With one of the earliest organized Communist movements in South America, the Comintern in Uruguay invested much energy in the mid-1920s to develop a real section of the International Red Aid, Sección Uruguaya del Socorro Rojo Internacional, in support of class war prisoners and their dependents. Among those facing persecution in the country, and possible deportation and execution, were revolutionary and anti-fascist refugees from Spain and Italy.

‘Organization of the Red Aid in Uruguay’ by Tuzzali from The Daily Worker. Vol. 5 No. 187. August 8, 1928.

THE Red Aid in Uruguay (Sección Uruguaya del Socorro Rojo Internacional) has existed since February, 1926. However, its activity up to the commencement of 1928 was chiefly conducted by its central committee. The work of the Red Aid in Uruguay consisted in assisting workers arrested in connection with strikes, etc., assisting their dependents and assisting the political fugitives who sought refuge in Uruguay from the white terror in the neighboring countries.

In this way, in 1926, 25 political prisoners and five political fugitives were assisted, and in 1927, 42 political prisoners and three political fugitives were assisted. The political affiliation of these 75 revolutionary workers was 19 anarchists, 133 Communists and 32 non-party workers.

Trade Union Sabotage.

The Red Aid was supported in its work by only a small portion of the workers. The trade unions, anarchist and autonomous, which have formed their own prisoners’ defense committee, did not only refuse to assist the Red Aid, but even refused to take part in the campaigns arranged by the Red Aids.

Since February, 1928, a reorganization of the Red Aid is being carried out with a view to turning the organization into a mass one upon the basis of individual membership.

It can be said without fear of exaggeration that during March and April great organization work has been carried out. The central committee issued an appeal to the workers which was reprinted as a leading article in the daily newspaper “Justicia.” The appeal contained the aims and objects of the Red Aid and appealed to all workers to join its ranks. It was decided to organize provincial committees in 38 districts. There is no provincial committee in the capital of Montevideo and the work of such a committee is carried out by the central committee. Twenty-one district committees will also be organized.

At Work in 8 Provinces.

SUCH committees are now at work in 8 provinces and they are composed of not more than five members. The work in the province of Rocha is particularly good and the committee here has already secured 150 members.

Energetic work is being carried out to persuade the workers to become individual members of the Red Aid. On the 16th of April a conference of officials with the central committee was held and the course of the conference showed that the Red Aid now has 600 individual members. In reality the individual membership is still greater for some of the provinces were not represented at the conference.

This conference decided upon the plans for the work of the organization. Each organization, which is collectively affiliated to the Red Aid, will now appoint one member who is directly responsible for the Red Aid work. The provincial organizations received instructions as to how committees should be formed with the co-operation of other working-class organizations.

Over 50 Organizations.

The efforts of the central committee to secure further collective affiliation on the part of working-class organizations are not less important. At the present time there are over 60 organizations affiliated to the Red Aid, including the workers’ unity block (Bloc de Unidad Obrera), which represents 33 unions with 4,800 members.

Many political, trade union, cultural and sport organizations have adopted decisions to pay regular monthly contributions to the Red Aid. However, in consequence of the strike movement and the great unemployment, the financial support accorded by the trade unions is not very great.

Newspaper Prints Articles.

The Red Aid has secured publicity space in the daily newspaper “Justicia.” Almost every day communications are published concerning the support granted to prisoners and their dependents. During the course of two months 75 articles and notices concerning the Red Aid were published. All material is signed by the Red Aid.

DURING this period a campaign was carried on for the release of Isodoro Azzario, who was arrested in Panama and extradited to the Italian government. A leaflet was printed and distributed and a special propaganda placard was published and stuck up everywhere. A mass meeting was also held. On the committee which was formed in connection with this campaign various parties and organizations were represented, including the Communist Party, the Socialist party and the sport federation. The 18th of March was celebrated by the Red Aid with the publication of three long articles in the “Justicia.”

Celebrate May Day.

On the first day of May the section took part in the main column of demonstrators and marched under its own slogans. The section has also organized a special inspection service in order to make possible direct assistance for the political prisoners.

The work among the foreign-born workers was also not neglected. There are four such groups at the present time, an Italian, a Polish, a Jewish and a Hungarian.

Many strikes take place here and the collisions between the workers and the police arc always accompanied by numerous arrests. By their activity the representatives of the Red Aid have secured the release of a number of workers. During the last three months 26 arrested workers and two political fugitives were assisted. In general, it may be said that the Red Aid in Uruguay has started on the right road toward building up its organization all over the country, securing masses of individual members and toward transforming the organization into a mass one.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n187-NY-aug-08-1928-DW-LOC.pdf