Hundreds resist fascist march in Dover despite violent attacks from Nazi thugs
report by rs21, pictures by Steve Eason There were ugly scenes in Dover last Saturday as around 150-200 Nazis tried to march through the town and were confronted by 400 or so antifascists. The antifascists managed to obstruct the planned route of the Nazi march, but police responded by kettling counter demonstrators and ferrying the […]
No Fracking Way! A report from Carlisle
On Sunday 31 January, groups gathered in over 30 towns and cities across the UK to show their opposition to fracking.
Local campaigns join forces to protest against the government’s Housing Bill
Ruth Lorimer reports from Saturday’s housing demo in central London. (pictures copyright Jim Aindow Photography – used with permission) Around 1,000 people marched to Downing Street on Saturday to protest against the Housing and Planning Bill that’s currently going through Parliament. The march was made up of campaigners from a large range of local housing campaigns who have pooled resources […]
The other NHS strike – why bursaries for student nurses matter
While attention has largely been focused on the series of industrial actions planned by Junior Doctors, they are not the only NHS workers threatened by proposed government reforms. Mario A, a student nurse, explains why he and his colleagues are planning a walkout, and what it means for the future of the NHS.
COP21 – climate and capitalism
Joe Sabatini dissects the neoliberal mindset behind the Paris talks in December and what the COP21 Agreement means for saving the planet.
Nazis smash and draw swastika in blood on anti-fascist coaches on way to Dover demo
Report via Anindya Bhattacharyya Around 200 anti-fascists from London, who were en-route to protest against fascists in Dover, are currently held at Maidstone service station after a coachload of Nazi’s smashed up one of the anti-fascist coaches. While stopped at the services, fascists wearing Combat 18 and Enoch Powell t-shirts ran at the anti-fascist demonstrators […]
Dover calling: antifascists get ready to defend migrants from Nazi threat
Antifascists are heading to Dover tomorrow, Saturday 30 January, to oppose an anti-migrant demo organised by various Nazi outfits. rs21 spoke to activists involved in building the counter mobilisation about their aims and hopes. The British National Party has been smashed to pieces and English Defence League is a shadow of its former self. But that doesn’t mean the […]
Power play in the global climate movement
What Paris made clear is that now is the time to draw lines as the wider climate movement cannot fulfil its own agenda.
Know Your Rights: the campaigns of Bob and Roberta Smith
James B reviews the latest exhibition of Bob and Roberta Smith, finding a powerful defence of art as a human right, source of self-empowerment and tool of protest. The show until January 31 in Walthamstow’s William Morris Gallery.
Solidarity with the #Heathrow13: climate defence is not an offence
“Climate change and air pollution from Heathrow are killing people now, and the government’s response is to spend millions making the problem bigger.”
On strike in Germany’s jails – an interview with the prisoners’ union
Low-paid prison labour is now integrated into many branches of German industrial production. To organise against the repressive conditions, prisoners created a union. Jörg Nowak interviewed one of the founders to discuss their activities, as well as the state’s response. Republished with permission from the Global Labour University website. Translated from the German by Alexander Gallas.
The slow death of Hong Kong
Sue Sparks reports from Hong Kong, where mainland China is tightening its grip Hong Kong rarely makes it to the international news, but the disappearance of five people, all connected with a publishing company and bookshop in the city which specialises in titles unwelcome in mainland China – many of them scurrilous accounts of the […]
‘No more Jungle, no more borders’ – a report from Calais refugee protest
On Saturday 23 January, residents of the Calais refugee camp protested the destruction of the their shelters and the French government’s attempts to forcibly move them into new accommodation, described by many as a ‘prison’ or ‘concentration camp’. Duncan Thomas reports.
Pilfering, pranks and working-class pride – a review of the BBC’s ‘Cradle to Grave’
The BBC sitcom Cradle to Grave is a sympathetic and engaging portrait of working-class London, set at a key time for class struggle. Colin Revolting reviews.
The unofficial cult of Mao: instability in modern China
Charlie Hore places the recent construction and destruction of a giant statue of Mao Zedong in the context of the instability facing the Chinese ruling class Blink and you may have missed it, but there is already a contender for the strangest news story of 2016. In early January, pictures began circulating of a massive […]
Charlie Hebdo is racist, not anti-racist ‘satire’
Charlie Hebdo’s latest cartoon is ‘satire’ that does nothing to satirise. In uncritically reproducing racist tropes, it can be considered as nothing other than racist itself. Kavita Krishnan explains… The latest Charlie Hebdo (CH) cartoon suggests that the refugee baby Aylan Kurdi would grow up to be a bestial man groping women, like the immigrants allegedly involved […]
St Pancras die-in protests clearing of Calais refugee camp
Kate Bradley reports On Saturday, around 200 people gathered at St Pancras International train station in London to protest against the clearance of the ‘Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais. The demonstration was called by London2Calais, a group that has been providing humanitarian and political support to refugees and migrants stranded in Calais since August 2015. […]
St Pancras ‘die-in’ video report
On Saturday 16 January, activists staged a ‘die-in’ at London’s St Pancras station, in solidarity with the refugees in Calais. Video report by Duncan Thomas. Title image by Steve Eason. [wpvideo 563TDxYP]
US activists join London protest for Fast Food Rights: “we ain’t gonna stop until we get what we want”
Hospitality worker and activist Nilüfer Erdem reports: Rank and file activists from the fight for $15 an hour campaign in the US came to London on 13 January to join a discussion with John Mcdonnell in parliament alongside workers in the UK. Before the meeting in parliament, a loud and theatrical protest took place outside McDonalds […]
Extract: Order reigns in Berlin
On the 97 anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg‘s murder, Jonas Liston introduces an extract from her final article “Order Reigns in Berlin“. In November 1918, a revolt of German sailors and soldiers sparked a mass workers’ revolution that would see the establishment of democratic workers’ councils, the end of World War One and the abdication […]
Resist the forcible eviction of Calais refugees
While conditions in ‘the Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais have long been harsh, many residents are resisting the French government’s attempts to move them to new accommodation.
‘My duty is to save lives’ – rs21 interviews junior doctors on the front line
Both the recent junior doctors’ strike over new contract terms and the student nurses’ protest against the withdrawal of bursaries have been widely covered. Charlie Jarsve spoke to two junior doctors about why they are taking action, support from the public, and the future of the NHS.
Understanding Syria: resource page
Mark Boothroyd has gathered together news sites, analysis, cultural archives and links to a number of the best short films and documentaries to help in understanding the situation in Syria. The Syrian revolution has generated an immense amount of written coverage, analysis and culture. It can be hard to separate truth from propaganda given the competing world […]
Save our NHS! Junior doctors speak
On Tuesday 12 January, junior doctors went on strike to protest the government’s new contract proposal. rs21 members, along with other supporters, joined them in solidarity at picket lines across the country. Interviews by Duncan Thomas and Ian Allinson. [wpvideo vAvEM2kQ]
Junior Doctors Strike: round-up from picket lines
Today Junior Doctors were on strike against changes to their contracts that will be bad for doctors, patients and the whole NHS. Despite the Tories trying to demonise the doctors, the majority of the public support their strike, and they’ve had a lots of solidarity on their picket lines. Here’s a round up from some of […]
What the Junior Doctors strike tells us about how to organise in the public sector
Rick Lighten looks at the lessons that other public sector workers can take from how the Junior Doctors have organised and discusses how a strike in a site of ‘social reproduction’ might be different to one in an industry that makes a profit. Today Junior Doctors are taking strike action against the attempted imposition of […]
The secret life of the NHS
As junior doctors prepare to strike tomorrow, Sophie Walton uncovers the reality of a working life that has driven doctors to breaking point. The rs21 leaflet supporting the strike can be downloaded here It’s 8.00 am Monday morning, and we’re in the handover meeting. There are printed lists in the centre of a large, boardroom […]
‘These cuts will not heal’ – student nurses march for bursaries
On Saturday 9 January, thousands of student nurses and their supporters marched on Downing Street to protest the government’s proposal to replace current bursaries with loans.
#bursaryorbust: student nurses fight to defend the NHS
Today thousands of student nurses will march through London demanding that the NHS bursary should not be scrapped. Emma RC discusses the campaign she’s been part of at King’s College London and argues the #bursaryorbust campaign is part of a wider fight in defence of the NHS. Like most years since its birth, it has […]
Sexism is not an imported product
Dozens of women were sexually harassed on New Year’s Eve in Germany. But rather than connecting the events to everyday sexist violence in Germany, the political and media establishments have focused on the nationalities of the alleged perpetrators argue Silke Stöckle and Marion Wegscheider. Originally published in German by marx21, translated into English by Kate Davison. […]