NO PASARAN!

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2019 :: RMTnews 26 By 1937, the Spanish Civil War was a reality; it could not be ignored, though few tried harder than the British Government. It was a reality articulated in blood, demonstrating the terrifying fragility and impermanence of democracy – and the human lives that went with it - in the face of fascism. On April 6, Franco’s Nationalists announced their intention to prevent all food supplies from entering Republican ports in the north of Spain, beginning a blockade through which the insurgents sought to starve their enemies into submission or oblivion – they drew little distinction. Amidst the many horrors of the Spanish Civil War – the executions, the bombings and the dictatorship which would follow and endure, long after European fascism had been otherwise crushed – the effects of the blockade should not be NO PASARAN! Sean Bell tells the story of the struggle against fascism and salutes RMT for honouring seafaring trade unionists that broke the blockade of Spain MEMORIAL: RMT general secretary Mick Cash unveils the memorial organised by RMT Glasgow shipping branch to those who fought and died breaking the fascist blockade during the Spanish Civil War. The memorial recognises the bravery and sacrifice of the Scottish seafarers who helped to defy the British government’s policy of non-intervention during the battle for democracy in Spain and brought crucial support to tens of thousands of refugees in Spanish cities isolated by Franco’s fascist forces.