Tag: palestine

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Against the Stream

Spanish floods, war in the Middle East, and the US elections

This week, Jorge and Hamid sat down to discuss three flashpoints in the world crisis of capitalism: the floods that are devastating Spain, the spiralling conflict in the Middle East, and the impending US election.

In each episode of our new podcast Against the Stream, members of the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International meet to talk about the most pressing events in the world today. With the help of a few articles selected from the capitalist press, they reveal the interests and processes guiding these developments which the mainstream media won’t talk about.

This week, Jorge and Hamid look at the current flooding in Spain, a symptom of climate catastrophe made dramatically worse by the short sighted, profit driven policy of the government; the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, and Israel’s missile strikes on Iran, which for the first time put Iran and Israel in open, direct conflict; and the American election, the discrediting of the mainstream media, and the economic crisis in the USA which is driving deep polarisation.

This episode was streamed live to YouTube, and you can catch new episodes of Against the Stream weekly at 3pm (GMT). We’d love to hear your feedback along with any articles or questions you want discussed on the podcast.

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Spectre of Communism

Israel invades Lebanon: fight war, fight imperialism!

The situation in the Middle East is escalating dramatically. Israel’s current invasion of Lebanon has sent shockwaves throughout the region and represents a further step towards the outbreak of a region-wide conflict, risking open war with Iran. As the Middle East grows more unstable, communists need a clear understanding of these events and what we can do to fight against militarism and imperialism wherever we are.

This week’s episode of Spectre of Communism Podcast welcomes Fred Weston, from the International Secretariat of the Revolutionary Communist International. Fred discusses recent events in Israel’s escalating military campaign, and explains the need for communists to fight for the real interests of workers and youth, which has nothing to do with the hypocritical warmongering of the ruling class internationally.

For further reading on Israel’s war on Lebanon, we recommend this article published on 1 October: https://www.marxist.com/israel-invasion-of-lebanon-starts-fight-war-fight-imperialism.htm

For more from Fred on recent events in the Middle East, we recommend his latest article on the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: https://www.marxist.com/the-killing-of-nasrallah-netanyahu-is-provoking-iran-to-enter-war.htm

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Spectre of Communism

Encampments for Palestine: reports from the front lines

As the horrors of Israel’s war on Gaza continue to escalate, a wave of student protests has erupted in solidarity with the Palestinians: drawing comparisons with the anti-Vietnam War movement. Starting in the USA, the encampments quickly spread internationally, meeting with press slander and brutal police repression. In this special episode, we speak with four student communists from Canada, the UK, Austria and the USA, who have been active in encampments at various universities, to hear about their experiences of this inspiring struggle. 

What is the mood at these encampments? What kind of opposition have they faced from university authorities and state forces? What sort of demands are being raised? We cover all of this and more! Offering context and our general perspective, we welcome back as well Fred Weston from our International Secretariat to talk about the situation in Gaza, Israel’s operations in Rafah, and what is necessary for this movement to escalate.

We recommend this statement on a communist programme for the encampments. 

Here is our latest statement on Rafah, which also contains our proposed strategy for escalating the protest movement. 

We also suggest recent articles on the repression and attacks against students in Canada and the United States.

Divest and disclose: open the books!

Not a cent, not a bullet for the Israeli war machine!

Free Palestine!

Intifada until victory, revolution until victory!

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Spectre of Communism

Honour Aaron Bushnell: fight for revolution!

On 25 February, 25-year-old US airforce serviceman, Aaron Bushnell, took his own life by self-immolation outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, in protest at US imperialism’s support for the crimes being carried out by the IDF. His last words, livestreamed to the world, were: “Free Palestine!” Just days later, IDF soldiers murdered over 100 civilians at an aid convoy in Gaza, embodying the horror and injustice that inspired Bushnell’s act.

Bushnell’s ‘extreme protest’ sent shockwaves around the world, eliciting much sympathy from workers and youth feeling angry and powerless about the plight of the Palestinians, and indignant at the complicity of their imperialist governments in the slaughter.

This week’s episode of the Spectre of Communism podcast welcomes Fred Weston, a leading member of the International Marxist Tendency, for an update on Israel’s war on the Palestinians. Fred discusses the threatened all-out attack on Rafah, the prospect of a wider war or revolutionary explosion in the Middle East, as well as the powerful and tragic sacrifice of Bushnell, explaining its profound effect. An explosive mood is building everywhere and communists must understand and respond to these developments.

For more by Fred on the situation in Palestine, we recommend his recent article on Israel’s strangulation of the Palestinian economy and the situation in Rafah. 

Further reading on Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation and the mood of anger and frustration it expresses can be found here.

Finally, you can read about the legal persecution of our Austrian comrades for their revolutionary stance on the situation in Palestine and the region here.

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