International Brigade Memorial Opens

This from the Morning Star earlier this week:

"A fitting memorial to heroes

Les Bayliss and Tony Burke, assistant general secretaries of Unite the Union, officiated at the opening ceremony of the International Brigade Memorial Garden at the Marx Memorial Library in London.

Les and Tony unveiled the statue of an International Brigade volunteer, previously on display at the Unite training centre in Quorn, Leicestershire. The statue and garden is a memorial to those print workers who fought in the Spanish civil war and against fascism in the second world war.

Les told those attending the ceremony that both the Marx Memorial Library and the British trade union movement are powerfully linked to the Spanish civil war and the members of the International Brigade.

"The unions and the British left realised the dangers and true nature of fascism long before anyone else", he said.

"By trade, more printers went to fight in Spain than any other. Three of them - George Hardy, Leslie Maughan and Walter Tapsell - who gave their lives for democracy, are honoured in the memorial.

"Many of their comrades in the brigade would soon be soldiers again - in World War II. It is, therefore, highly appropriate that this garden also bears the NATSOPA War Memorial as the struggle against fascism was part of one continuous battle, at home and abroad, which stretched from the attempted fascist coup in Madrid in July 1936 to the fall of Berlin in May 1945.

"It is entirely fitting," Les added, "that Unite Graphical Paper and Media Sector has generously sponsored this garden and chosen to relocate the magnificent bronze statue of an International Brigade fighter within these walls.

"Bill Alexander, commander of the British battalion and a member of our union, was the president of the library until his death. The brigade veterans left their archives to the library, in perpetuity, in 1975. Now, they are the finest source for the conflict in the British Isles.

"Today, Unite honours a powerful anti-fascist tradition, but it also seeks to take these values forward as part of a left project at a time when fascism once again rears its ugly head on our streets.

"Unite recalls the sacrifice of the brigaders, their faith in the British working class, in their Spanish comrades, and in their belief in the eventual triumph of political and industrial democracy. We salute those comrades and their ideals."

Tony Burke told the gathering that print workers in Unite were delighted that the Marx Memorial Library had agreed to house the archives of the print and paper unions in 2009. "We are as equally pleased that the memorial to those print union members who fought and died fighting fascism in Spain is now housed with the historic collection at Marx House.

"We would want Unite members, and trade unionists and printers, to visit the archive and also spend a few moments at the memorial to remember those brave printers who risked and gave their lives as members of the International Brigade and fought against fascism. We will always recall that 'freedom was never held, without a fight, without struggle there can be no victory'!"