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Global Left Midweek — September 11, 2024

News and analyses from movements and parties around the world

Protesters march in Toulouse and cities across France to protest against Emmanuel Macron's choice of Michel Barnier as prime minister on September 7, 2024. Credit, Alain Pitton / NurPhoto via Getty Images
  1. Japan CP Head Speaks to Peace Movement
  2. Feminism and Global Social Justice
  3. Africa’s Gen Z Protests
  4. Thousands Defy Macron’s PM Appointment
  5. Latin American Women Organizing
  6. Canada: Foreign Students Defend Themselves 
  7. The Left in the EU
  8. #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria
  9. Upgrade Democracy at Windsor Castle 
  10. The Persecution of Daniel Jadue

 

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Japan CP Head Speaks to Peace Movement

Shii Kazuo / Japan Press Weekly (Tokyo)

Japanese Communist Party Central Committee Chair Shii Kazuo spoke at an international conference entitled “Diplomacy Now!” which was held on August 31 in Berlin by Germany’s progressive think tank, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. “Peace should be a just peace, grounded in the four UN General Assembly resolutions that condemn Russia’s aggression and call for its immediate withdrawal.”

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Feminism and Global Social Justice

Ján Michalko, Megan Daigle, Sohela Nazneen, Kaira Zoe Alburo-Cañete and Sophie Efange / ODI (London)

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Feminist research and activism have shown that a global, coordinated response to the root causes of a polycrisis requires the transformation of the interlocking social, political and economic systems through which people are unjustly afforded unequal power and privilege.

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Africa’s Gen Z Protests

Nick Westcott / African Arguments (London)

The recent Kenyan protests were linked to rising prices caused by tax increases, but with one big difference: it was not just the poor protesting but the middle classes, the mobile phone-owning, digitally-mobilised youth of Gen Z. This is much more politically threatening to the status quo.

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Thousands Defy Macron’s PM Appointment

Juliette Gache / Jacobin (Brooklyn)

September 7 saw protests across France after Emmanuel Macron named conservative Michel Barnier as prime minister. The decision fueled claims that Macron had ignored July’s election result — and undercut the victorious left-wing alliance. The Nouveau Front Populaire gathering the main left-wing parties scored 193 seats in the National Assembly, making it the leading force.

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Latin American Women Organizing

• Julieta Ojeda of Mujeres Creando, Bolivia   Benjamin Dangl / NACLA Report (New York)

• Searching for the Missing   Daniela Díaz / Ojalá (Puebla)

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Canada: Foreign Students Defend Themselves 

Jaspreet Pandher and Sumeet Dhami / City News Toronto

Canada is currently witnessing widespread protests as approximately 70,000 international students take to the streets against the new immigration policies implemented by the federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. These demonstrations have spread across various provinces such as Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

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The Left in the EU

Giuliano Santoro / il manifesto Global (Rome)

The Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations announced that it had received the application for registration of a new party, to be called the European Left Alliance for the People and the Planet (ELA). According to its charter, it aims to unite “the feminist parties of the green left to build another Europe of cooperation, social progress and workers’ rights.”

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#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria

Angela Odah / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Berlin)

Reacting to the harsh living conditions facing citizens across Nigeria, the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, also known as the “hunger protest”, commenced on 1 August, with participants vowing to protest nationwide for ten days. Protesters — mostly young people aggrieved by the hardships and rising cost of living — mobilized online and offline. Other organizers include the Take It Back Movement, the Youth Rights Campaign, We the People, Social Action, and other civil society organizations.

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Upgrade Democracy at Windsor Castle 

Extinction Rebellion (London)

Over three days, we came together as a vibrant community to explore innovative ways to upgrade democracy. Our political system is broken, corrupted by powerful interests that prioritise profit over the planet. By gathering near to where the Magna Carta was signed, we emphasised our commitment to a fairer, more inclusive system.

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The Persecution of Daniel 
Jadue

Vijay Prashad / Peoples Dispatch (New Delhi) 

During his time in custody for messing with Big Pharma, Jadue was removed from his post as mayor of Recoleta, Chile. Since he was no longer mayor, the basis for Jadue’s preventative detention ended. Judge Paula Brito, therefore, accepted the defense appeal for Jadue, and he was moved to house arrest. The case is not over.