The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-05

medlately after HltlerS ar
rival to power offered the fas-
cists active help. They did
not attempt to organize the
resistance against the fascination of
sport. Part of them Withdrew into
private life (Wildung), another
part has gone over to the fascist
front; there they now act as Nazi
commissars, police-spies or provo
Gators (Oehlschlager, Kienbaum)
Others have gone abroad, after the
fascists refused the assistance they
offered (Buehren).
The organization of millions of
the refornnist sports federation fell
to pieces. The members, seeing that
they were left in the lurch by the
leaders, gave up their sport; others
went over into the bourgeois clubs
without any plan. Only very little
part of them was "gleichgeschaltet"
(coordinated) as a closed club, while
the class conscious and revolution
airy part among them realized the
treachery of the leaders and began
the fight against fascism, together
with the members of the Fighting
Alliance for Red Sports Unity.
THE reasonable role of the social
democratic leaders is best char
acterized by their slogans. In the
first period of the attacks of the
fascists on the workers sport move
ment they tried to keep their mem
bers back from the fight by their
slogans of "The principal matter is
to guarantee our sports activity"
Every resistance is useless" 1.-THE
fascist dictatorship will break down
by itself" I'm this way they were
always the best helpers of the fas-
cists, they we're those who pre-
pared the fascist dictatorship
Afterwards, they ordered "At pres
ent sport is not the principal mat
ter, but the resistance against fas-
cism."
But nothing was done to organize
even the least resistance. In the
last period we see some attempts
of the reformist leaders to separate
the former members of the social
democratic sports clubs from the
red sportsmen and to build their
own illegal groups. In this way
they continue their role as helpers
of fascism by the attempt to hinder
the members of the former reform
list sports clubs from fighting to-
gether with the members of the
Fighting Alliance against the fas-
cist dictatorship.
The fact, that the Lucerne Sports
International was absolutely passive
in the face of the destruction of
its organization, the strongest in
Germany, and the fact that this In
ternational did not organize the
fight Of the working sportsmen of
other countries for the support of
the German workers sports move
ment, that the traitor GelIert who
is the president of the L. S. L, was
not expelled from it's ranks, all
these facts demonstrate the absolute
political failure of the L. S. I. as an
international proletarian organiza-
ton. The declarations of the L. S. I.
that are still in existence in differ
ent countries are now actively as
sisting their national bourgeoisie to
fascisize and militarize sport.
THE actions of the Red Sports In
ternational in face of the Ger
man events have again demonstra-
ted that this International is the
only organization of class struggle
among the workers sportsmen. The
International Anti Fascist Rally of
Sportsmen in Paris, which at the
initiative of the R.SI. will be car
ried through in August of this year
as demonstration of the prole-
tartan united front, and as a mani
festation of the will for resolute
fight against fascism, meets with
the strong sympathy also of the
working masses of sportsmen of
Germany. Under the lead of the
Fighting Alliance for Red Sports
Unity, they prepare for this rally,
they contribute to the efforts to
make this rally a united fighting
demonstration of the sporting
masses of workers of all countries.
THE Fighting Alliance for Red
i Sports Unity could not be sup
pressed. 1t is the force that already
before, but especially since the be-
ginning of Hitler's dictatorship, I'M
tiringly fights against fascination
and militarization of sport; it mo-
bilizes and organizes the opposition
members. The functionaries of this
association did not flee abroad nor
did they go over to the fascists;
at the head of their members they
led - and are leading - an heroic