In Defence of Marxism

India’s Cockroaches are back! Modi’s ‘Emergency’ moment After a summer interlude, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are back for what remains unfinished – an all-out struggle with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the repressive state apparatus standing behind them.

France: 17 October – towards a revolutionary crisis? Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of workers and youth mobilised across France for the latest in the recent wave of student-led protests sweeping the country. With 90 percent of French universities and hundreds of schools shut yesterday, it is clear that this youth-led movement has not been cowed or diminished in scale, despite brutal police repression.

Britain: 700 communists defy state repression to say – for Palestine to live, imperialism must die! On Saturday 10 October, tens of thousands took to the streets of central London once again – in solidarity with Palestine, and to protest against three years of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza, which has seen over 100,000 Palestinians killed, and millions displaced.

“I’m proud to say I’m a communist”: Jim Brookshaw’s last interview As we reported yesterday, the passing of Jim Brookshaw was a sad blow to all those who knew him. We publish below Jim’s last interview, originally conducted in 2024, which offers both those who knew him and those who did not, a look into Jim’s political development replete with his characteristic humour and insight.

In memory of Jim Brookshaw (1941-2026): a personal tribute by Alan Woods The news of the death of comrade Jim Brookshaw came as a cruel blow to all of us who knew and loved him.

The Cuban Revolution of 1959: when US imperialism was defeated On January 1, 1959, the hated, US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by a guerrilla war, mass popular uprising, and national general strike.

After three years of genocide: for Palestine to live, imperialism must die! In response to the 7 October attack three years ago, Israel unleashed a genocide against Gaza. The whole world watched as the ‘civilised’ West put its ‘free press’, police, guns and money unconditionally behind ‘Israel’s right to defend itself.’

Canada, Europe, and the fantasy of a middle powers alliance In a world of intensifying great power competition, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has made waves by advocating for an alliance of “middle powers”. Recently, this has taken a more concrete form with talk of Canada becoming an ‘associate member’ of the European Union.

Spain: Maricarmen has died, murdered by the capitalist system Yesterday, Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman who was evicted from the home she had lived in all her life, died. Her case has sparked a new, more radical wave of the housing movement. We say loud and clear: Maricarmen was murdered by the system! 

France: “Generation 6-7 doing May ‘68 all over again” 6 October – the third act of the school students’ protests that have rocked France since the beginning of the school year – represented yet another escalation of the movement. The demonstrations were huge everywhere. According to the organisers, school and university student organisations, 100,000 marched in Paris alone, and a total of 450,000 marched across the country.

France: in the wake of 6 October – how can we win? The demonstrations on 6 October were massive and highly radical. The hundreds of thousands of young people who mobilised across the country demonstrated that their movement is far from having exhausted its reserves of fighting spirit. The workers and parents of students present in the marches contributed to making this day a true show of strength.

Revolutionary communists assemble worldwide to defend the Cuban Revolution On 3 October, the Revolutionary Communist International held an international day of action in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and against US imperialism.

“Revolutions Don’t Respect Borders”: RCI comrade interviewed by Cuban editorial collective The Cuban editorial collective Punto y Aparte interviewed a comrade of the US section of the RCI, the Revolutionary Communists of America, about their Cuba solidarity campaign, and more generally about the work of the party in building the forces of communism in the US. We republish the interview below. 

Spain: Sánchez calls early elections – the streets demand a general strike The last ten days have turned Spanish politics upside down. The eviction of 87-year-old private renter, Maricarmen, from her flat in Sainz de Baranda street in Madrid on 23 September set off a chain of events which very few expected, but which nevertheless were implicit in the situation. 

France: a decisive week – with echoes of May ’68 The extreme police brutality unleashed on protesting high school students was intended to stifle the movement. The opposite happened: the movement drew new strength from it, won the support of many teachers, and spread to hundreds more high schools. University students – naturally in solidarity with the high school students – have begun to mobilise.

Lenin and Trotsky: ideas for a new generation of fighters There are few figures in history whose legacy has been more distorted and attacked than Lenin and Trotsky. This is just as true today as it was in 1969, when Alan Woods and Ted Grant wrote Lenin and Trotsky – What They Really Stood For to set the record straight.

France: an explosive situation Since the beginning of September, social tensions have been rising day by day. As we write, tens of thousands of high school students across the country are taking to the streets to demand decent learning conditions. The government is responding with insults and police repression.

France: the struggle in high schools shows us the way! The wave of blockades sparked by the mobilisation of students and staff at the Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil on 17 September has grown considerably in recent days. On Monday, 27 September, 180 schools across France were affected. And then on Tuesday and Wednesday, the number rose to more than 300. As of today, more than 400 schools have been blockaded.

[Podcast] The world economy faces perfect storm This week the interest rate on 10-year US government bonds hit 5.3 per cent, and borrowing costs in Britain, France, Germany and Japan are at levels not seen in decades. For ordinary people, that means higher costs at the petrol station, on their energy bills, in their rent and mortgage payments, and public services being cut to balance the books.

It’s the dying days of an empire “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.” That’s how one active-duty US serviceman described the Iran war.