World

How can we defend unconditional support for the Palestinian liberation struggle—including the right to resistance—within the space of bourgeois democracy, especially when the government seeks precisely to suppress that support? The answer lies neither in adapting to the rules of the game nor in an abstract rejection of the legal arena. It is possible—and necessary—to use the very contradictions of bourgeois democracy against it. How can revolutionaries and those in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle use the formal freedoms of bourgeois democracy—freedom of speech, assembly, and the press; due process of law—to defend the right to self-determination, which includes, as the UN itself recognizes, “the struggle by all available means, including armed struggle”? This is the central contradiction we face. On the one hand, liberal democracies have been passing laws that equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism, criminalizing BDS, banning slogans like “from the river to the sea,” and persecuting activists. On the other hand, we know that abandoning the legal arena means abandoning the working class and the youth to repression without defense.

Around the world, Zionist organizations have been leading a charge against free speech based on cynical, false charges of antisemitism.

Longtime industrial union leader and political activist faces 2 years' sentence for speech in defense of Palestinian liberation. His life story is the story of the Brazilian working class and pro-democracy movements.

Zé Maria's conviction anticipates the contents of Bill 1.424/2026, authored by Congresswoman Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP), which conflates anti-Zionism (opposition to Zionism, a colonial project) with antisemitism.

First published by the IWL in 2022 A confusion, always lurking but gaining traction in recent days, is that anti-Zionism is somehow a form of antisemitism. Nothing could be further from the truth. We understand that there are three types of confusion regarding this: the first is deliberate and therefore criminal, as done by the […]

Below, we publish an English translation of an attack against Zé Maria authored by Demétrio Magnoli in the major Brazilian newspaper, Folha do S. Paulo, followed by a response from Zé Maria published in the same paper. Original links to the Portuguese articles in the Folha are included. Freedom for antisemitic opinion By Demétrio Magnoli […]

Statement published on April 30, 2026Link (Portuguese) – https://www.cut.org.br/noticias/solidariedade-a-ze-maria-contra-arbitrariedade-censura-e-repressao-7a04 Brazilian trade union centers repudiate the conviction imposed by the 4th Federal Criminal Court of São Paulo on the national president of the PSTU, José Maria de Almeida. He was sentenced to two years in prison, in an open regime, for a speech in which he denounced […]

The Brazil-Palestine Institute (IBRASPAL) expresses its vehement repudiation of the conviction of political leader José Maria de Almeida (Zé Maria), president of the PSTU, by the 4th Federal Criminal Court, which sentenced him to two years in prison under the accusation of “racism.”This is a serious and alarming decision that criminalizes a legitimate political position: […]

Introduction José Maria de Almeida, Zé Maria, national president of the Unified Socialist Workers’ Party (PSTU), was sentenced to two years house arrest by the Federal Court in a case brought by the Israeli Confederation of Brazil together with the Israeli Federation of the State of São Paulo (case no. 5004694-46.2024.4.03.6181), under accusation of racism […]

Thiago and Saif were abducted last week in international waters by Israeli forces, more than a thousand kilometers from Gaza, while sailing on a humanitarian mission in support of the Palestinian people. Of the 180 activists abducted, most were released after 48 hours, but Thiago and Saif remain in detention, subjected to interrogation and physical and psychological torture. In yet another affront to international law, the Israeli court decided on Monday, 4 May to extend the detention of humanitarian activists Thiago Ávila, from Brazil, and Saif AbuKeshek, members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, for six more days. The decision was made by the Ashkelon Magistrates’ Court, which granted the Israeli government’s request to keep them in custody until next Sunday (10 May) at 9 a.m., without presenting any formal charges against either of them.

The elections were called by the Palestinian National Authority with the aim of regaining some legitimacy, as its policy of collaboration with the Israeli occupation is highly unpopular, having proven contrary to the interests of the majority of Palestinians. The sole beneficiary of this collaboration is the Palestinian bourgeoisie linked to the occupation’s businesses. 88% of the candidates ran as independents for electoral reasons, although many were members of Palestinian parties, primarily Fatah. In Deir al-Balah, in Gaza, four lists ran. All were announced as independent, but in reality the “Rise of Deir al-Balah” list, close to Fatah, won six of the 15 council seats, and “Deir al-Balah Unites Us,” closer to Hamas, won two seats. Of the independent lists, “Future of Deir al-Balah” won 5 seats and “Peace and Reconstruction” won 3.

My daughter, Carolina Garzón, disappeared in Quito, Ecuador, on 28 April 2012, while she was on holiday with classmates from the District University of Bogotá, where she was studying. Aged 22, she was a student activist and a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party (PST). The presidents of Ecuador and Colombia at that time were […]

The demonization and attack on immigrants remains a bipartisan project. Case in point, this past week the governor’s office of California announced that it will be turning over the driver’s license data of all 1 million undocumented immigrant drivers in the state to a federal database where their names, information, and addresses can be looked up. While implementation may be dependent on the legislature voting funds for the process, this decision has not yet been legally challenged and as of yet there have been no rallies opposing it. This is coming from the Democratic Party—the party that says it stands with immigrants! If they are willing to do this today, what will they do next?

The Global Sumud Flotilla is issuing an urgent international alert of a state-sponsored kidnapping and torture mission currently unfolding in international waters. This alert follows first-hand testimony from released participants confirming that Saif Abukeshek, one of two civilians forcibly taken by israeli forces, was subjected to torture while in detention aboard an israeli military vessel while still in Greek waters. 

Every year on May 1st, International Workers' Day is observed around the world. It is not merely a holiday to respect labor; rather, it is a day of remembrance of struggle and revolutionary resolve – the bloodiest chapter in the working class's struggle against the capitalist system. Pakistan is a textbook example of capitalist exploitation. The conditions of the working class here are barbaric.

The Global Sumud flotilla, which was transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza, was attacked by Israeli armed forces in a Greek search-and-rescue zone, 35 miles from Crete (Greece) and 1,200 km from Gaza. Netanyahu’s genocidal government used drones, communications jamming technology, and armed speedboats in international waters to seize the flotilla’s members. According to reports, 22 […]