Trots Walkout

The Socialist Action League and supporters walked out of the Wellington Committee on Vietnam last Sunday in a dispute about the demands of the July 14 Mobilisation against the war in Indochina.

After the meeting had defeated a resolution by Owen Gager to make the slogan 'Victory to the Indochinese Revolution' a central demand of the Mobe, a resolution by Rona Bailey which included the slogan 'Victory to the Indochinese People' as a central demand was carried with the support of two-thirds of the meeting.

As soon as Mrs Bailey's motion had been adopted Russell Johnson of the Socialist Action League began castigating the meeting for adopting the 'Victory to the Indochinese People' slogan as opposed to the League's demand for concentration on the slogan 'Out now'. Shortly afterwards Socialist Action League members and supporters walked out and retired to the Tennis Pavilion where they formed the July 14 Mobilisation Committee.

The walkout produced an angry reaction from people left at the C.O.V. meeting. Although a resolution that C.O.V. executive members who walked out would be taken to have resigned, was lost, the C.O.V. decided that their demands for the Mobilisation could in future only be changed by a two-thirds majority.