VIETNAM WAR PROTEST

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32145, 14 November 1969, Page 10

VIETNAM WAR PROTEST

If the last New Zealand soldier in Vietnam was withdrawn at the same time as the last United States soldier that would be four years and a half away, said ■ Professor J. Flynn, of Otago University, in ! Christchurch last evening.

He was addressing almost 300 persons in Victoria Square during a Vietnam; War protest rally organised by the Christchurch Joint Council on Vietnam. About 5 p.m. 14 persons with a banner. "Peace in Vietnam,” began a silent! vigil in front of the Christ-i church Cathedral. At 6.40 p.m., the silent number outside the cathedral was 22. ,

At 7 p.m., 157 persons, J were in Latimer Square, as-, sembled for a march to Victoria Square, via Worcester [Street, Cathedral Square and; .Colombo Street I J The vice-president of the!

joint council (Mr F. E. McNulty), through a loud bailer, said that the council wanted the march to be a peaceful one and the chairman of the Christchurch Progressive Youth Movement (Mr B. Rooney) supported him. Followed by three detectives and with four uniform policemen, the procession, of elderly women, middle-aged men and women, some with children, and teen-agers stretching 400 yards, marched to Victoria Street, without incident and with no noise. They carried 53 placards and banners.

Professor Flynn said that polls showed that 60 per cent of Americans now believed that America had made a mistake in entering the war in Vietnam and 37 per cent favoured a unilateral withdrawal. The United States policy on the withdrawal of troops and an “honourable" end to the war hinged on several conditions and therefore it was by no means certain that American involvement in the war, and therefore the war it-

self, would not drag on for years, Professor Flynn said. “A lot of pepole think that what we do in New Zealand is not important. But in the circumstances, what New Zealand does with its troops in Vietnam is very important. It could be a decisive factor in ending the war,” Professor Flynn said. Mr B. Mitcalfe, a lecturer at the Wellington Teachers’ College and a past chairman of the Wellington Committee on Vietnam, said that the war

in Vietnam was morally wrong and New Zealand’s having troops there was morally wrong. “New Zealand should be humanly involved, and that means giving civil aid," he said. Mr Mitcalfe said that violent protests were not the right way to get New Zealanders to express their opinions against the war in Vietnam. The message had to be put across to the political parties.