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Grassroots Media as Mutual Aid: Breaking the Hold of Information Pollution
The result of the recent US elections provides further confirmation that what we are witnessing in much of the world is the consolidation of a 21st century form of fascist authoritarianism grounded in the rising power of Big Tech as well as resurgent forms of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. But it is also an elite project of meeting present and future climate crisis, with all of its horrifying ripple effects, through mass violence (including genocide) and mass manipulation. What does such a moment mean for those of us who work in grassroots and independent media? What does it demand of us?
The Danger of the Far Right Occupying Brussels
In his latest analysis of the European political and economic scene, Fernando Luengo argues that the ascent of the far right in the run-up to the 2024 European parliamentary elections cannot be separated from the ongoing problem of rising inequality and the fundamental influence of private capital in the public sector.
The Democratic Skylight: Confronting Spain’s Enduring Politics of Violence
“You wouldn’t believe the things people have screamed at me in this room.” Our tour guide for the Democratic Skylight/El Tragaluz Democrático exhibition in Madrid’s La Arqueria didn’t mince words when she brought us into the room containing materials related to Spain’s 1921-1926 colonial war in Morocco. I had previously read about this vicious war (generally known as the Rif War), in which Spain deployed a range of chemical weapons against civilian populations, but I had naively assumed that this aspect of the country’s history was relatively well known.
6 Key Takeaways from Spain’s “Debate of 7”
In my first article from Spain, I set the stage for the country’s upcoming national elections on July 23, focusing on the threat posed by resurgent fascist movements. Now it’s time to dig deeper into the complex political dynamics animating the campaign as well as some of the social forces shaping how the campaign is being waged and covered in the media.
Spain: Here Come the Fascists (Who Never Really Left)
In just over two weeks, Spanish voters will go to the polls for national elections, and the implications - both within and beyond the country - couldn’t be more far-reaching. I just arrived in Madrid and will be spending the next 12 months here, and I hope to provide Weave News readers with a critical, justice-oriented perspective that might be missing from much of the mainstream media coverage of Spanish politics. So, why are these elections so important?
Criminalizing Solidarity: The Eternal Fascist Playbook
Here’s the thing: Fascists hate solidarity. At a minimum, they want you to laugh at people who embrace the solidarity impulse and who act accordingly. At a maximum, they want you to support the criminalization and violent suppression of this impulse. What this means is that acting out of solidarity is a fundamental part of the larger project of fighting fascism - a project whose global urgency is growing by the day.
Chueca: A Complex Site of Struggle
Is Chueca also a site of radical resistance? Is the counter-cultural queer struggle of 1970s and ’80s Madrid still alive? The quiet but subtly powerful presence of posters, stickers, and wall art strewn between the trendy shops and narrow streets make one inclined to say yes. The point, then, is that this struggle is one of many.
Chueca: Between Rainbow Capitalism and Fascism
In her first Weaving the Streets article, Skylar Bergeron reports from the Madrid neighborhood of Chueca, where a tradition of LGBTQ+ pride mobilization exists uneasily with the forces of capitalist “pinkwashing” and far-right intimidation.
After January 6th: Critical and Grassroots Perspectives
On January 22, Weave News hosted a live panel discussion focusing on the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and its implications for struggles for justice in the United States. The panelists were Damon Berry, Nicole Eigbrett, Thahitun Mariam, and Steve Peraza.
Return to Materialism: COVID-19 Fieldnotes for Upstanders
Łukasz W. Niparko writes: In recent days, we have read enough dystopian visions of the post-COVID world. I do not want to write another one. Because in the hands of upstanders rests the choice between dystopia, maintenance of the status quo, or perhaps a quasi-utopian victory for all of humanity. While being under lockdown, or while on the subway, we have the choice to rethink the losses of the past 30 years and be upstanders before others steal the few freedoms we still have left.