Author: Socialist Action

The great Indian fightback: thousands protest Modi’s racist Citizenship Act

By SUSAN RAM (Originally published in the British journal Counterfire. Susan Ram, journalist/editor, lived in India many years and is currently based in south-west France. Published with permission.) Protests are currently sweeping India, gathering force with every passing day.  In every part of this giant canvas from Assam in the north east to Kerala, Karnataka and … Continue reading The great Indian fightback: thousands protest Modi’s racist Citizenship Act →

Trans Liberation: A Socialist Action Resolution

We begin with our stance of full support to and respect for transgender people’s fundamental right to self-identify and for the full, unequivocal inclusion of trans people in every aspect of society. Socialist Action has a long history of unequivocal support for trans rights and implacable opposition to any and all forms of discrimination, exclusion, … Continue reading Trans Liberation: A Socialist Action Resolution →

Workers Shut Down France to Defend Pensions!

By MARTY GOODMAN On December 5th, French workers walked off the job in massive numbers to protest a proposed attack on pension rights by French President Emmanuel Macron. The proposal would change the age required for public workers to receive full retirement benefits from 62 to 64. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe bluntly told the … Continue reading Workers Shut Down France to Defend Pensions! →

“Bullshit!” at Madrid COP25 climate conference

By JEFF MACKLER Socialist Action’s 2020 candidate for the U.S. presidency Some 500,000 climate activists mobilized in Madrid by a broad array of NGO’s around the world demanded that the United Nations-sponsored COP 25 (Conference of Parties) agree on a series of critical measures to halt the world’s march to planet catastrophe. After eleven days … Continue reading “Bullshit!” at Madrid COP25 climate conference →

British Election: A Victory for the Far Right. A Crisis for the Left

By NEIL FAULKNER and PHIL HEARSE (Socialist Action publishes this article as part of the ongoing discussion on the meaning of the recent overwhelming Conservative Party election victory and the future prospects of the defeated British Labor Party of Jeremy Corbyn. The article originally appeared in the new publication Mutiny, http://www.timetomutiny.org) The British ruling class has … Continue reading British Election: A Victory for the Far Right. A Crisis for the Left →

Prospects for a Fighting British Labour Party

By ANN MONTAGUE On December 12th, 10.3 million people voted for the left Labour Party platform and for radical social change. But the numbers were significantly less than in 2017, which brought Jeremy Corbyn in as leader of the Labour Party. However, this smaller number was still much greater than the number of votes that … Continue reading Prospects for a Fighting British Labour Party →

IMPEACH THE SYSTEM!

By MARTY GOODMAN As the twin parties of the corporate elite battle it out on whether Trump’s phone call to the Ukrainian president constituted an impeachable  “high crime or misdemeanors,” the real crimes, committed daily against the people and nations of the world and inherent in the capitalist system, are nowhere to be seen. Millions … Continue reading IMPEACH THE SYSTEM! →

Book Review: The Trials of Julian Assange

By MICHAEL STEVEN SMITH Book Review: In Defense of Julian AssangeEdited by Tariq Ali and Margaret KuntslerPaperback, First Edition, 320 pagesPublished 2019 by OR Books Whistle-blowing, truth-telling journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange now sits in solitary confinement in London‘s infamous Belmarsh prison. The Trump administration has asked that he be extradited to Virginia for trial as … Continue reading Book Review: The Trials of Julian Assange →

Courageous UAW strike ends with few gains

By DAVID JONES Some 47,897 United Automobile Workers (UAW) ended their six-week strike against U.S. auto manufacturing giant General Motors on October 31. Fifty UAW-organized plants were closed across the country with the union demanding increased job security, a gateway for temporary workers to become permanent, better pay and to retain healthcare benefits. The contract … Continue reading Courageous UAW strike ends with few gains →

Chicago teachers divided over strike settlement

By JEFF MACKLER Twenty-five thousand Chicago teachers, affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers Local 1, AFL-CIO, returned to work on October 31 following a divided vote of the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) 700-member Delegate Assembly (DA) to end the union’s 11-day strike. The vote to accept the five-year tentative contract was 60 percent in … Continue reading Chicago teachers divided over strike settlement →

Bay Area tours Venezuelan Embassy Protectors

By NICK BAKER Three Venezuelan Embassy Protectors toured the Bay Area earlier this month in an eight-event, seven-city tour. Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, and David Paul were three of the last four Embassy Protectors remaining in the Venezuelan Embassy when police broke down the embassy doors and arrested them. They stayed in the embassy for … Continue reading Bay Area tours Venezuelan Embassy Protectors →

Mass anti-capitalist protests rock Chile

By LAZARO MONTEVERDEReporting for Socialist Action from Valparaiso, Chile It started small. In the week of Monday, October 14 small groups of middle-school and high-school students started to jump the turnstiles and barriers at Santiago metro stations to protest a 30 peso (approximately 4 cents US) hike. The rate hike took place on October 6 … Continue reading Mass anti-capitalist protests rock Chile →

Elections in South America: Not much changes

By LAZARO MONTEVERDE Reporting for Socialist Action from Valparaiso, Chile Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay all held national elections in October.  The result, not much change in the Southern Cone of South American. Bolivia Bolivia was the first to hold elections on October 20.  President Evo Morales ran for reelection along with his MAS [Movimiento al … Continue reading Elections in South America: Not much changes →

Anatomy of a Split in Socialist Action

It is indeed quite unusual when a political party, such as ours, widely distributes a report that describes a political split from its ranks. How the U.S. antiwar movement should respond to the U.S. government’s ongoing deadly wars of intervention across the globe – from Syria to Iran, Venezuela and Nicaragua – was central to … Continue reading Anatomy of a Split in Socialist Action →

Philosopher Antonio Gramsci: How revolutionary?

By MARTY GOODMAN “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters.”  “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” “To tell the truth is revolutionary.” — Antonio Gramsci, Italian communist leader and philosopher (1891-1937). “We must stop this brain working for 20 … Continue reading Philosopher Antonio Gramsci: How revolutionary? →

Millions say: Change the system, not the climate!

By JEFF MACKLER The week of unprecedented massive and worldwide climate mobilizations that began on Friday, Sept. 20, represented an historic breakthrough in the consciousness of the world’s people. An estimated 7.6 million people in 185 countries from every continent on earth except Antarctica mobilized in unprecedented numbers to condemn the governments and politicians of … Continue reading Millions say: Change the system, not the climate! →

Sports equity: Women’s soccer and the fight for equal pay

By ANN MONTAGUE After winning the 2019 World Cup, the USA Women’s Soccer Team immediately returned to what could eventually become their biggest win of all. What they were really after was no secret to anyone. Echoing throughout Stade de Lyon, the stadium where they had become world champions, was the explosive chant: “Equal Pay, … Continue reading Sports equity: Women’s soccer and the fight for equal pay →

The SS Winnipeg, Pablo Neruda, and A Long Petal of the Sea

By LAZARO MONTEVERDE VARPARAISO, Chile — Not many radicals from the U.S. know of the Winnipeg and the great poet Pablo Neruda’s role in the event, which is a shame. It is one of many instances of heroism and direct action on the part of the left before and during World War II. Pablo Neruda … Continue reading The SS Winnipeg, Pablo Neruda, and A Long Petal of the Sea →

Millions march worldwide to fight climate change

By MICHAEL SCHREIBER The planet is burning, yet governments still express indifference, refusing to undertake the radical steps that will be necessary to avoid climate catastrophe. Accordingly, people around the world, led by students and youth, are taking to the streets in protest, focusing this month on global strikes. The catalyst for the protests took … Continue reading Millions march worldwide to fight climate change →