On Friday, 30 May, the Czech Chamber of Deputies approved an amendment to Section 403 of Czechia’s criminal code that could make the “promotion of communism” punishable by up to five years in prison. This scandalous attack on democratic rights cannot go unanswered. The labour movement must organise to defend free speech!

After six months of political crisis, electoral charades, and mass disillusionment with the establishment that followed the cancellation of December’s election results, Romanians finally elected a new president on 18 May. Nicușor Dan, the pro-EU liberal candidate and mayor of Bucharest, was elected with 56.6 percent of the vote in the second round, defeating the anti-establishment, nationalist candidate George Simion.

In February, Erik Helgeson, the national deputy chair and spokesperson of the Swedish Dockworkers’ Union, was fired. The reason? The union voted to block the handling of military equipment destined for Israel.

On 26 March, the Estonian parliament – the Riigikogu – voted through a new addition to the constitution. The amendment revokes the right to vote in local elections for non-EU citizens, as well as stateless people residing in Estonia from the next election. This means the loss of voting rights for over 15 percent of the population!

The Red Line demonstration in The Hague on 18 May attracted more than 100,000 participants and was the largest demonstration in the Netherlands since the trade union demonstration on Museumplein in October 2004, more than 20 years ago. It is clear that the mood in the Netherlands is shifting.

The British establishment have ramped up their witch hunt against Kneecap. Band member Mo Chara was charged with a terror offence for arousing “reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hezbollah.”

The Finnish organisation of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) held its first conference amidst an enthusiastic, militant atmosphere on the weekend of 17-18 May. Around 30 comrades gathered in Helsinki from all corners of the country to discuss the explosive world situation and the perspectives for the future Finnish revolution.

The students leading the ongoing protests across Serbia recently announced that they are demanding early parliamentary elections, in which the students will propose their own list of candidates. All opposition media outlets loudly reported this statement, and the masses expressed their support out of trust in the students. Some activists have gone as far as to say that anyone who is in favour of bringing down the regime of Aleksandar Vučić will support this demand.

Chega was the big winner on election night in Portugal. Although the results are inconclusive and there is no prospect of a stable government, some conclusions can already be drawn.

On 1-2 May, Red Front – the Polish section of the Revolutionary Communist International – held its annual May School. This year, it was named the ‘Anti-Imperialist School’ as all of its talks were devoted to the struggle against imperialism and militarism. This school was a response to the accelerating decay of the world capitalist system, which only brings us more conflicts, crises and wars.

Over the last ten years in France, repression against young people and workers has continued to intensify: police violence, ‘preventive’ arrests of activists, the criminalisation of trade union activity, bans on demonstrations, gatherings and meetings, etc. The repression of the Yellow Vests and the solidarity movement with Palestine are two glaring examples, but this is a serious and ongoing trend.

In an article published on 2 March, Révolution Permanente announced the launch of a campaign entitled: ‘Against Macron and the Fifth Republic, we need a radical democratic response from below’.

The first congress of the Revolutionary Communist Collective (CCR) took place from 10 to 11 May in Lisbon. Over the weekend, around twenty communists from different regions of Portugal, half a dozen sympathisers, and three international guests participated in the various sessions. After two years of growth and development, the congress elevated the CCR to a higher level, tightening its organisation and raising its level of political understanding.

On 3 and 4 May, members of the Revolucionarni Komunistički Savez (Revolutionary Communist League, RCL) met in Zagreb for this year’s congress. Delegates from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia were present as members of the Yugoslav section of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI). They were joined by guests from Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Britain, and Kosovo.

What an embarrassment for Fritze Merz! For the first time in the history of the Federal Republic, an incoming German Chancellor has failed to be elected by the Bundestag, despite having signed a coalition agreement to gain a majority. This is embarrassing for Merz and an omen for his crisis-ridden government.