WORLD YOUTH FESTIVAL, HELSINKI (Hansard, 8 March 1961)

§ Mr. Heath

After studying the activities of the organising bodies, the World Federation of Democratic Youth and the International Union of Students, I have concluded that there has been no change in the Communist policy of promoting these Festivals in order to exploit young people for the purposes of Communist propaganda. They are stage-managed by Communist-controlled organisations solely concerned to advance the aims of the Soviet Government. The proceedings at the last such Festival, held in Vienna in 1959, only served to confirm this once again. I understand that Finnish student and youth organisations have themselves declared their opposition to the holding of the 8th Festival in Finland on these grounds.

I realise that young people in this country may have hoped to find there some opportunity of promoting real friendship and understanding with the youth of other lands. Experience of previous Festivals has shown how the organisers have thwarted such expectations.

After careful consideration I must express the hope therefore that no organisation in this country will associate in any way with the Festival of Helsinki. I also hope that all organisations will bear in mind that even the sending of an observer is likely to be advertised throughout the world as proof that the Communist sponsoring organisations themselves are respectable.

A number of individuals who have no Communist sympathies may, I recognise, decide to go to the Festival in spite of these considerations. My advice to them is that in their own interest they should acquaint themselves thoroughly before they go with the real nature of these Festivals and of the Communist policies they are designed to support. I hope they will also make themselves familiar with the facts about this country so that they can counter misrepresentations. Finally, in the interest of the increasing number of youth organisations throughout the world which prefer to concentrate on practical work and decline to be drawn into these propaganda activities, I hope they will make it clear that they attend as individuals and not as representatives of any organisation.