the rebels, the overwhelming majority of the people of Spain 
supported the Government and have willingly taken up arms 
in defence of Freedom and Democracy. 

They are fighting to maintain representative Govern-
ment, and their struggle is of vital significance to all men 
and women concerned with the triumph of Democracy over 
Fascism. The conflict would have been of short duration had 
it not been for the assistance in men, money and munitions 
which has been furnished to the rebels by the outside 
Fascist powers since the beginning of the outbreak. Such 
outside assistance has been so extensive as to convert the 
struggle into a foreign invasion instead of a local rebellion. 

On the other hand the so-called Neutrality or Non-Inter-
vention Pact between the European Powers who are parties 
to it has practically imposed sanctions against Spain and 
denied to the Spanish Government its established rights 
under international law---not to mention its supposed guar-
antees under the Covenant of the League of Nations. 

The Spanish Government is a democratic government, 
elected by the people, and, like our own, responsible to the 
people; it is fighting against military despotism and Fascism 
for liberty and for what we have for more than a century 
considered to be the bare minimum of political civilization. 

MESSAGE OF THE SPANISH PEOPLE'S FRONT 

We feel that we cannot do better than allow the leaders 
of the Spanish People's Front to speak for themselves. 
Accordingly, we reproduce here the following extracts from 
their message addressed to the British people on the 2nd 
April last :---

"The Spanish People's Front---symbol of Spanish de-
mocracy---wish to express to the people of Britain their 
gratitude for the tremendous interest they are taking in 
our cause. The Spanish People's Front know very well that 
the sympathy shown by the British people is little by little 
opening the eyes of the world to an understanding of the 
real meaning of our struggle and of the immense respon-
sibility the democratic nations have taken upon themselves 
in abandoning us. . . . 

"It is surprising that old nations, which by force of hard 
and cruel struggles have throughout history proved them-
selves the symbols of our civilization, should not clearly 
understand why the Spanish Republic, which undertook the 
task of transforming the country by lawful means, is endur-
ing this struggle. It is the people who wanted to prevent

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