Stopping a War/Chapter 12
12. The Press Barrage
French radical journalism is always vigorous. The writers and cartooonists on l'Humanité and the other French papers engaged in the anti-war offensive have been at their best during their campaign against the Riff War.
Day after day l'Humanité has carried great streamers across the front page such as: "Immediate peace!" "Make peace with the Riff!" "The Moroccan menace! All together against the bankers' war." "The War for bankers' profits." "The Workers' Congress against the Moroccan War—one sole remedy—working class unity!" "By order of high finance our soldiers must destroy a people fighting for its independence."
The moral of all these headings is the same: a demand for the cessation of an imperialist war.
In the upper right hand corner of the front page of l'Humanité, where the New York Times ordinarily reports the weather, the editors ran a series of brief commentaries, challenges, and demands concerning the war. For example (July 25, 1925):
"Abd-el-Krim offers peace. Here is the reply of The New
Their new formula (Dead for prestige).
Age, official organ of the Left Wing: 'Airplanes! Munitions !'"
The next day, at the same point in the paper:
"The Government lied!
"It has always declared that Abd-el-Krim takes no prisoners.
"Now the Riff chief offers to return without ransom a third of the prisoners that he holds, both Spaniards and French."
Two days later (July 28):
"Twice, Abd-el-Krim, who is a 'barbarian,' has stated his peace terms.
"M. Painlevé, 'civilized,' 'democrat,' 'pacifist,' is against secret diplomacy.
"But he has not once stated his terms of peace."
These spectacular attacks on the Riff War have been accompanied by editorial comment, citations of military oppressions, stories of prosecutions of those guilty of agitation against the war, cartoons, calls for protest meetings, and letters from soldiers at the front. All this material has been courageous, straightforward and unflinching in its denunciation of the government and of the war.
The call for a meeting printed across the front page of l'Humanité for May 10 reads:
"People of Paris, the French imperialists have recommenced the Moroccan War.
"It will be long and bloody,
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"Enough bloodletting! We must finish with this Moroccan nightmare!
"Comrade soldiers, fraternize with the Riffs.
"Workers of Paris, join with us in demanding immediate peace with the Riff and the evacuation of Morocco."
Another call for a meeting printed on June 28 reads:
"Down with the Moroccan War!
"Socialist workers, see that you are represented at the Workers' Congress on July 4 and 5."
At a campaign meeting held by the Socialist Party, the secretary of the Sedan region presented to the workers of Vrigne-aux-bois the following resolution which was unanimously passed and printed in l'Humanité July 24, 1925: "The working men and women of Vrigne-aux-bois protest vigorously against the Moroccan War, and have decided to struggle by every means against the abominable butchery now in progress, to boycott the manufacture and the transport of arms and of munitions to Morocco, and to demand the immediate cessation of hostilities, the recognition of the Riff Republic, and the return of all our soldiers to France."