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. T

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 Democracyover

Fascism. The conflict would have been of short duration had

it not been for the assistance in men, money and munitions A 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 suppos,ed;guar- anteesunder 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.

GMESSAGE 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—symbo1 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 thatold 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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