THE WORKERS' Aid for Bosnia Convoy has had a massive impact both in Britain and Europe. It set off for France after its successful tour through Britain culminating in a visit to the TUC on September 9.
The Convoy has splic into two in order to visit more coun respond to floods of requests coming in from all over Europe.
Full lorries
The organisers even considered not visiting some of the towns on the route as the lorries are full and the pressure of the schedule is tight. But this has the ground has been so tremendous.
In Brescia, Italy the whole of the left has united around the campaign, including the communist party and 50 trade unions are giving support. They are organising tricer own eaty to come and join the convoy.
Morale is high and as the convoy travels through Europe the teams are becoming more organised and conesive So far the convoy has col. thousands of pounds worth of material aid. The convoy has agreed to take in 200,000 tons of goods collected by Muslim disinbuled to all the people in Tuzia - Mushm, sero and Croat In Paris. the Communist Party have given the campaign a free stall at the huge annual Humanité fete, and 25,000 leaflets will be distributed.
The CGT union confederation is allowing the campaign to collect at their conference. which is unprecedented. The Mayor of Montreuil has donated a permanent warchouse to store did.
Negotiations and plans are currently being made to set a similar warehouse in Berlin. Members of the Workers' Aid have gone ahead to Slovenia to co-ordinate the setting up of the office there.
There will be a permanent warehouse, office and bank ac ser cash across now). Bucto the massive response some lorries from the convoy will travel down to Slovenia immediately and then return to collect more aid.
Juggernauts
The size of the convoy is growing all the time. It will be Scandinavia in Berlin on 15 September.
These two vehicles are currently touring round Denmark • To build links throughand Sweden in the same way the convoy travelled round Britain and will petition the TUC equivalent in Copenhagen before going on to Berlin. In Denin Sweden £10,000 in addition to filling the lorries with goods.
In Courtrai, Belgium the Northern leg of the convoy held a very successful press confer ence and appeared on national In Hungary the National Miners Union and the Socialist Party have agroed to support the convoy and a series of events have been organised this week.
The convoy route currently covers the following cities Lille. Liege, Courtrai, Antwerp. Oberhausen, Hamburg. Co Berlin. Vienna. Graz. Paris. Liege. Charleroi, Nancy. Strasbourg. Basel, Geneva, Brescia.
At the same time irish Solidarity with Bosnia is organising support for the convoy. Irish postal workers have managed to get information distributed by the Post Office and members of the NUJ have persuaded RTE to stop describing Bosnia as a "Muslim' state but to refer to it Significance WORKERS' Politically the campaign has huge significance. The co-opcration of the French CP. support from the Hungarian Socialist Party and from the CP in Brescia for a convoy which not only brings material aid but carries a political message of support for the state of and solidarity with all its people represents a remarkable breakthrough for a campaign launched by small groups in Britain.
This campaign has practically pulled together strands of the European workers movement in a way unprecedented for many years.