& Shankland! of the scab taxi driver David Wilkie.
The entire morning shift at Taff Merthyr COlliery went chair of the Taff home. Hughes, Merthyr NUM lodge, said the men staged a sponRussell Shankland worked as belt attendant at the pit before the miners' strike.
*Russell was a smashfensive." added: didn't feel working wanted to show solidarity with Russell who spent 12 months trying to save jobs. The men want SHOW support for Russell and Dean.
miners from Oakdale colDean Hancock had been employed Lodge chair niff said: I was shocked rigid when I heard this verdict, because the summing up did not seem to be going that way.
He gave the general view of most South Wales miners their porters when he said: was left feeling "there but for the grace of God. To me it wasn't justice. No 01C the pits believed hat these boys deliberate y tried to kill anyone, jus frighten them from going to work.
Few doubt that the verdict was atmosphere EWIE hysteria against the strike. The judge in his advice to the jury, told them to put thinds ikes, he said, was a of their simple case of a man who was killed to prevent him exercising his fundamental right to go into work.
Even the defence council got in on the act. SpeakMatter the verdict, he said he'd earlier talked of a nation at war during the coal strike: *In that war THE SOUTH WALES valleys were shocked and angered last week by the murder verdict on miners Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland for the death The verdict of Cardiff Crown Court, after a trial lasting eight days, was greeted by scenes described as unprecedented. There were spontaneous walk outs at two South Wales pits in protest against the sentences.
there were victims, two or inese are penne me He continued: will simply say that in the war there were generals and they stood outside the law, and mney lelt Kussel Shankland outside He echoed the line of the throughout the trial: that Shankland ly wanted to be on strike and had not been involvScargill and the nanonal union, he implied, had whipped up violence.
Besides its lack credibility defence it let the real guilty parties off the hook.
The police had surrounded MerEvent normal picketing taking place. At the time David Wilkie's death, they had been warned by the NUM and the local mayor residents that they feared violence would follow if picketing was not allowed.
tense pressure dividuals to return work, with telephone calls, and visits.
South Wales management, pushed MacGregor, were desperate to break the strike in Wales. They prepared to take any risks get miners back work There should be doubt the nature of this trial. It was a political trial, the verdict alla sentence were verdict sentence disturbing feature the South Wah NUM's approach to trial. Since the end of the strike, they had a line of heads down everything will alright.' Their mentanty Dased rebuilding friendly WILS South NCB management.
SHOSE whom the NUM cannot ICES CHICH! are being found jobs with -OLIVaLC COLLI deLOrS, area executive maintained friendly relations these people Russell case has been weakened by the South Wales the strategy. There was public campaign in their defence. It is only in the the of comof Photo: JOHN HARRIS to NCB by were no the be bunker wave of shock following on their sentences that a camrela- paign is emerging.
Wales Hopefully this will be in time for the trial of 70 for men who cranes at Port Talbot, due to begin in June. Here too The been to keep quiet and rely with on backdoor diplomacy. during the Miners are beginning to see through Dean's strategy. Pickets public meetings have been NUM Cace cerence no men on trial. The murder trial must be the spark for a fightback. occupied the such of the Demonstrate against the frame up Assemble 10.30am outside St David's Centre, The Hayes, Cardiff.
Speakers include Betty
Heathfield, Dennis Skinner and Euro-MP Ted Rowlands.
AcTion Healey's organisation was degenerating rapidly.
It was the vear 1956 which really serious beginning of the of the Communist • and the beginning of the permanent existence of significant. forces to lis left. Internationally Nasser's nationalistation Suez canal, and the debacle ot ine brusn and rrench l vasion that followed, helped muel a turmer major uptur of struggle against col onialism. Most important of all Khrusche's "secret' speech denouncing Stalin, and above all the support of the CPGB for the Soviet invasion thousands to break with the
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Risks The NCB had put in-