Global Left Midweek — June 17, 2026
- Belfast Stands Up for Migrants
- More from Albania
- Anti-Militarism in Belgium
- From Ukraine: Kyiv Pride
- Political Prisoners in Russia
- Mélenchon is Ready for His Closeup
- Hungary and the Left
- UK: Independence is Rising
- Serbia’s Student Movement
- Portugal General Strike
Belfast Stands Up for Migrants
Mariamne Everett and AFP / Al Jazeera (Doha)
Thousands of people in Northern Ireland have rallied against anti-immigrant violence provoked by a stabbing in the capital Belfast. Protesters on Saturday gathered outside Belfast City Hall with placards sporting slogans such as “Hate is the only threat to our streets” and “Belfast stands against racism”. An anti-racism rally was also held at Derry city hall, reported the Belfast Telegraph.
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Gresa Hasa / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Berlin)
The significance of the movement may lie less in its ability to bring down the government in the short term than in its potential to reshape Albania’s political landscape long term. The emerging political parties associated with the protests have the chance to be able to capitalize on the momentum generated by the mobilization, expand their social base, and gradually build organizational capacity.
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Anti-Militarism in Belgium
Video: Thousands Rally / Times Now World (Mumbai)
Questions About Ukraine War Gauche anticapitaliste / Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (Paris)
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Scott Douglas Jacobsen / rabble (Ontario)
Russia’s full-scale invasion reshaped 2SLGBTQIA+ visibility and risk in Ukraine. Large Pride marches paused for security, then reappeared with limited, tightly protected actions in Kyiv. Prewar and wartime harassment include online threats and stereotyping based on clothing, and sharper stigma in some western regions linked to conservative religiosity.
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Yekaterina Mezentseva / Meduza (Riga)
The independent human rights project OVD-Info has been added to the registry of terrorists and extremists managed by Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial intelligence agency — along with Memorial and dozens of organizations affiliated with it. Why these institutions — and OVD-Info — were included in the registry is unclear. But anyone who’s supported them now faces legal jeopardy.
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Mélenchon is Ready for His Closeup
Marlon Ettinger / Jacobin (Brooklyn)
Critics of French left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon have repeatedly claimed that he’s finished. But as he launches his latest presidential campaign, his popularity among working-class and minority voters is again making him a real contender.
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Attila Melegh / Posle Media
Why hasn’t Orbán’s defeat spelled the end of the right in Hungary? How did decades of neoliberal policies on the left twice undermine its own bloc, clearing the way for authoritarian populism? And now, as conservative hegemony is cracking, what vision can — and must — the left offer?
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Adam Fusco / Slugger O’Toole (Toye, Northern Ireland)
The results of the devolved elections in Scotland and Wales have seen three out of three First Ministers elected for the first time that wish to see the immediate or eventual independence of their nations. These victories are unlikely to lead to the immanent breakup of the UK but are likely to give impetus to the issue in the coming years.
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Vincent Bevins / London Review of Books
Following a crackdown in which students and academics were attacked by supporters of the government, the drama students decided to carry out a ‘blockade’ of the faculty, bringing classes to a halt. University departments around the country followed suit. A loose confederation soon formed, making decisions by majority vote at assemblies. This structure has held for more than a year.
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teleSUR (Caracas)
The general strike in Portugal was called by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers/National Inter-Union. This is the second general strike facing the public sector in just over six months, due to social discontent with the labor reform promoted by the center-right government, which is scheduled to be debated in Parliament.