The Burning Spear 1980
Source: The Burning Spear. Vol. 7 no. 6 August 1980;
Transcribed: for marxists.org by David Adams.
Grenadan Prime Minister Maurice Bishop barely escaped an assassination attempt on June 19, while addressing a rally in St. George, the Grenadan capital. A bomb, detonated by remote control, exploded under the speaker's platform, killing two children and a woman, and wounding more than 20.
According to reports, a former army sergeant, John Phillips, was shot and killed in a gun battle when soldiers attempted to arrest Phillips for involvement in the assassination attempt.
Bishop and his NEW JEWEL Movement came to power in March of last year when they overthrew the reactionary Eric Gairy government. Since that time, the CIA and U.S. government have gone all out to destabilize the NEW JEWEL-led government and overturn the revolution. The Grenadan government is point a guilty finger at the CIA in this latest attempt on Bishop's life.
The bomb attack on Bishop came just six days after an assassin's bomb was successful in the murder of Guyana's revolutionary leader, Walter Rodney. Both Rodney and Bishop were influential throughout the Caribbean Islands and South America.
In a speech the day following the assassination attempt, Bishop called for mass demonstrations in support of the government, and the arming and mobilization of the masses in defense of the revolution.