In 1971, the all-white South African rugby team, the Springboks, toured Australia. The six-week-long tour was met with a boycott campaign involving rolling protests, strikes and constant disruption. Thousands of people joined in what became an important step forward for the international campaign against apartheid and a pivotal moment in the struggle for Aboriginal rights in Australia.
On the morning of 20 January, Khan* was awoken by security guards and abruptly told he was being released. Talking to him on the phone after he received the news was like talking to a different person. His voice was light as he repeated over and over through tears and laughter, “I am free, insha’Allah, I am free, insha’Allah”. Later that day, Khan and 25 other men walked free, ending almost eight years of imprisonment.
As members of the “Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces” put the final touches on their policy recommendations, there were smiles and gushing compliments all round. The task forces were established earlier this year to unify the Democratic Party behind a range of policies acceptable to Sanders and Biden supporters. In theory, their recommendations will shape the policies of a Biden presidency.
The Communist Manifesto is one of the best known documents of all time, recognised and loved by people from every generation, in every country. More than 170 years after it was first published, it remains a central text for those wanting to change the world. It is not a nostalgic artefact, nor sacred scripture. It is alive with sharp analysis, searing polemic and stirring agitation: bringing into focus the profound power of the working class, and calling us to arms.
Under the cover of COVID-19, the Liberal government is trying to push through a historic attack on the rights of students and university workers. Massive cuts and huge fee increases have to be met with student and worker resistance.