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BY Loveless

_Even though some have

argued that the most

‘ outstanding feature of the present American Foreign Policy is its non-existence and, while others have argued that Reagan's foreign policy simply represents the

Easter Sunday of McCarthyism,

I would maintain the outstanding feature of ‘ AmeriCan Foreign Policy today is its blatant hypocracyy" ' ' ,

The administration's

two faces are moSt clearly

seen with its stand on Poland and El Salvador. While Reagan boldly speaks out for workers rights and freedoms in Poland, he authorizes repressing workers ' rights and freedoms in El

Salvador ( to live, 'let‘ I alone organize) by granting

massive military aid to a government whose I military forces are - massacering its own. people.

The foreign affairs rep- resentative, Dennis Denald- son,‘ of the Catholic ‘ Interests of Belfast known as Sinn Fein, arrived at the Toronto airport on Wednesday, January 27;

To counter claims of legitamacy" and confidence that his political and religious nemi’sis, Ian Paisley, was preaching, _ ' Donaldson was invited

to speak in Canada at a number of public meetings organized by trade unions, church gruops, Irish, ass— ociations etc. HoweVer, his intent to provide Canadians with an alter- nate understanding of Irish politics was

firmly rejected by Canadian Immigration ‘_ Authorities. No sooner had Donaldson left” the plane, than‘he was swept:- off to a police detent— ' ion centre in the Toronto area. This was a procedure radically different from the norm where question-— able immigration *cases are taken to a-hotel room at the Toronto-terminal. If this humiliating and de— grading Canadian surprise

was not enough, Donaldson , ~

Was then ordered a prison uniform, but ' honorably refused because of the 'imp- ‘r

1 ~ \ Two

’ Onl

even stronger, Reagan has, actually claimed, in contradiction to well ’

documented fact, that the 4

Salvadorean goverrment "has made a concerted,

significant and good faith

effort to deal with

' complex political,,. social ,

and human rights problems it is confronting and

that progress is being.

made" (The Washington Post, .Feb. 7, 1982) . The timely’ recent massacres

by government troops fly ‘

directly in the face of Reagan's statements. In the szote region, "the- villagers have compiled a

list of names, ages, and ~

villages of 733 peasants,

mostly children ,women, and

old people, who they say were murdered by govern-

ment soldiers. " (Manchester

Guardian, Feb. 7, 1982. See copy of report of mas'sacre in this week's, . issue of the SUN.). American Foreign

Policy is not only clearly

hypocritical but is, also ineffective. Despite

lications this kind of I action would have had in Ireland especially in

f light of the well pub-

licized prison protest. there. As ia result of his refusal tobe identified as a common criminal, Dénnis Donaldson was strip ped placed in solitary confinment. 1

Reason given by Canadian

Immigration authorities in _

Support of their unusual action was that in11977l Donalson had been v imprisoned for the pOSSession of explosives in Ireland, a crime: which in Canadian terms , would have equalled a prison ' term of 10 years.

‘ (Canadian iinmigrations

authorities prohibit any immigrant trying to enter Canada with a criminal record which is interpreted by Canadian laws as exceeding 10 years.)

\ But just as the Canadian Immigration 7 ‘ Authorities unjustly-

» treated Donaldson after :1 his arrival in TOrOnto, the Northern Ireland

court system, which has its origin in the British legal system , convicted him without -_ trial because of his refusal to recognize

“Faces

But to make the point

‘ * ,, f1§,j 1éé2’1f'éié-§§°;.‘.

of Reagan

increased American military involvement the Salvadorean opposition has become stronger. Similarly, such U.S. military support has also served to further demoralize and inter- nationally isolate the US and Salvadorean govern- , ments; . Even the American Hess “is becoming , / significantly critical of the Reagan/Haig hard line policy toward El Salavador. Moreover, such developments seem a fright— ening parallel to Vietnam. The US disagree, however, saying they feel a vcbctory for the US is more possible in El Salvador that it was in Vietnam. 1 This may be true, It should take less of an effort to pacify Salvadorean peasants that it took to pacify Vietnamese peasants: after all El Salvador is a smaller country and would require less intensive bombing of civilian villages. However, the parallels between Vietnam and El Salvador is not so much in terms of ultimate

yinCanada You Say

the authority of that legal system, ( If a Pole or Russian was invited to speak in

Canada and had been a

political prisoner, charged with treason,etc. ,v there would have been no trouble from immigration.) But Donaldson ' s case is not the only example of Northern Ireland's unfair legal system. In fact, that particular judicial system convicts

80% of those charged with . politicaluoffenses in Nort-

ern Ireland —— more than twice the conviction rate in Canada and normal ‘ ‘ British coprts. ’ With such“ a high percentage of conviction, it is easily understood why this has been condemned by Amnesty International, European Court of Human Rights, and the Portuguese government.

. But Dennis, fortunately, unlike most of those

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Showing in‘the Panther lounge

4;:00 p.m. Friday .

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victory as it is in terms of both the escalation of 9.? steamers“ and the growing isolation and demralization of American foreign policy.

V It was just as hypocritical of former" president Johnson to claim in one breath that

‘the US was fighting for

democracy in Vietnam and in another , to claim that sometimes you have to wipe out a Village to save it as it is for Reagan to support workers in Poland and to support the

' murderers of workers in

El Salvador.

But for one who searches for consistency in Reagan's policies, at least consistency between domestic and foreign policies, it can be found. It is consistent to support apartheid South Africa and .to support tax exemptions for schools which practice racial discrimnination.R¢eagan has done both .

9

charged and convicted of political acts in Northern Ireland was granted special Statps as apolitical prisoner, thus enabling him to liVe in facilities where prisoners are under the command of their own elected officiers, not prison authorities.

But with final regards to all that

happened to Dennis

Donaldson, in Canada, he left voluntarily on Feb 3 in order to aVoid the very real possibility

of violating deportation demands, which would have meant being sent back to British Authorities.

Also, with the surfacing - of this embarrassment,

_ Canada~ appears to be

bending to the wishes

of the British government to hush up the true conditions which exist in Ireland and the brutality ’ of the British rule.