Coronavirus shatters illusory Portuguese “boom” The coronavirus crisis has shattered the lauded Portuguese "boom", which is based primarily on the now-crippled tourism industry, and exposed the fragility of this backward European economy. Portuguese workers must follow the example of their class brothers and sisters in Italy and Spain, who have met the bosses' attempts to make them choose between health and pay, with strikes and class struggle!Note: The situation in Portugal has moved on quickly since this article was written. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have almost tripled since the weekend and the country has experienced its first deaths. The President is set to declare a state of emergency which will involve...
In memory of Harry Whittaker (9 August 1938 – 16 March 2020): a working-class hero There are some people who leave an indelible mark on the lives of everyone they ever met. To have known such a person is something that enriches one’s life and makes it a fuller and more rewarding experience. The passing of such individuals always leaves an immense empty space that can never be filled.
Coronavirus: thousands of Spanish workers mobilise and stop production to protest unsafe working conditions The following statement shows how workers in Spain, who are striking in protest at the bosses’ refusal to take adequate safety measures in light of the coronavirus pandemic, are setting an example to the whole world. No to unsafe working conditions! Make the bosses pay!
[Video] The coronavirus and the crisis of capitalism As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on society, Fred Weston, editor of www.marxist.com, discussed the COVID-19 crisis via livestream last night (16 March), and how this is the product of a sick system. Only a bold socialist response can provide the cure. Join the International Marxist Tendency and help us fight for a revolutionary alternative!
[Video] Coronavirus, crisis and class struggle in Italy Claudio Bellotti - editor of Rivoluzione - discusses the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, which has the second-most cases after China. Around 24,000 people have been confirmed to have the disease. This emergency has exposed the underlying rot in Italian capitalism. A public health crisis has been brewing for decades, due to massive cuts to the Italian health system over the course of 30 years. Meanwhile, the erratic reaction of the government reflects the weakness and divisions in the ruling class.
Russia: Putin regime attacks anti-fascists and moves toward full-scale police dictatorship On 14 March, in Moscow, near the FSB building, a series of peaceful pickets was to be held against the “Network Case” and new constitutional amendments introduced by the regime. But the authorities decided that, on this day, they would prevent even legal protests – at any cost. Several special police units were deployed in order to arrest not only the protesters, but also the journalists covering the protests. As a result, more than 50 people were arrested.
The coronavirus and the crisis of capitalism: livestream tomorrow 7pm (UTC) Fred Weston, editor of marxist.com, will discuss the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at 7pm (UTC) on Monday 16 March. It can be accessed via this Facebook event, and from our YouTube channel.
Coronavirus pandemic opens a new stage in world history Events on a world scale are moving at breakneck speed. The new coronavirus (COVID-19) has set in motion a chain reaction, which is upending any semblance of stability in one country after another. All of the contradictions of the capitalist system are coming crashing to the surface.
[Video] Coronavirus, contagion and crisis As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, Hamid Alizadeh (editor of www.marxist.com) discusses how capitalism and the ruling class are completely incapable of addressing the crisis.
World perspectives In the past three weeks, stock markets such as the Dow Jones and the FTSE in London have lost more than 25 percent of their values. Meanwhile the world economy has been grinding to a halt. Unemployment is creeping up in one country after another. Capitalism is in a crisis on a world scale. The ruling class is blaming the crisis on the novel coronavirus. But this virus is only bringing to the surface contradictions which have been building up for decades within the capitalist system.
Mexico: the femicide of Sara Abigail cannot go unpunished, we demand justice! The following was written by a comrade whose sister tragically became a victim of femicide, which has become a plague on Mexican society. The comrade demands justice for her sister, and every other victim of the rotten capitalist system, which has violence against women written into its DNA. Not one more woman murdered! Justice for Sara Abigail and all victims of femicide!
When fear became fury: Mexican women shake society Every day, 10 women are murdered on average in Mexico. Yet open violence is only the tip of the iceberg. Mexican women face constant harassment, discrimination and humiliation at home, in the workplace, and in the streets. Women in general, and working-class women in particular, bear the brunt of the crisis of Mexican capitalism and the process of social decomposition that accompanies it. Pent-up anger at this state of affairs has now come to surface as International Women’s Day saw unprecedented mobilisations, followed by a women’s strike that paralysed the...
Britain: coronavirus crisis – make the bosses pay! After much delay, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced the government’s lacklustre response to the covid-19 pandemic. The labour movement must fight to ensure that workers, the poor, and the vulnerable do not suffer as a result of the outbreak.
Italy: the coronavirus epidemic is an emergency, but capitalism is the real disaster The coronavirus crisis is more severe in Italy than anywhere else in Europe. This shows the chronic failures of the government – whose response so far has been totally inadequate, and which is attempting to shunt the economic burden of the emergency onto working people.
Britain: Tory crisis budget – desperate measures for desperate times Yesterday's Budget announcement by Tory Chancellor Rishi Sunak attempted to calm the capitalists’ fears with promises of extra spending and stimulus. But British capitalism faces a perfect storm, and the Tories’ promises will soon turn to dust.