Rally Against Racism in Christchurch a Success
Around 160 people rallied in Christchurch yesterday against the fascist Right-Wing Resistance’s “White Pride” day. Like maggots in an open wound, the racists of Right-Wing Resistance are trying again to infect a shattered city with their toxic hate. Two years of broken roads, cracked windows, and sky-high rents are bound to piss people off. Working […]
Maori teacher brutalised by police
We are sharing this story of police brutality from tangatawhenua.com . Without their pioneering work sharing this it would not have got the further media attention that has come in recent days. TangataWhenua.com was asked to share this story as few other mainstream media outlets felt it was “newsworthy” enough. What follows is provided verbatium, […]
Lies, damned lies and weapons of mass destruction
March 19-20 marks 10 years since the beginning of the war on Iraq. Before the war, Socialist Alternative argued, along with other opponents of US imperialism, that the war was predicated upon lies and would bring nothing but death and carnage to Iraq. There are times you would love to be proven wrong. This was […]
Celebrating the struggle against sexism
This talk was given to the Dunedin branch of the International Socialists by Miranda B to mark International Women’s Day 2013. The first International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration was held over 100 years ago in 1911. In the last few years it has been taken over by mainstream or bureaucratic bodies, in particular the United […]
Pope Francis and the Machinations of the Father of Lies
It will come as no surprise to many non-Catholics that Jorge Bergoglio, who was elected pope this week with the name “Francis”, is likely to serve more of the same stew of sexism and homophobia as his predecessor. He has been hailed as the first pope not born in Europe (although he is the son of […]
India’s Mass Strike: The Biggest Strike You’ve Never Heard Of
(India’s mass strikes earlier in the month were history-making events, yet they have received little coverage in the New Zealand media. These strikes are an inspiration for activists and socialists here, and offer many lessons. This is an abridged version of a longer analytical article by Kunal Chattopadhyay, Soma Marik and Sushovan Dhar, members of […]
Wellington Rallies Against Homophobic Police Brutality at Mardi Gras
Cop violence requires a response: that was the call out from activists in Sydney this week after cop attacks on young LGBTI people enjoying themselves at Mardi Gras. One young man was thrown to the ground and then stood on. A Sydney activist reports being beaten as he crossed Oxford Street. The Queer Avengers answered […]
Hasta siempre Chavez! The revolution must continue
Revolutionary movements invariably produce great leaders. The name Hugo Chavez stands among these. Judging the role individuals play in historic processes is a precarious affair. But having some estimation is important to understanding the challenges that may await. The US Marxist, George Novack, observed that the “leadership, collective and individual, embodies the conscious element in […]
The making of the Mystique
FIFTY YEARS after its publication, The Feminine Mystique has been credited with everything from single-handedly sparking the women’s movement to perpetuating an outdated and long-gone stereotype of the American family. Neither is true, but many of the issues that Betty Friedan’s book raised–such as the role of women and the nuclear family–make The Feminine Mystique […]
Nothing natural about sexism
Marx’s collaborator Engels wrote that “…the first class antagonism which appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man and woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression with that of the female sex by the male.” So women’s oppression existed before the rise of capitalism, but has not always existed. […]
