Representatives of a number of American youth organizations joined today in a protest against the Polish Government’s repression of the student demand for freedom of speech and expression in Polish universities and in condemnation of the regime’s resort to anti-Semitism as a means of discrediting the student demonstrators. The statement endorsed by these groups was drawn up and circulated by the Young People’s Socialist League, the youth group of the Socialist Party which Norman Thomas headed until his recent retirement, and the Jewish Socialist Youth, the youth section of the Jewish Labor Bund.
The statement expressed objection to the “Polish Government’s decision to employ one of the most vicious weapons of reactionary governments — state-sponsored anti-Semitism.” It said that “throughout history, both liberal and radical democrats have regarded official anti-Semitism as one of the most reactionary practices. We see no reason to suspend that judgment now, especially in a country which is the graveyard of three million Jews.”
The signatories to the statement include Campus Americans for Democratic Action, the College Young Democratic Clubs of America, the United States Youth Council, the Youth and College Division of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the United States National Student Association.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
