Dear Maagdenhuis, can we please get our shit together?
Donya Alinejad, a member of the Dutch group Internationale Socialisten, reflects on the occupation at the University of Amsterdam. She argues that if the movement is to win, it must not just formulate answers, but also struggle for the power to implement them. This article was originally published on roarmag.org I confess, from the first time I […]
The new grand alliance in the Middle East
Nancy Lindisfarne and Jonathan Neale explain the changing international alliances in Middle Eastern politics, and how this is connected to rising Islamophobia in Europe. This was originally published as part of a series on Feminism and Islamophobia on their website. In most of Europe and North America now there is only one acceptable form of racism: […]
Israel after the Knesset elections: What hasn’t changed
In a result to the 2015 Israeli Knesset elections that has surprised very few, Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently announced there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, will remain Prime Minister of Israel.
The changing landscape of Indian politics
Ian Crosson reports on the Delhi elections last month which brought the Aam Aadmi Party to power against the ruling BJP. It is not just SYRIZA and Podemos who are shaking up some of the more established political parties. In India on 10th February a political earthquake shook the capital city Delhi and across India […]
“Hope in the stubborn instances of resistance” – Assessing the current state of the women’s movement in India
Tithi Bhattacharya recently caught up with Kavita Krishnan on the prospects for the women’s movement in India today and questions of strategy TB: December 2014 marked two years since India erupted in mass protests against gender violence that inspired us globally. Where do you assess that battle for women’s rights to be at this two-year […]
Putin’s enemies within
Last Sunday, Nestor Bakunin joined a demonstration in Moscow in memory of the murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov. Here he discusses the politics of the demonstration – one of the largest in recent years – and what it reveals about the current state of opposition to Putin’s regime in Russia. At least 50,000 people marched […]
From democracy to neoliberalism – from Poland to Ukraine
Following recent waves of labour struggles in Poland, Jan Ladzinski reflects on the contradictions of movements for democracy that result in neoliberal reforms and suggests possible lessons from the Polish experience for Ukraine. This is a year of strikes in Poland. From the very first days of January, 20% of GP practices in the country […]
Dancing the Dabke to beat Israeli Apartheid
London Palestine Action organised an all singing, all dancing, bubble blowing Dabke flash-mob to ‘cleanse’ Covent Garden cosmetic shops selling Israeli goods or using stolen Palestinian ingredients.
On the murder of Boris Nemtsov
Tens of thousands demonstrated in Moscow and other cities around Russia today against the murder of Boris Nemtsov on Friday night. Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, was a prominent critic of president Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He had been due to lead today’s demonstration in Moscow against the war, marking a year since […]
We need to be honest about what is happening in Greece
Jonathan Neale adds his view to the debate on events unfolding in Greece. We need to be honest about what is happening in Greece. The leadership of Syriza said during the election that under no circumstances would they leave the euro. But if they won the election, they would be able to persuade the governments […]
Demanding the right to breathe
David Renton continues the debate about events in Greece, discussing the agreement between Syriza and the Eurozone, and considers the options facing the movement in Greece. If there had been any doubts about the meaning of the agreement reached by Syriza and the Eurozone, they were resolved by the publication on Tuesday morning of Greece’s […]
“I will continue serenading happiness.” Arab revolutions four years on
The conference Arab revolutions four years on: Revolution, repression and resistance was held at the School of Oriental and African Studies on 13 -14 February.
Letter from Samos: part 2
Part 2 of Chris Jones and Sofiane Ait Chalalet‘s open letter to Dimitri Sevastakis, the newly elected Syriza MP for Samos. Part 1 can be read here. The first part is available here. There is much which unites people on Samos not least the love of its beauty and nature. We live in what could be a […]
Letter from Samos: part 1
Chris Jones and Sofiane Ait Chalalet live on the Greek island of Samos. This is the first part of their open letter to Dimitri Sevastakis, the newly elected Syriza MP for Samos, in which they talk eloquently about their hopes for what might be achieved under the new government. Part 2 is here. Dear Dimitri, Congratulations on […]
‘The rocky road ahead…’ The movement against Irish Water
Five activists from rs21 spent a weekend in Dublin and took part in a city-wide demonstration against the Irish Government’s recent Water Charges bill, and spoke to several activists on the Irish left.
Cuba: coming in from the cold?
After 17 Cuban prisoners were freed by the US in December, Mike Gonzalez charts the recent deal between Washington and Havana and asks if this really is the end of an era with the lifting of the embargo As an internationally recognized artist, you would expect Leonardo Padura Fuentes, Cuba’s outstanding contemporary writer, to be aware […]
Greek elections: web round up #2
All signs point to a Syriza victory today, with the very real possibility of an overall majority, depending on the vote for smaller parties. Since our last round up, even more has been written about Greece, and what it means. Dan Swain continues the coverage. As the reality of a Syriza victory gets closer, the […]
Peace scarf “wraps up” MoD at anti-nuke protest
Amy Gilligan reports Thousands of people encircled the Ministry of Defence in London yesterday with a giant, pink knitted peace scarf. The “Wrap up Trident” protest was called by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) to send a message that Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, must be scrapped, not replaced. MPs are set to vote on […]
Greek election: from New Democracy to ‘neo-democracy’?
A defeat of the radical left party Syriza in this weekend’s Greek elections would not only mean a win for the conservative ‘New Democracy’ party, writes Eva Nanopoulos. It would also testify to the growing prevalence of a ‘neo’ – and largely distorted – version of democracy. This article first appeared on New Left Project. It […]
Greek elections: web round up
The Greek election this weekend could mark a seismic moment in European politics. Dan Swain rounds up commentary from across the web to help you keep informed while eagerly awaiting the results.
Greek elections: live coverage from Athens
Kevin Ovenden will be providing live coverage of the Greek election from Athens. Kevin is a longstanding progressive journalist, writer and activist who has followed Greece’s politics and social movements for 25 years. A National Officer of the Stop the War Coalition and a leading activist in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, he led five successful aid convoys […]
Greek elections: report from Greece Solidarity meeting
Roderick C reports from a meeting organised by the Greece Solidarity Campaign. The election briefing event organised by the Greece Solidarity Campaign covered two main themes: Firstly, an urgent appeal, hammered home by various speakers, for a massive campaign of international solidarity in support of a SYRIZA government. Second, a quite complex discussion about the challenges […]
8 things you need to know about the oil crash
Kate Deer, Amy Gilligan and Brian Parkin answer some of the key questions surrounding the recent crash in oil prices. Why has my petrol got much cheaper? Anyone who drives, or has passed a filling station won’t have failed to notice that petrol prices have plummeted recently. The average price in the UK for a […]
The bitter fruits of racism and imperialism
We comment on the recent attack on Charlie Hebdo. The attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo is something no one can justify. But, if we don’t understand the roots of these events, we risk being pulled ever further into a spiral of increasing violence. Let’s not forget, then, that within France, racism against Muslims […]
LGBT rights under Protestant siege in South Korea
LGBT activists staged an occupation at Seoul City Hall in early December in defence of anti-discrimination laws – and faced opposition from Evangelical Christians, writes Se-Woong Koo. In one corner of Seoul City Hall, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) rights activists and their supporters stormed the escalator to the mayor’s office, demanding protection from discrimination. […]
The spectre of social unrest is haunting Putin’s Russia
The Russian economy is in serious trouble. Gabriel Levy analyses the roots of the problem and what this means for ordinary Russians, Ukrainians, and the rest of us. This article was originally posted on the People and Nature blog. On Russia’s “Black Tuesday” this week (16 December), the Central Bank tried to stop the rouble’s […]
The roots of Israeli apartheid
What does it mean to say that Israel is an apartheid state? Sølvi Goard unpacks a history of vicious segregation and ethnic cleansing
“The United States of America is awesome”
A report on the CIA’s use of torture between 2001 and 2006 was released on December 9, after five years of investigation, $40 million and heavy redactions. Cc. image courtesy of The U.S Army In an act of confession, the government of the United States has released a 500-page report describing torture carried out by the […]
The results are in
An open letter from protesters on the Grand Jury decision. 24th November 2014. In Ferguson, a wound bleeds. For 108 days, we have been in a state of prolonged and protracted grief. In that time, we have found community with one another, bonding together as family around the simple notion that our love for our community compels us to fight […]
Theresa May on terrorism – ramping up failed, racist policies
Theresa May has unveiled new and extended anti-terrorism measures. As an rs21 member writes, this is a continuation of policies which have failed in the Middle East and are encouraging racism here. Today, in a bizarre move, Theresa May made an announcement for “Counter Terrorism Awareness Week”. My initial thoughts were, why now? It hasn’t […]