Review | A Brief History of Commercial Capitalism
Nick Evans reviews a new book that calls for a radical rethinking of the history of capitalism.
‘That’s the power of direct action’: an interview with Palestine Action
On Feb 1 2021, Palestine Action and XR North shut down the Elbit Systems factory in Oldham. rs21 spoke with Huda and Richard from Palestine Action about Elbit, Palestine and direct action tactics.
Unearthing hidden histories: an interview with Ian Birchall
An interview with socialist historian Ian Birchall. Ian’s work has has involved researching and reevaluating lesser-known revolutionaries and activists from the Global South.
The exception as the rule: Toronto’s social reproduction organising
In Toronto, community organisers are battling Covid in the shadow of colonial racial capitalism.
Understanding Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement
Nigeria has been rocked by massive protests against state repression. The movement has brought a whole new generation into political struggle.
The British left must stand in solidarity with Palestinians
Lisa Leak argues for vocal solidarity with Palestinians as the annexation of the West Bank goes ahead.
The villains of Parliament Square
A who’s-who of the murderous colonialists set in stone in Parliament Square Gardens.
Winston Churchill: the man, the myth, the murderer
Churchill is central to the Tory myth of national unit. But the historical record is clear: he was a virulent racist, a diehard colonialist, and responsible for the deaths of millions.
London and Edinburgh stand with the Wet’suwet’en
On 1 March, there were demonstrations in London and Edinburgh standing up in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and their allies, demanding that the Canadian government end this cycle of colonial violence.
Music of the people: The Blues
Mitch Mitchell is back with another people’s music playlist. This time he’s here with a brief history of The Blues
Mugabe is dead: remember Chiadzwa
Robert Mugabe’s rule was a disaster for Zimbabwe’s poor. The massacre at Chiadzwa deserves to stand as his testament, writes Leo Zeilig.
Video: What future for Ireland?
Eamonn McCann and Maev McDaid discuss the future of Ireland, 50 years after British troops went in, as the DUP prop up a Tory British government grappling with Brexit, and in the light of feminist struggles on both sides of the border.
What future for Ireland, 50 years after British troops went in?
On 22 August Eamonn McCann and Maev McDaid will be speaking in London about the political situation in Ireland 50 years on from British troops going in.
Review: Capitalism and Theory
A collection of the writings of Mike Kidron casts light on the heterodox Marxist economist and the revolutionary socialist organisation he once belonged to, writes Brian Parkin.
Between Sartre and Cliff: Ian Birchall, a heterodox Marxist’s trajectory
Selim Nadi conducts a wide-ranging interview with long-standing revolutionary socialist Ian Birchall.
Não passarão – the fight against Bolsonaro
Listen to anti-Bolsonaro activists discuss the far-right turn in Brazilian politics and what we can do to organise in solidarity.
rs21 pamphlet | Israel: the making of a racist state
A new rs21 pamphlet explains exactly how the Israel-Palestine conflict came into being – and why Israel has always been a racist state
AUDIO: The Fire Last Time – 1968
Marxist historian Neil Davidson talks on 1968 and the broader period of uprisings and reprisals of which it became the most visible example
Palestinian ‘violence’ is not the problem
Palestinians are within their rights to engage in either armed or unarmed responses to settler-colonial oppression.
Don’t let Israel hide Ahed’s trial
Israel’s apartheid regime is trying to hide its mistreatment of Ahed Tamimi, the teenage Palestinian political prisoner.
Anti-globalisation or anti-imperialism? A left case for global de-linking
When the right comes out against free trade, the left must persist in its critique of the global capitalist economy.
‘You strike a woman, you strike a rock’
Luke Hodgkin reviews Aliki Saragas’s new film Strike a Rock, which follows the fight for justice of the women widowed by the 2012 Marikana Massacre in South Africa. On 16 August 2012, 34 striking miners were shot dead by the South African security forces, in what has become known as the ‘Marikana massacre’. There has been no […]
Solidarity with Chicago Dyke March: it’s not antisemitic to oppose Israel
In the last few weeks, controversy has erupted about events on the Chicago Dyke March, held on 24 June. Colin Wilson argues that we should stand in solidarity with the march’s organisers. The Dyke March has taken place annually for over twenty years as an alternative to a Pride Parade as its founders believed was […]
Winston Churchill: the man, the myth, the murderer
Despite his reputation as “the man who beat Hitler”, Churchill’s own record was one of murderous racism and colonial violence
Revisiting Frantz Fanon: memories and moments of a militant philosopher
A new book by Leo Zeilig focuses on one of Africa and the modern era’s most celebrated revolutionaries, whose views remain influential long after his death. Many people spoke well that day. Delegates had come from across the African continent to independent Ghana for the All-African Peoples’ Conference in 1958. Most spoke of the continuing […]
On cultural appropriation, from American Spirit to Palmyra
While symbols and their deployment undoubtedly structure our experience, Charlie Jarsve argues that power relations have a materiality that an uncritical understanding of ‘cultural appropriation’ can obscure. I still remember the first time I came across American Spirit tobacco. I was in Berlin roughly two years ago and I saw a Swiss friend rolling a cigarette. Even […]
Oxford University’s liberal mask slips in Rhodes Must Fall campaign
The liberal face that Oxford University likes to present has been challenged in the campaign to remove the statue of racist Cecil Rhodes.
New radical website launched – Review of African Political Economy
A new website Review of African Political Economy has been launched and is a great resource for socialists says Leo Zeilig.
HM 2015: How the West Came to Rule
Marxist scholars have long debated the origins of capitalism. Bill Crane reports on a fruitful debate at this year’s Historical Materialism conference about the recent book ‘How the West Came to Rule’. The question of how capitalism emerged and became the basis of the international system has generated a number of incredibly fruitful debates among […]
A tree without roots
Zakir Gul argues that the axing of ‘community languages’ at A level reveals the government’s contempt for Britain’s ethnic minorities and their heritages. White just got whiter. Examination boards AQA and OCR have decided to axe several essential languages at A level. The list includes Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Polish, Turkish and Persian. The British government’s […]