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After Nepal joined Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the list of countries yet to be roiled by revolution on the Subcontinent has been reduced to three: India, Pakistan and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. [Even as these lines are being written, a mass movement is unfolding on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control in Kashmir.]

Yesterday, Israel once again attacked a peaceful flotilla travelling towards Gaza to break the naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. In the following hours, millions came pouring onto streets across Europe to protest the assault and demand an end to the genocide. In Italy, a general strike has been called for tomorrow. 

At around 6pm GMT on 1 October, Israeli armed forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla of over 40 vessels which had been travelling towards Gaza to break the naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. By this morning, 2 October, the majority of the boats had been seized by Israel and their occupants, hundreds of people, have been illegally detained, and transported to Israel. Amongst those seized were Greta Thunberg, the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, an Irish senator and many other political, trade union and solidarity movement figures and pro-Palestine activists.

On 26 and 27 September, delegates from important dockworkers’ trade unions in Europe and the Mediterranean convened in Genoa to discuss joint action to stop the genocide in Gaza. The meeting took place at a time when, across Europe, workers and young people are in the mood for open struggle against the barbaric massacre of the Palestinian people, and are blaming their own ruling classes for complicity in the genocide.

The planned day of action on 2 October, called by the inter-union committee of trade union confederation leaders, will probably be massive, as so many days of action have been over the last twenty years. During the mass movement against the raising of the retirement age to 64, from January to June 2023, fourteen days of action were organised, some of which mobilised more than 3 million demonstrators. Macron, however, did not budge an inch: the counter-reform was pushed through.

On 12 September 2025, Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the crimes of leading a criminal organisation, attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, coup d'état, damage to national public property and damage to listed property of historic significance.

What started as a day of peaceful protest called by the Madagascan youth on Thursday 25 September, ended with brutal repression, which left several youth killed by police, clashes and rioting. The government has declared a curfew in all major cities, but protests continue.

“He who laughs has not yet heard the bad news.” – Berthold Brecht

The general strike against the genocide in Gaza on 22 September represented a huge outburst of mass anger which has profound implications beyond the borders of Italy. The idea that mass direct action is needed to stop Israel’s murderous assault on the Palestinians now dominates. At the same time, the Italian mass protest can also be seen as part of a ‘Red September’ of mass uprisings, revolutions and insurrections across the world.

With his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump has once again shocked the world. But what does his apparent change of heart on the war in Ukraine actually signify? And what does it mean for Europe?

The demonstrations and strike on 22 September marked a decisive turning point for the Palestine movement in Italy. All the anger and disgust accumulated in the face of the increasingly ferocious actions of the state of Israel, all the indignation at the complicity and revolting hypocrisy of the Italian and western governments, finally poured out in demonstrations that spread throughout the country.