Swat is a place known for religious extremism and the Taliban. A war has been going on between the Pakistan Army and the draconian religious fanatics it itself created and nourished just two years ago. During all those months of warthe Marxists not only exposed the reality of the Islamic fundamentalists and their connections with the Pakistani state but also organized the local masses against this evil nexus. Many comrades themselves became victims of this religious terrorism including one comrade who was shot and had eight bullets in himfrom a G-3 rifle. Only his will power and hatred against the cruelty of the state and the Taliban kept him alive.

In the months of October and November, Alan Woods, editor of the In Defence of Marxismwebsite will be speaking at a series of meetings in Canada and the USA. Below we publish the details of the speaking tour in so far as they have been announced.

The 2012 World Congress of the IMT, which was held in Marina di Massa, a seaside resort in Tuscany, Italy, marked an important advance for worldwide Marxism. It lasted for one week – from the 24th to 29th of July – with the participation of over 250 comrades from around the world. There were delegates and visitors from all over Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, and a record number of Pakistani comrades.

With the June 17 elections, Greece has entered into a new period. Austerity programmes have left the Greek economy in tatters and the working class have faced an onslaught of unprecedented proportions. The deepening of the capitalist crisis in Greece poses the need for socialism more clearly than ever before. The Greek Marxists have carried out a determined struggle for Marxism and a socialist programme, but they need your help.

For the first time we held the Seminar in the Camp of the Falcons (Socialist youth organisation) in Döbriach (Carinthia). 80 participants from eight (out of nine) Austrian provinces and five countries came to the Lake Millstatt. Unfortunately a number of comrades who registered could not make it to the seminar because of illness or work obligations. But this did not weaken the good mood. There were many reasons for the good mood, but in particular one: the quality of the political debates was especially high this year. The report also includes an open letter SYRIZA and their chairman Alexis Tsipras, which was passed by the participants of the seminar.

In the current political context of Quebec, Fred Weston, the managing editor of the popular international website, In Defence of Marxism, visited Montreal in order to discuss the economic crisis and the increased class polarization in Europe, and what lessons we can take from these experiences for the struggles in Quebec today.

On 23rd May, a group of approximately 50 people gathered on a Wednesday evening in downtown Toronto to hear Fred Weston, the managing editor of In Defence of Marxism, speak on the crisis in Europe. Aside from the faces of the dedicated activists who are present at most Toronto rallies and events, there were many new faces, especially from youth. The presentation by Fred was very insightful in regard to the enormity of the financial and political crisis, but at the same time positive in terms of the way forward.

More than 500 people attended five meetings in five cities during Alan Woods ‘recent and very successful tour of Italy.  The subject of the meetings was “Marxism and #occupy” – a very relevant issue at the present time in Italy and many other countries. In preparation for the meetings, the supporters of FalceMartello, the paper of the Italian Marxists, published in the form of a booklet a translation of the introduction written by Alan for a book on Marxism and anarchism printed by the US Marxists.

On Friday 18th May Alan Woods began his Italian speaking tour with an excellent meeting at the “Universita' Statale” in Milan, attended by over 120 students and workers. The tour is to launch the booklet Il marxismo e #occupy – ribellione o rivoluzione? (Marxism and occupy - rebellion or revolution?) recently published by the Marxist tendency of the PRC, Falcemartello.

We would like to thank all readers and supporters of In Defence of Marxism for the marvellous response we got for the appeal to help the comrades in El Salvador who suffered a brutal criminal attack. The total amount we have raised through dozens of small amount donations, is just under 4000 euro. This shows the real internationalist spirit of revolution. 

The weekend of April 14th and 15th saw the biggest gathering of the supporters of Socialist Appeal and the Marxist Tendency in 20 years. This year's conference discussed the World situation and the ongoing global capitalist crisis, which is developing into the deepest in the history of capitalism. The perspectives for Britain were discussed, with special reference to the question of a referendum on Scottish independence.

On Sunday April 8, a public meeting of unemployed youth was organized by the Unemployed Youth Movement (BNT) in Jhang. The topic of the meeting was “Economic & political crisis in Pakistan and its solution”. The meeting was presided over by comrade Adam Pal, and more than 90 young people from Faisalabad, Chiniot and Jhang including 15 female comrades participated.

The very successful congress of the Pakistani Marxists that we have reported on has had a wide echo across the South Asian subcontinent and beyond. Here we provide a taste of that and also reports of two very successful meetings Alan Woods spoke at after the congress at the National College of Arts in Lahore and the National Museum in Karachi.

After a very successful first day the congress delegates and visitors were in a very excited mood, discussing till late at night the issues raised in the sessions and commissions. Today the comrades gathered for the second day of the congress.

At 10am on Saturday, 10 March, the 31^st Congress of the Pakistani Marxists opened its doors in the impressive Aiwan-i-Iqbal building in Lahore. This year there has been a record participation, exceeding all previous attendance. Over 2,600 people filled the huge hall to full capacity. There were no spare seats upstairs or downstairs and some people had to sit in the passageways.