Spain

Podemos MEP Miguel Urban: 'We need an alternative project of disobedience to austerity'

Two major anniversaries recently marked the significant change that has taken place on the Spanish left in the last several years.

May 15 was the sixth anniversary of the Indignados mass mobilisations and protests against the brutal austerity unleashed by Spanish government in the wake of the economic crisis. Meanwhile, May 25 marked the third anniversary since the emergence of Podemos as the political voice of the anti-austerity movement with the election of the five Podemos candidates (including key leader Pablo Iglesias) into the European Parliament.

Venezuela: Right-wing campaign spreads to Australia, internationally

As violent anti-government protests continue in Venezuela, supporters of the right-wing opposition have begun targeting Venezuelan government officials and their families in Australia. The actions are part of a string of recent attacks abroad on government representatives by Venezuelan opponents of President Nicolas Maduro.

Gernika: The beginning of aerial terror

April 26 marked the 80th anniversary of the infamous aerial bombing of Gernika by the forces of General Francisco Franco in the fascists鈥 war against the Spanish Republic. The war began when Franco led a military rebellion against the legitimate, elected republican government in 1936, with the fascists eventually triumphing in 1939.

The Basque Country is a historically oppressed nation divided between the Spanish and French states. It was the scene of some of the worst fascist violence.

New Catalan left force represents a hurdle cleared on the road to unity

The struggle to build a united left force with enough support to implement real social and environmental change took a crucial step forward in Barcelona on April 8.

On a bright spring day, the new Catalan 鈥減olitical subject鈥 provisionally called Un Pais En Comu (鈥淎 Country Together鈥) held its founding congress.

The group, whose definitive name will be decided by membership referendum, is the third Catalan left unity project with 鈥渆n comu鈥 (鈥渢ogether鈥) in its title.

Participants at the Party of the European Left's Third Mediterranean conference in Malaga.

European left strengthens Mediterranean solidarity

The Party of the European Left (PEL), which is made up of left groups across Europe, held its in聽Malaga, on the southern coast of Spain, from March 31 to April 2.

The three-day gathering brought together left-wing, socialist, anti-imperialist and anti-austerity parties from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

March for refugees in Barcelona, February 18.

鈥極ur House, Your House鈥: behind Barcelona鈥檚 huge march for refugees

Hundreds of thousands of people overflowed the streets of central Barcelona on February 20 in the largest ever European demonstration in support of refugee rights. The city police estimated attendance at 160,000 people; the organisers 鈥 the 鈥淥ur House, Your House鈥 campaign 鈥 put it at half a million people.

All along the vast march, its thematic sea-blue placards stood out in the light of the bright winter鈥檚 day: 鈥淓nough excuses! Let鈥檚 take them in now!"

After congress win, Podemos鈥檚 Iglesias promises 鈥榬eturn to the streets鈥

In the end, the expected close result never happened. At the second congress (鈥渃itizens鈥 assembly鈥) of Spain鈥檚 radical anti-austerity party Podemos, the proposals and candidate list of outgoing general secretary Pablo Iglesias easily defeated those of his rival, outgoing political secretary Inigo Errejon.

In a December Podemos membership vote over the rules that were to govern the congress, Iglesias鈥檚 position had only won marginally (41.57% as against 39.12% for Errejon鈥檚).

Hundreds of thousand march for more refugees in Barcelona

The slogan聽鈥淲e Want to Welcome Them鈥 rang in the streets as up to half a million people demonstrated in Barcelona on February 18 to demand their government accept more refugees. It came after Spain accepted just 1000 of the 17,000 it had promised.

"It is very important that in a Europe of uncertainty where xenophobia is on the rise for Barcelona to be a capital of hope," said Barcelona's聽 mayor Ada Colau, who took part.聽

Jose Almud茅ver.

Spanish Civil War veteran Jose Almud茅ver remembers the International Brigades, anti-fascist fight

February 6 marked the 80th anniversary of the start of the 鈥淏attle of Jarama鈥 during the Spanish Civil War, as left-wing and democratic forces fought to stop the fascist forces of General Franco taking power.

Alongside the Battle of Madrid, the Battle of Jarama is commonly associated with the participation of the International Brigades 鈥 volunteers, often organised by communist parties, who travelled from around the world to Spain to join the anti-fascist fight.

Spain: Podemos at the crossroads

The left-wing anti-austerity party Podemos is planning to hold its second country-wide citizens鈥 assembly (Vistalegre II) on February 11th-12th to decide the political direction, organisational structure and its electoral strategy for the next regional and general elections.

Basque political prisoner and Sortu secretary-general Arnaldo Otegi.

Basque Country: Renewed Sortu sets target date for independent republic

In Bilbao鈥檚 hyper-modern Euskalduna Conference Centre on January 21, the Basque left pro-independence party Sortu concluded its refoundation congress by finalising the election of its 29-strong national council.

The congress brought together Sortu members from all parts of the divided Basque Country: its four southern districts in the Spanish state, presently covered by the regional administrations of Navarra and the Basque Autonomous Community (Euskadi), and its three northern districts in the French coastal department of Pyrenees-Atlantiques.

Catalonia versus the Spanish state 鈥 the battleground in the new year

This year will be the year of the showdown between Catalonia and the Spanish state over whether the Catalan people have a right to vote on self-determination in relation to Spain.

The year starts with the final battle lines already drawn in the contest between the right-wing Spanish-patriotic People鈥檚 Party (PP) government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the pro-independence Catalan government, headed by Carles Puigdemont.