separately Saturday in adjoining halls. PLP had workshops on racism while the second caucus, which had grown to a majority of the convention, discussed dis-cussed the principles which united its members but separated them from PLP. After dinner, a brief statement was approved which said that SDS stood for the struggle of black liberation, li-beration, self determination, and the right to secession, if necessary, and for the struggles of national liberation li-beration as exemplified by North Vietnam. SDS also supported the revolutionary socialism of Albania, Cuba, China, North Korea, Black Panthers, and the League of Revolutionary Revo-lutionary Black Workers. The statement state-ment also emphasized the struggle against male supremacy and stressed PLP's anti-Communism, of which it disapproved. It concluded with a pronouncement pronounce-ment that all those not in support of the principles are expelled. This caucus returned to the plenary, ple-nary, and Bernadine Bohrn explained ex-plained PLP's expulsion. She began to explain the role played by PLP in disrupting programs in support of the SDS principles. Although PLP had pledged not to interrupt Miss Dohrn, it conducted noisy floor demonstrations. Miss Dohrn stressed that PLP's tactics and position posi-tion stressed "the man, not the revolution." re-volution." PLP is racist, anti-Communist, anti-Communist, and reactionary, she said. Amid PLP chants, Miss Dohrn led the entire non-PLP caucus from the building, as Jeff Gordon, PLP, announced that his faction had taken over the most revolutionary organization in the West. On Sun- J See your own Writing pub-j ( lished by working on the ClronJ r tele. Publishing twice weekly ! throughout Summer Quar",! j wis aire, presently in need orj 5 staff. Interested? Contact M Sumrfter Chronicle, Unto 1 j ( phone tiSi im, |
