Perspective
Perspective
Perspective
From the Fourth of July to the Sixth of January
The working class—in the US and internationally—must be warned of the ongoing danger of dictatorship and mobilized in time to stop it.
Top Stories
Seeking to avert a social explosion, the police have refused to release footage of the initial police stop or the immediate aftermath of the killing of Walker.
Jacob Crosse•
A vigil for Joseph Nagle was held by family and friends on the evening of June 30 at the location where he was shot and killed by an Allegan County Sheriff’s deputy on June 16.
Michael Anders•
The German government's silence on Melnyk's recent remarks is not simply a scandal. It is part of a deliberate campaign to rehabilitate fascism and ultimately Hitler himself.
Johannes Stern•
During its first six weeks in office, the Labor government has given its full commitment to the US-led confrontations with Russia and China, which threaten nuclear war.
Oscar Grenfell•
The unprecedented global outbreak of monkeypox is deepening throughout the world, raising concerns among scientists and physicians internationally that another pandemic is now unfolding alongside the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Mateus•
Clare Bruderlin•
A casual dockworker describes desperate situation facing roughly half the workforce, speaks against the ILWU for preventing the strike needed to improve conditions.
Our reporter•
Starbucks workers in Chicago carried out a three-day strike over the weekend in opposition to severe understaffing problems. The Starbucks baristas, many of whom got COVID-19 while working, complained about low pay and unsafe conditions during the pandemic.
James Martin•
Any proposed attempt to define rigid racial distinctions among India’s 1.4 billion people, even if honestly undertaken, would quickly run counter to well-established scientific research that has demonstrated the immense diversity of India’s population, as well as the world’s population as a whole, with respect to genetics, language, and culture.
Philip Guelpa•
Following his elevation to cult-like status within far-right circles, Rittenhouse is cashing in with fascistic propaganda.
Luke Galvin•
The deadliest violence since near weekly mass protests began last October over the military’s ouster of the interim government of Dr Abdulla Hamdok brings the total number killed since the coup to 114, including 18 children.
Jean Shaoul•
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) organized an online discussion event at Humboldt University (HU) in Berlin last Monday, in which about 60 students participated.
Our reporters•
A video presentation by Evan Blake
What must be done to end the pandemic
Watch
Letter to a Young Trotskyist in Russia
This letter, written by David North to a Trotskyist in Russia, reviews the historical and political foundation of the ICFI's opposition to the US-NATO war against Russia.
David North•
“Not the reform of the existing bureaucracy, but its abolition”
Will Lehman, Mack Trucks worker, announces campaign for UAW president
Lehman declared his support for the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, which he said was a “growing movement to unify workers across plants, industries and countries.”
Our reporters•
Workers support campaign by Will Lehman for UAW president: “All it takes is a spark”
In his video statement announcing the campaign, Lehman stressed that he was calling for an end to the UAW bureaucracy and fighting to develop a movement of rank-and-file workers in the US and in other countries.
Marcus Day•
Why was there no organized resistance to Trump’s January 6 coup?
New facts as well as old ones point incontrovertibly to the reality that Donald Trump and his accomplices attempted to wipe out the results of a national election and bring down the US government and Constitution on January 6, 2021, seeking to establish a presidential dictatorship.
David Walsh•
Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)•
Chris Marsden, Julie Hyland•
Patrick Martin•
Evan Blake•
David Walsh•
A historic advance in the fight for Trotskyism
The International Committee of the Fourth International accepts application of the Sosyalist Eşitlik Grubu to become its section in Turkey
The June 19 decision followed extensive discussions with representatives of the International Committee in Istanbul on the development of the fight for Trotskyism in Turkey and the Aegean and Black Sea regions.
Read more
Opera star Anna Netrebko files grievance against the Metropolitan Opera
The Met Opera banned Netrebko in early March following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, claiming she had not done enough to disassociate herself from the Putin regime.
David Walsh•
Ukraine bans import of Russian books and performances of Russian music
The crackdown is a continuation of the attempt by the Ukrainian regime at “ethno-cultural cleansing” of Russian literature, of any period or political persuasion.
Sandy English•
WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn—The fantasy of “kibbutz capitalism”
The years following the 2008 global financial crisis were marked by speculative parasitism escalating to stratospheric heights. Neumann’s grotesque, New Age company arose within these conditions.
Joanne Laurier•
“Would you like us to assign someone to worry your mother?”
British band Wet Leg follow up their viral single with an accomplished album
Despite the band’s apparently spontaneous origins and its members’ professed amateurism, Wet Leg (2022) does not sound sloppy or tossed off.
Erik Schreiber•
David Walsh•
David Walsh•
Joanne Laurier•
Richard Phillips, Frank Gaglioti•
Erik Schreiber•
Australia: NSW rail workers continue industrial action despite union-government backroom talks
The planned action includes a repeat of Friday’s 24-hour ban on operating “fourth generation” trains, which reduced the capacity of Sydney’s passenger railways by around 70 percent.
Martin Scott•
“There was blood everywhere”: Former Caterpillar worker speaks out on lack of safety
A former Caterpillar worker in the Peoria, Illinois area spoke out against the company's unsafe working conditions, punitive treatment by management and the indifference of the UAW.
James Martin•
“Any self-respecting nurse would run screaming from HCA”—Pennsylvania nurse describes her experience working for Healthcare Corporation of America
The World Socialist Web Site received a letter from a nurse with several decades of experience working for the Healthcare Corporation of America, the world’s largest private hospital owner.
Nurse K•
As nurses' contract expires, Michigan Medicine demands 101 concessions and refuses to grant step raises
The contract for 6,200 nurses at the University of Michigan hospital and medical school expired on Thursday night with the union taking no measures to advance the fight against the provocative posture of management and the intolerable working conditions that are making patient care unsafe.
Kevin Reed•
Esther Galen•
Bryan Dyne•
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Our reporters•
Robert Stevens•
This week in history: July 4-10
This column profiles important historical events which took place during this week, 25 years ago, 50 years ago, 75 years ago and 100 years ago.
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The lessons of the 1984-5 miners’ strike for the UK rail strikes
The World Socialist Web Site is reposting an essay first published in 2004, “20 years since the year-long miners’ strike", to assist workers internationally who are coming into struggle.
Chris Marsden, Julie Hyland•
This week in history: June 27-July 3
This column profiles important historical events which took place during this week, 25 years ago, 50 years ago, 75 years ago and 100 years ago
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New York Times series The Ransom absolves capitalism for Haiti’s oppression
It is well known that Haiti has been looted by foreign governments, banks and comprador leaders since its birth. However, the Times cannot even pose the question why, let alone answer it, because this leads in a revolutionary direction.
Alex Johnson•
Chris Marsden•
•
Shannon Jones•
Douglas Lyons•
Tom Mackaman•
Who will pay for Biden’s new “forever war”?
The global war being initiated by the Biden administration is at the same time a war against the working class of the United States.
Andre Damon•
NATO prepares for “warfighting against nuclear-armed peer-competitors”
NATO has adopted a new strategy document outlining plans to militarize the European continent, massively escalate the war with Russia, and prepare for war with China.
Andre Damon•
New army chief General Sanders urges Britain to prepare for total war with Russia
The new head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, gave a blood-curdling speech Tuesday, insisting that the UK and its NATO allies must prepare to wage war against Russia.
Robert Stevens•
NATO’s Baltic blockade opens new front in war against Russia
Lithuania’s imposition of a blockade against Russia, traditionally seen as an act of war, is part of a deliberate effort by the US and European powers to expand the war beyond the territory of Ukraine, transforming the conflict ever more openly into a NATO war with Russia.
Andre Damon•
Clara Weiss•
Gabriel Black•
David North•
Andre Damon•
Ozan Özgür•
At NATO summit, New Zealand PM backs war with Russia, military build-up against China
With staggering hypocrisy, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern presented NATO as a bastion of peace and democracy, even as the military alliance openly prepares for nuclear war against Russia and China.
Tom Peters•
US-led initiative to strengthen imperialist grip on the Pacific
The US-led “Partners in the Blue Pacific” is part of the escalating diplomatic and military offensive by local and major powers, including NATO, to confront China in the Pacific.
John Braddock•
Australia: Striking teachers in New South Wales speak out
“I am constantly looking for casuals. There are times when I have to cold call 40 different people to cover a class. I’m not looking at their CVs anymore, if they have approval to teach, that is good enough.”
Our reporters•
Australia: Labor government implements new onerous welfare requirements
The new system has been imposed at the direct behest of big business.
John Harris•
Martin Scott•
Richard Phillips•
Mike Head•
Tom Peters•
Peter Symonds•
Half year of financial turbulence set to worsen
Interest rate hikes are hitting financial operations which depended on the continuation of the Fed’s ultra-easy monetary policies which sent interest rates to historic lows as central banks pumped trillions of dollars into the financial system.
Nick Beams•
Central bankers commit to rate hikes amid growing signs of recession
The most aggressive response to what ECB president Christine Lagarde said was a “massive geopolitical shock,” leading to high and rising inflation, was delivered by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.
Nick Beams•
Crypto turmoil intensifies as major fund defaults
While the series of shocks in the crypto market over the past month all have their particular origins, they are the expression of a deeper crisis in the financial system.
Nick Beams•
Bank for International Settlements calls for accelerated interest rate hikes
Central banks around the world have targeted the push by workers for wage increases to meet the highest inflation in four decades by lifting their interest rates but the BIS said what had been done so far is not enough.
Nick Beams•
Nick Beams•
Nick Beams•
Nick Beams•
James Martin•
Nick Beams•
Workers and youth explain why they are attending Sri Lankan SEP’s online public meeting
“We were really confronted with the question, who would replace Gotabhaya [Rajapakse] but we cannot accept [opposition SJB leader] Sajith Premadasa.” – Imasha, post-graduate law student
Our reporters•
Sri Lankan government declares virtual national lockdown! Fight for a socialist program to end the social calamity
As the SEP has explained, there is no solution within the capitalist system for the workers and the poor, nor is there a national solution to the economic and social crisis.
Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)•
Strong interest in SEP meeting on the mass uprising in Sri Lanka
“I read the WSWS article on how big companies in Sri Lanka have made profits in the midst of this crisis. I felt really angry when I went through the numbers. That is the wealth that can solve the problems of the suffering people.”
Our correspondents•
Sri Lankan corporations reap large profits as workers and rural toilers face poverty and starvation
The Lanka Hospitals Corporation, one of the largest of the more than 140 private hospitals in Sri Lanka, recorded a 2.8 billion-rupee turn over in the first quarter of this year, a 27 percent increase on the same period last year.
N. Ranges•
Rory Woods•
W.A. Sunil•
our correspondents•
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Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka)•
40,000 BT workers in UK vote to strike, but Communication Workers Union pledges no “knee jerk reaction”
The mood of workers to fight means that as soon as the unions move to sabotage one dispute, another breaks out.
Robert Stevens•
Scottish National Party makes renewed right-wing independence pitch
With the working class in the UK coming into struggle against the Johnson government, and amid the NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, the pro-austerity, pro-war SNP advances a nationalist policy of divide and rule.
Thomas Scripps•
UK: Three GMB union officials charged under Thatcherite anti-strike law appear in court
Even when faced with attempts to prosecute its own officials, the GMB—the third largest union in the country with a membership of 600,000—sits on its hands.
Tony Robson•
Turkey retracts veto on Sweden, Finland joining NATO amid war summit in Madrid
On the eve of the NATO summit focusing on war against Russia in Ukraine, as well as confronting China, top officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland made an agreement allowing Stockholm's and Helsinki’s entry into the military alliance.
Ulaş Ateşçi•
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Steve James•
Ulaş Ateşçi•
Alice Summers•
Trudeau government increasingly using authoritarian secret orders-in-council
Nothing is publicly known about the contents, stipulations or purpose of the 40 secret orders-in-council the federal Liberal government has adopted since the beginning of 2020.
Matthew Richter•
Protests in Akron, Ohio after initial autopsy confirms police shot unarmed Jayland Walker 60 times
Anticipating mass outrage ahead of the public release of portions of body camera footage on Sunday, the Democratic mayor of Akron has canceled Fourth of July celebrations in the city.
Jacob Crosse•
“These kids were obliterated”
Uvalde parents angered over lack of answers in school shooting
Since May, the police, local and state officials have changed their account of what happened inside Robb Elementary and what police did for over an hour as the 18-year-old gunman mowed down children and teachers.
Trévon Austin•
Two men to be retried in Grand Rapids for kidnap plot against Michigan Governor Whitmer in 2020
Following a hung jury in their first trial last April, Adam Fox and Barry Croft are scheduled to begin retried on August 9 to face kidnap conspiracy charges in US District Court for the Western District of Michigan in Grand Rapids.
Kevin Reed•
Valerie Tsekov, Shannon Jones•
Landon Gourov•
Sterling Oliver, Roger Jordan•
Eric London•
Jacob Crosse•
Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic
Family of Detroit autoworker who died of COVID-19 demands answers
Autoworker and grandmother Catherine Pace died on March 27, 2020 after contracting COVID-19 in the paint department at the Warren Truck Plant outside Detroit, then operated by Fiat-Chrysler, now Stellantis.
Watch video testimony
Latest COVID-19 surge deepens across Europe and globally, fueled by Omicron BA.4 and BA.5
The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are fueling a new surge in global COVID-19 cases. The WHO director-general warned that our ability to track infections is threatened because testing and sequencing have been drastically reduced.
Benjamin Mateus•
COVID-19 infections rising in Turkey as scientists warn of a new surge
The COVID-19 pandemic is on the rise again in Turkey, where the Health Ministry recently confirmed the first official case of monkeypox.
Ozan Özgür•
Taiwan experiencing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the world
Taiwan has removed nearly all virus mitigation measures in line with the demands of global finance capital.
Ben McGrath•
IHR Emergency Committee stops short of declaring the monkeypox epidemic a global emergency
The World Health Organization reported that the Emergency Committee did not feel the current state of the monkeypox epidemic constituted a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Benjamin Mateus•
Benjamin Mateus, Evan Blake•
Benjamin Mateus•
Dylan Lubao•
Our reporter•
Tom Peters•
SEP (Australia) public meeting: Oppose British extradition order: Fight to free Julian Assange!
The Socialist Equality Party calls on workers, students and professional people to attend its online meeting on Sunday July 10, at 3 p.m. AEST to mobilise to defend and free Julian Assange.
Socialist Equality Party (Australia)•
Rap artist M.I.A. defends Julian Assange and denounces Tony Blair as a war criminal
Recording artist and song writer M.I.A. has again spoken out in defense of Julian Assange following the June 17 decision of UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to authorize the extradition of the WikiLeaks publisher to the US.
Kevin Reed•
Assange was stripped and placed in “suicide watch” isolation cell after British extradition announcement
This latest abuse of Assange’s democratic and human rights was reported by his father John Shipton. It is a continuation of what outgoing United Nations Rapporteur Nils Melzer has branded as the state torture of Assange by the British and US authorities.
Oscar Grenfell•
Australia’s Labor government rejects surging demands to free Assange
Labor has responded with hostility to the groundswell of support for the WikiLeaks founder, with Albanese denouncing those who have called on his government to free Julian Assange.
Oscar Grenfell•
Oscar Grenfell•
Oscar Grenfell•
Robert Stevens•
Kevin Reed•
Oscar Grenfell•
Who will pay for Biden’s new “forever war”?
The global war being initiated by the Biden administration is at the same time a war against the working class of the United States.
Andre Damon•
Biden, Democrats seek to channel outrage over abortion bans into midterm election campaigns
President Biden indicated that his primary concern following the Dobbs decision is its impact on the ability of Washington to maintain NATO unity in conducting the widening war against Russia and confrontation with China.
Barry Grey•
US Supreme Court preemptively blocks EPA regulations which would mitigate global warming
In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the conservative majority on the court has taken a provocative and reactionary action defending the interests of the fossil fuel industry.
Alex Findijs•
As state abortion bans take effect, Democrats confine their response to election appeals
Rather than use the vast powers of the federal government to make abortion services available, the Biden administration is using the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade purely to hustle votes in November.
Patrick Martin•
Tom Carter•
By our reporters•
Barry Grey•
Eric London•
Kate Randall•
How Swedish authorities worked to export “herd immunity” to other countries
This submission to the Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic documents the attempts made by the Swedish government to export its “herd immunity” strategy of mass infection to countries throughout the world.
Keith Begg, Virpi Flyg•
CP Rail worker speaks to the Global Workers Inquest about his experience with COVID-19 on the job
This testimony demonstrates how the Class I railroad has shown total disregard for the health and safety of rail workers during the pandemic, with the aid of the trade unions and state safety institutions that serve the interests of big business.
Penny Smith•
“We were asking people to come to restaurants and risk community health, just to ensure businesses stayed open”
Canadian restaurant worker speaks to the Global Workers Inquest
Robin, a restaurant worker from Vancouver, recently spoke to the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic about dangerous working conditions in the hospitality sector and his experience with being twice infected by COVID-19.
Malcolm Fiedler•
Canadian education worker infected by COVID-19 speaks to the Global Workers Inquest: “An indifferent, sociopathic regime equal to any despotic cabal in any era”
“I was denied a medically justified request for accommodation. Then, when incapacitated by the very malaise I had asked to be spared exposure to, I was left too sick to work and without medical benefits,” the worker said.
Malcolm Fiedler•
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Dylan Lubao•
Guilherme Ferreira•
Emma Arceneaux•
Evan Blake•
Statement of the Editorial Board
For a Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Inquest is necessary to break through the cover-up, lies and misinformation that have been used to justify policies responsible for the avoidable deaths of millions.
Find out more
A pair of experiments reveal new details regarding the origin of life on Earth
Separate teams of researchers in Japan and Germany have experimentally demonstrated key elements in the chemical processes that led to the appearance of living systems 4 billion years ago.
Philip Guelpa•
Molar of ancient human Denisovan species discovered in northern Laos
The tooth of a young Denisovan female was found after local children directed archaeologists to a cave in northern Laos.
Frank Gaglioti•
The imaging of Sagittarius A*: A monumental scientific achievement
The imagery of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is a brilliant demonstration of the possibilities engendered by human labor coordinated on an international and scientific basis.
Bryan Dyne•
Astronomers publish first imagery of Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole
The latest black hole image from the Event Horizon Telescope is further evidence that globally organized observational astronomy involving vast quantities of data and their coordination is becoming increasingly routine.
Bryan Dyne•
Philip Guelpa•
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Bryan Dyne•
Bryan Dyne, Barry Grey•
Daniel de Vries•
Socialist Equality Party meeting discusses crisis of Australia’s two-party system and the way forward for the working class
The livestreamed event provided a much-appreciated forum for democratic discussion about the election result, Labor’s right-wing program, and the class battles now unfolding in Australia and internationally.
Our reporter•
Australia’s Labor government demands “sacrifices” from workers
Labor claims to have suddenly discovered that the budget situation is “dire” so “significant savings” must be found and “productivity” driven up with the help of the trade unions.
Mike Head•
Australian Labor government already functioning as US attack dog in the Pacific
Labor, before it has even secured a majority government, is on a foreign policy blitz aimed at shoring-up US and Australian hegemony over the Pacific.
Oscar Grenfell•
The international significance of Australia’s crisis election
The outcome reflects, in distorted electoral terms, a political radicalisation of workers and young people that is already finding expression in a development of working class struggles.
Oscar Grenfell•
Our reporters•
Our reporters•
Mike Head•
Our reporters•
Oscar Grenfell•
May Day 2022: The NATO-Russia war and the tasks of the international working class
In his introduction to the International May Day Online Rally, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North reviews the historical origins of the US-NATO war drive against Russia and outlines the political strategy of the working class to oppose the danger of World War III.
Watch the recording
May Day 2022: The revolutionary role of the American working class
This is the report delivered by Joseph Kishore to the 2022 International May Day Online Rally held on May 1. Kishore is the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States.
Joseph Kishore•
May Day 2022: The class struggle in the Asia-Pacific
This is the report delivered by Tom Peters to the 2022 International May Day Online Rally held on May 1. Peters is a leading member of the Socialist Equality Group in New Zealand, which is fighting to build a section of the ICFI.
Tom Peters•
May Day 2022: Young people must turn to the working class and the fight for socialism!
This is the report delivered by Gregor Link to the 2022 International May Day Online Rally held on May 1. Link is a leading member in Germany of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the youth movement of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its affiliated Socialist Equality Parties.
Gregor Link•
May Day 2022: Australian ruling class promotes anti-China campaign
This is the report delivered by Cheryl Crisp to the 2022 International May Day Online Rally held on May 1. Crisp is the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in Australia.
Cheryl Crisp•
Nick Beams•
Ulaş Ateşçi•
Alex Lantier•
Chris Marsden•
M. Thevarajah•
Massacre in Morocco: The ugly face of European imperialism
The cold-blooded killing of at least 37 migrants underscores that as the US-NATO war with Russia escalates into a global conflagration, and workers across the continent move into struggle against the unbearable cost of living, the major European powers are resurrecting forms of state-organised violence and political reaction not seen since the 1930s.
Jordan Shilton•
Tunisian workers hold one-day general strike against rising food prices
Workers across Tunisia walked out in protest of President Kaïs Saïed’s plan to rewrite the constitution and slash vital subsidies that keep wheat and bread affordable.
Alex Lantier•
Somalia pushed closer to famine by US/NATO sanctions on Russia, international speculation and drought
Despite the gravity of the crisis, the US, other major powers and financial institutions have ignored the UN’s humanitarian appeal as they turn their attention and resources to the war in Ukraine.
Jean Shaoul•
Biden sends US troops back into Somalia
The goal of the Biden administration is to secure US imperialism’s control over the Horn of Africa and trade through the Suez Canal in preparation for confrontation with China.
Alex Findijs•
Johannes Stern•
Jean Shaoul, Chris Marsden•
Jean Shaoul•
Jean Shaoul•
Jean Shaoul•
The unanswered questions about Trump’s January 6 coup
The exposure of Trump’s plan to go to the Capitol and lead the mob assault on Congress raises critical issues about the threat to democracy in America.
Patrick Martin•
Testimony exposes Trump’s plan to declare himself dictator
Explosive testimony given Tuesday to the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021 establishes beyond a shadow of a doubt that what occurred on that day was a full-scale attempt to overthrow the US government and install a fascist dictatorship, headed by the defeated but still sitting president, Donald Trump.
Barry Grey•
As Trump looks on, Illinois Republican hails overturn of Roe as “victory for white life”
The Supreme Court decision abolishing the constitutional right to abortion has put wind in the sails of the fascist forces headed by Donald Trump that dominate the Republican Party.
Barry Grey•
As FBI begins enforcing subpoenas on Trump co-conspirators
January 6 hearing reveals multiple Republican congressmen sought pardons for participating in Trump’s coup
Contradicting the committee’s intent to present Trump’s coup as the result of the ex-president and a few outliers, Thursday’s hearing exposed the wide support the plot had throughout the Republican Party.
Jacob Crosse•
Patrick Martin•
Barry Grey•
Jacob Crosse•
Jacob Crosse•
Jacob Crosse•
LAUSD high school valedictorian rips into the erosion of public education in graduation speech, sparking mass support
Reporters with the World Socialist Web Site spoke with Axel Brito about his impassioned speech which has been viewed nearly 3 million times on social media.
Renae Cassimeda, Kimie Saito•
Student parliament elections at Humboldt University of Berlin
For a socialist movement against fascism and war! Vote IYSSE on July 12th!
On the basis of the following statement, the IYSSE are running in this year's Student Parliament elections at Humboldt University of Berlin on July 12.
International Youth and Students for Social Equality, Humboldt University•
Open Letter to the Presidium of Humboldt University in Berlin
Stop right-wing violence against student criticism! Stop supporting the radical right-wing professor Baberowski!
The Humboldt University Presidium is responsible for a climate of violence and the intimidation of students who oppose the return of militarism and right-wing extremism.
Sven Wurm•
The way forward for students and youth in the fight against school shootings
The IYSSE urges young people to look honestly at our society. What does the phenomenon of mass violence say about the health of modern-day capitalism?
International Youth and Students for Social Equality (US)•
Arun Kumar•
Our reporters•
International Youth and Students for Social Equality at UIC•
Gregor Link, Christoph Vandreier•
International Youth and Students for Social Equality (Australia)•
Timeline of thirty years of war: The historical background to the US-NATO conflict with Russia
This interactive timeline presents some of the most important events that have brought humanity to the brink of World War III. It includes links to critical articles and statements produced by the International Committee of the Fourth International over the past 30 years.
View the Timeline
Ecuador shaken by anti-government protests, mass strikes over inflation
Extreme social inequality exacerbated by spiraling inflation, especially food and gas prices, triggered a social explosion in Ecuador.
Dominic Gustavo•
50,000 Chilean copper miners launch strike against Boric government
The country’s first national miners’ strike in 20 years is an industrial rebellion against Gabriel Boric and his pseudo-left-backed government.
Eric London•
Pseudo-left president-elect Gustavo Petro: “We will develop capitalism in Colombia”
Petro will take over a country going through the deepest economic, social and political crisis.
Tomas Castanheira•
New York Times series The Ransom absolves capitalism for Haiti’s oppression
It is well known that Haiti has been looted by foreign governments, banks and comprador leaders since its birth. However, the Times cannot even pose the question why, let alone answer it, because this leads in a revolutionary direction.
Alex Johnson•
Socialist Equality Group (Brazil)•
Eduardo Parati•
Tomas Castanheira•
Alex Johnson•
Mauricio Saavedra•
UN investigation finds Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh with “seemingly well-aimed bullets”
A UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) investigation has shown that the bullets that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi, were fired by Israeli forces.
Jean Shaoul•
Israel’s government collapses after one year in power
Israel’s deepening political crisis flows from the rapid escalation of class tensions within Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, the Middle East and internationally.
Jean Shaoul•
Turkey arrests Kurdish journalists, politicians and prepares to invade Syria
Amid escalating social crises and class struggles, the Turkish government is preparing for war in Syria and escalating attacks on democratic rights at home.
Ulaş Ateşçi•
US and Israel ratchet up threats and aggression against Iran
The Biden administration is escalating pressure on Iran with provocations that seem designed to blow up the nuclear talks taking place in Vienna.
Jean Shaoul•
Jean Shaoul•
Barry Grey•
Jean Shaoul•
Jean Shaoul•
Jean Shaoul•
Workers and youth condemn Facebook censorship of Socialist Equality Party’s anti-war video
“This censorship is not only directed against us, but against the mass opposition to a world war,” says Vandreier. The socialist anti-war perspective of the SGP “is to be banned and censored in the midst of deafening war propaganda for a third world war.”
Our reporters•
Socialist Equality Party discusses building an anti-war movement with UK workers
Workers including bus drivers, healthcare staff and teachers active in rank-and-file committees in the UK were invited by the SEP to discuss a fight against war based on the working class and socialism.
Richard Tyler•
Sri Lankan SEP/IYSSE holds well attended online meeting against US-NATO war drive and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
The speakers emphasized that the opposition of the working class to the war is needed to be developed as a conscious political movement for socialism.
our correspondents•
Sri Lanka: SEP/IYSSE meeting participants denounce US-NATO war and Russian invasion of Ukraine
“The destruction created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the drive towards a third world war clearly shows that capitalism neither wants nor is able to resolve the basic questions faced by mankind”
Our correspondents•
David Walsh•
Marianne Arens•
Our reporter•
Helen Hayes, Usman Khan•
Shannon Jones•
The fight for Trotskyism and the political foundations of the World Socialist Web Site
The WSWS is publishing the report delivered by David North 25 years ago, on February 1, 1997, motivating the proposal to end publication of the SEP’s printed newspaper and replace it with an international website; as well as North’s reply to the National Committee ‘s discussion of the proposal.
The New York Times 1619 Project: A New Origin Story: History as the emanation of race
The Times, which wishes readers to take the 1619 Project seriously as a “reframing of American history,” has said more than it intended.
Tom Mackaman•
An interview with Mark Kruger, author of The St. Louis Commune of 1877: Communism in the Heartland
The World Socialist Web Site recently spoke with Mark Kruger about his new book, the 1619 Project, and the current state of American politics.
Douglas Lyons•
Historian Jack Rakove on American history writing and the falsifications of the 1619 Project and its defenders
Professor Jack Rakove is a leading scholar of the American Revolution and the framing of the Constitution.
Tom Mackaman•
The New York Times’ Jake Silverstein concocts “a new origin story” for the 1619 Project
Having previously disregarded historiography, Silverstein now falsifies it—and admits to privileging “narrative” over “actual fact.”
Tom Mackaman•
Tom Mackaman•
Niles Niemuth•
Niles Niemuth•
David North•
David North•
The definitive left-wing critique of the 1619 Project. This volume includes interviews with eminent historians and essays from the World Socialist Web Site exposing the New York Times’ racialist falsification of history.
Stop censoring the opponents of war!
On Saturday, Facebook deleted a video posted by the Socialist Equality Party of Germany opposing the German government’s participation in the US-led NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.
Christoph Vandreier•
Social media platforms expand censorship of anti-war and anti-imperialist voices
Six years of Chris Hedges’ On Contact program erased by YouTube
YouTube deleted the archive of Chris Hedges’ On Contact television program from its platform with no explanation.
Kevin Reed•
Whistleblower testimony launches bipartisan campaign for Facebook censorship
The Senate testimony by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen has intensified the bipartisan drive to clamp down on left-wing and socialist political content on social media platforms.
Kevin Reed•
US seizes PressTV.com and 32 other Iranian media website domains
In a provocative act of censorship and imperialist gangsterism, the Biden administration took control of three dozen internet domains and shut down websites affiliated with Iran-based media organizations on unsubstantiated grounds of “disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations.”
Kevin Reed•
Kevin Reed•
Alex Johnson•
Trévon Austin•
WSWS Educators Newsletter•
WSWS Review
Thirty years since the dissolution of the USSR
Review the most critical essays, lectures and letters produced by the ICFI in the course of its intervention in response to the crisis of Stalinism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Read more
The politically driven campaign against Harvard anthropologist John Comaroff
The attack on Harvard anthropology professor John Comaroff has taken to a new level the campaign to purge American colleges and universities on the basis of anti-democratic identity politics.
David Walsh•
The concerted, cowardly #MeToo attack on Harvard professor John Comaroff
John Comaroff, professor of African and African American studies and of anthropology at Harvard University, has become the target of what has all the earmarks of another filthy #MeToo witch-hunt.
David Walsh•
Campus opposition at University of Michigan mounts to victimization of Bright Sheng
Professors and students continue to speak out against the anti-democratic victimization of University of Michigan professor and composer Bright Sheng.
James McDonald, Sam Wayne•
Australian High Court sets precedent for sacking dissenting academics
The judges effectively cleared the way for universities to dismiss staff for criticising management or breaching confidentiality rules.
Mike Head•
Matthew Brennan, Barry Grey•
Barry Grey•
James McDonald•
David Walsh•
•
NATO summit to embrace US-led confrontation with China
What is proposed is an extraordinary expansion of NATO’s scope across the entire world, making clear that the rapidly expanding US-NATO proxy war against Russia is not a limited, episodic conflict in Europe, but global in character.
Peter Symonds•
NATO announces plan for massive European land army
The US-led NATO alliance has announced plans to build a massive standing land army in Europe, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Andre Damon•
New army chief General Sanders urges Britain to prepare for total war with Russia
The new head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, gave a blood-curdling speech Tuesday, insisting that the UK and its NATO allies must prepare to wage war against Russia.
Robert Stevens•
Australian universities further integrated into military build-up
The push for universities to sign lucrative deals with defence contractors is bound up with placing the country on the frontlines of US-led war plans against China.
Eric Ludlow•
Jean Shaoul•
Peter Symonds•
Andre Damon•
International Youth and Students for Social Equality, Humboldt University•
Andre Damon•
100 years since the birth of Jean Brust
August 31, 2021 marks 100 years since the birth of Jean Brust, a leading figure in the Trotskyist movement. Comrade Jean, who died November 24, 1997 at the age of 76, joined the Trotskyist-led Young Peoples Socialist League as a teenager in 1937.
Berlin Administrative Court affirms secret service observation of left-wing newspaper junge Welt
On 18 March, the Berlin Administrative Court rejected an emergency application by junge Welt that it no longer be described as “left-wing extremist” in the secret service annual report.
Justus Leicht•
Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei lawsuit against the Secret Service
Berlin Administrative Court declares criticism of capitalism unconstitutional
The German court judgement and its written grounds represent a fundamental attack on democratic rights. The aim is to ban socialist ideas and any criticism of capitalism.
Statement of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei•
UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee denounces court ruling upholding designation of Germany's Socialist Equality Party as “left wing extremists”
The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (UK) passed a resolution Monday condemning the ruling of the Berlin Administrative Court, which on November 18, 2021, upheld the designation of the German security service of the German section of the ICFI as “left wing extremists”.
Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee (UK)•
Berlin Administrative Court rules socialist ideas are “anti-constitutional”
The court’s ruling against the Socialist Equality Party stands in the tradition of National Socialist ideological jurisprudence and Bismarck’s anti-socialist laws, and opens the door for the surveillance and suppression of all opposition to capitalism and arbitrary state power.
Peter Schwarz•
Christoph Vandreier•
Christoph Vandreier•
our reporters•
Christoph Vandreier•
Wolfgang Weber•
Twenty years since the September 11 terror attacks
The horrific massacre of civilians was immediately exploited by the imperialist powers, led by the United States government itself, to justify far-reaching attacks on the democratic rights of their own populations, and the launching of decades-long wars in the Middle East and Africa.
Read more
Washington Post promotes Trump’s other “big lie”: The Wuhan Lab theory
The same day that the House Select January 6 Committee documented how Trump used his “big lie” about the 2020 election to justify an attempted fascist coup, the Washington Post published an editorial promoting Trump’s other big lie: The claim that COVID-19 is a man-made virus created by China.
Andre Damon•
Three international studies into the origins of coronavirus refute the fabricated Wuhan “lab leak” claim
Three just-released studies provide substantive evidence for the natural origin of SARS-CoV-2, with the Huanan market in Wuhan, China the location of the first zoonotic (animal to human) transfer.
Benjamin Mateus•
Promoters of “Wuhan lab” conspiracy theory fume as their claims fall apart
As scientific studies continue to undermine the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2 is a genetically engineered virus, journalist Glenn Greenwald has accused the New York Times and Washington Post of being insufficiently faithful to the lab leak “theory.”
Andre Damon•
A disgraced liar accuses scientists: Matt Ridley’s Viral
In the most systematic defense of the Wuhan lab libel to date, Matt Ridley proves only the falsehood of his bad-faith attack on science.
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Andre Damon•
Cliff Slaughter: A political biography (1928-1963)
By David North
Cliff Slaughter died on May 3, 2021, in Leeds, England, at the age of 92. His enduring contribution in the 1960s to the defense of Trotskyism stands in tragic contrast with his subsequent political opportunism and repudiation of revolutionary Marxism.
From the Fourth of July to the Sixth of January
The working class—in the US and internationally—must be warned of the ongoing danger of dictatorship and mobilized in time to stop it.
Eric London•
Who will pay for Biden’s new “forever war”?
The global war being initiated by the Biden administration is at the same time a war against the working class of the United States.
Andre Damon•
Why was there no organized resistance to Trump’s January 6 coup?
New facts as well as old ones point incontrovertibly to the reality that Donald Trump and his accomplices attempted to wipe out the results of a national election and bring down the US government and Constitution on January 6, 2021, seeking to establish a presidential dictatorship.
David Walsh•
After Cassidy Hutchinson testimony
The unanswered questions about Trump’s January 6 coup
The exposure of Trump’s plan to go to the Capitol and lead the mob assault on Congress raises critical issues about the threat to democracy in America.
Patrick Martin•
Barry Grey•
Jordan Shilton•
WSWS Editorial Board•
Eric London•
Jean Shaoul•
Eighty years since the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union
The WSWS has published a feature page incorporating a selection of essential essays from its own archives, and other documents produced contemporaneously by the Fourth International.
Read more
Socialist Equality Party summer school prepares membership for growth of class struggle
The Socialist Equality Party in the United States held a summer school from August 1 through August 6. It was devoted to an analysis of the major social and political events in the US and internationally since the previous SEP school, held in July of 2019.
Barry Grey•
SEP Summer School 2021 Lecture
The historical background and initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
This report to the 2021 SEP summer school was delivered by Dr. Benjamin Mateus, who has led the coverage on the WSWS of the scientific and medical issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Mateus•
SEP Summer School 2021 Lecture
January 6, 2021: Donald Trump’s plot against America
The following lecture was delivered at the Socialist Equality Party (US) 2021 summer school by Eric London, a writer for the WSWS and author of Agents: The FBI and GPU Infiltration of the Trotskyist Movement.
Eric London•
The lessons of the 2021 Volvo strike
This lecture was delivered at the Socialist Equality Party (US) 2021 summer school, held August 1 through August 6, by Marcus Day, a writer for the World Socialist Web Site .
Marcus Day•
Tom Carter•
Jerry White•
Tom Mackaman•
Andre Damon•
Patrick Martin•
Sylvia Ageloff and the assassination of Leon Trotsky
With David North and Eric London
North and London discussed the significance of the latest revelations of the the Security and the Fourth International investigation into Trotsky’s assassination.
Watch the video
Online book launch: Political lessons of the Pike River disaster and cover-up
The SEG and the WSWS are holding an online meeting on June 4 to discuss the new book Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up by Tom Peters, about the 2010 mine disaster in New Zealand.
Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand)•
Introduction to new book Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up
Pike River: The Crime and Cover-up, published by Mehring Books, examines the causes of the 2010 New Zealand mine disaster, which killed 29 people, and the decade-long cover-up by successive governments and the judicial system, which have shielded the company leadership from prosecution.
Tom Peters•
Son of New Zealand mine disaster victim denounces lack of accountability
Ben Joynson was 10-years-old when his father William died, with 28 other workers, in the 2010 Pike River coal mine disaster. He said the trauma suffered by the victims’ families has been made worse by the lack of accountability.
Tom Peters•
Brother of New Zealand mine disaster victim denounces abandonment of underground investigation
Gordon Dixon, whose brother Allan died in the 2010 Pike River mine disaster, told the WSWS that the Labour Party-led government’s decision to permanently seal the mine was part of an ongoing cover-up to protect those responsible.
Tom Peters•
Tom Peters•
Tom Peters•
Tom Peters•
Tom Peters•
Tom Peters•
150 years since the birth of Rosa Luxemburg
The meeting examined Luxemburg’s role as a Marxist theoretician and political leader, and discussed the significance of her legacy to the contemporary struggle to build a Marxist leadership.
Watch the video
Josef Braml’s The Transatlantic Illusion: Why Germany is rearming
The central thesis of Braml’s book is that Germany must once again pursue its economic and geostrategic interests on its own—not only against Russia and China, but also and above all against the US.
Peter Schwarz•
Harlem Nights: The shadowy state operation to ban black jazz musicians performing in Australia
Deirdre O’Connell’s detailed and well-researched 400-page book examines the political forces behind the frame-up and deportation from Australia of Sonny Clay’s Colored Idea, a black American jazz troupe, in 1928.
Frank Gaglioti, Richard Phillips•
Lawrence Tabak’s Foxconned: A valuable forensic analysis of a disastrous, politically motivated scam
Tabak crafts a commendable and thorough charting of the reckless Foxconn debacle in Racine, Wisconsin but political conclusions must be drawn.
William Quartermaine•
“Take my lie in your arms”
Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes: New poems by Nicky Beer
In this new collection, the stated theme of illusion is not always probed deeply—nor is it the only theme.
Erik Schreiber•
Sandy English•
Erik Schreiber•
Eric London•
James McDonald, David Walsh•
Tom Mackaman•