State lawyers try again to stop ’Bok match

Press, 23 September 1981, Page 3

State lawyers try again to stop ’Bok match

NZPA-Reuter Albany The police, demonstrators and rugby players were all on alert yesterday as lawyers went to court to decide whether the Springboks could play a match at Albany this morning (New Zealand time). The Governor of New York, Mr Hugh Carey, had tried to cancel the match against a United States Eastern Rugby Union team, the only public match of the Springboks’ scheduled threematch American tour, because of “imminent danger of riot.” Anti-apartheid protesters had promised to rally up to 10,000 demonstrators at the - city-owned Bleecker Stadium at Albany, raising the prospect of a repetition of the protests during the team's New Zealand tour.

But Federal Judge Howard Munson ruled on Monday that the match should go ahead, saying that players’ basic rights had to be protected no matter how “repugnant the views engendered by the controversy.” Lawyers for Mr Carey said immediately that he would appeal against the decision to the Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City. A temporary fence has been erected round the Bleecker Stadium and Albany’s 365 policemen were ordered to stand ready for duty. The police guarded the motels where the 36 players and officials of the team stayed. About 100 demonstrators greeted the Springboks when they arrived at Albany on Sunday.

Because of strong feelings about apartheid, the Springboks’ match scheduled for last week-end in Chicago was switched 112 km away to Racine, Wisconsin. The location was not disclosed until just before the kick-off, and only about 20 demonstrators appeared. A third and final match scheduled for New York City met vehement opposition from the Mayor, Mr Edward Koch, and is now due to be played on Saturday “somewhere in the north-eastern United States.” In arguing in Court on Monday that the Albany match should proceed, a lawyer for the Eastern Rugby Union said: “The political right to associate and the political right to express views must be protected." But the lawver for one of

several organisations oppos- | ing the match said it would > be seen as “condoning the j most vicious form of apart- I heid." I One offshoot of the contro- I versy over the Springboks’ ! American tour has been a ■ challenge about whether the I 1984 Olympic Games should | take place at Los Angeles as i scheduled. I But the president of the ’ International Olympic Com- ; mittee, Mr Juan Antonio ; Samaranch, of Spain, said in ■ Baden-Baden, West Ger- i many, yesterday that he be- ■ lieved the Los Angeles Olympics would not be affected. He said African sports leaders had. expressed satisfaction at action taken against the tour by the United States Olympic Committee.

The Organisation of African Unity has hinted that African countries might boycott the Los Angeles Olympics if the Springboks’ matches were played in the United States. But Dr Abraham Ordia, president of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, who had a private talk with Mr Samaranch, was not so optimistic about the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for Brisbane, next year. There have been hints of an African boycott of that event, too. because of the Springboks’ tour of New Zealand.