As tens of thousands return to the streets for the first national Palestine march of 2026, this movement refuses to be sidelined or silenced, says PETER LEARY
Latest editorial
Hartlepool’s heroes of the Spanish civil war
TONY FOX uncovers the story of Herbert ‘Avie’ Riding, one of five International Brigade volunteers from Hartlepool who fought fascism in Spain, as part of an annual commemoration of Teesside’s anti-fascist legacy
RED SOLIDARITY: Members of the International Brigade in the British cookhouse at Albacete, December 1936
If the government really wanted to address public finances, improve living standards and begin economic recovery, it would increase its borrowing for investment, argues MICHAEL BURKE
MATT KERR takes a winter journey through poetry, labour and memory, from Glasgow to Newcastle, arguing that our radical past isn’t something to revere from a distance, but a tool still meant to be used
One of Canada’s most revered politicians is a native of Falkirk but is relatively unknown in his original homeland. KENNY MacASKILL tells his story
Labour prospects in May elections may be irrevocably damaged by Birmingham Council’s costly refusal to settle the year-long dispute, warns STEVE WRIGHT
HENRY FOWLER and ROB POOLE explain the significance of today’s Megapicket
ON October 28 1938, as 300,000 Spaniards crowded the streets of Barcelona to bid farewell to the International Brigade, Major Sam Wild watched from a balcony as George Fletcher led the English-speaking XV Brigade in the farewell parade.
The 57th (British) Battalion marched at the front, followed by the 58th (Lincoln) Battalion, the 59th (Spanish) Battalion and then the 60th (Mackenzie-Papineau) Battalion took up the rear as they were the last battalion to be formed.
The men marched on a carpet of flowers under a shower of paper strips, and women rushed from the crowds lining the route to hug and kiss the marching men. Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionaria) addressed the International Brigade volunteers, saying: “We shall not forget you; and, when the olive tree of peace is in flower, entwined with the victory laurels of the Republic of Spain — return!”
Similar stories
TONY FOX invites readers to come and hear the story of the remarkable Liverpudlian International Brigader Alexander Foote
LYNNE WALSH tells the story of the extraordinary race against time to ensure London’s memorial to the International Brigades got built – as activists gather next week to celebrate the monument’s 40th anniversary
The annual commemoration of anti-fascist volunteers who fought fascism in Spain now includes a key contribution from Italian comrades
A new campaign in Sunderland aims to build a community-designed monument honouring those who fought for liberty and freedom in Spain, writes ROB MacDONALD, artist and creator of Solidarity Park Catalunya