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
THE anonymous, but mega-corporately sponsored International Women’s Day website has announced that its innocuous campaign theme for 2021 is “Choose to Challenge,” with the explanation that “a challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change.”
A bold, although somewhat meaningless statement, and, as expected, it makes an appeal to women as individuals, since as it says: “We’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions — all day, every day.
“We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements.”
As Ash Regan’s Unbuyable Bill sparks debate in Scotland, the real issue remains unaddressed: a digitalised sex industry and a neoliberal economy that repackages exploitation as empowerment while leaving women’s material conditions unchanged, argues LAUREN HARPER
Sisters came together last weekend for the landmark launch of a new women’s group. ROS SITWELL reports



