Convened under the auspices of the ‘Global Progressive Mobilisation’ and under the leadership of the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the fourth ‘In Defence of Democracy’ meeting was held in Barcelona from 17-19 April. The meeting was chaired by Sánchez, and featured prominent national leaders such as Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, and Brazil’s Lula da Silva, amongst others.

On the weekend of 13-15 March the Organización Comunista Revolucionaria (OCR), the Spanish section of the Revolutionary Communist International, held its second national congress in Madrid. With 100 comrades and visitors in attendance, it was a truly inspiring event that many commented marked a personal turning point in their political development.

Spain has garnered much attention amid the imperialist war waged by the US and Israel against Iran. Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish government have emphatically opposed the criminal military campaign. Sánchez is presented by international public opinion as the most courageous and daring western leader in openly opposing Trump and Netanyahu’s war. What does this mean and what position should we communists defend?

50 years ago today, Spanish police massacred workers who had gathered for a mass meeting inside the church of San Francisco de Asís in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country. 

3 March marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most significant events of the revolution against the Franco regime in Spain, which is today misnamed the ‘transition to democracy’. 

20 November marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the dictator Franco, one of the most sinister and despicable figures in Spanish history. But he was nothing more than the representative of the military caste and the social class that elevated him to his position: the big Spanish bankers, industrialists, and landowners. 

On the weekend of 8-9 November, the Organización Comunista Revolucionaria (OCR), the Spanish section of the RCI, held its first national Marxist School in Madrid. It was a great success. This marks an important step in the development of our section as it was the first time that we have held two major national events in the same year.

Trotsky wrote in ‘The Tragedy of Spain’ (1939) that, despite the Spanish proletariat’s revolutionary heroism, they were “brought to ruin by petty, despicable, and utterly corrupted ‘leaders.’” In this episode, we chart the great triumphs and tragic demise of the Spanish Revolution in a complete timeline.

Over the weekend, the streets of Spain were flooded with a tide of people, protesting against the Zionist genocide in Gaza. Along with Israel’s assault on the Flotilla, which was aiming to break the blockade of humanitarian aid to the massacred Palestinian population.

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.

Last Monday, 7 July, an assembly of workers decided to put an end to the indefinite strike that the metalworkers in the province of Cadiz had been holding for a decent collective agreement. We have seen 13 days of strike, mobilisations and police repression, from 23 June to 6 July. What lessons can we learn from this extraordinary struggle?

Since 23 June, thousands of metalworkers in the province of Cádiz, in southern Spain, have been on indefinite strike against their working conditions, in what is already the longest struggle in this industry in the province's history. The previous indefinite strike in November 2021, for wage increases, lasted nine days.

On 28 April at midday, Red Eléctrica de España [Spanish Electrical Network] (REE) suffered an unprecedented failure that left the entire Spanish state, its neighbours Portugal and Andorra, and parts of southern France without electricity. In some areas, the blackout lasted until well into the night. After an unusual Monday, today [Tuesday 29 April] seems to be starting ‘normally’, with 99 percent of the electricity supply restored and the working day back on track.

Last weekend, 21-23 March, saw Organización Comunista Revolucionaria (OCR), the Spanish section of the Revolutionary Communist International, hold its first national congress. Around a hundred delegates and guests attended this important event.

On Saturday 9 November, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Valencia to show their anger against the Government of the Generalitat Valenciana (the Valencian local government), and its president, Carlos Mazón, for their criminal actions after the ‘Dana’ flood on 29 and 30 October.