Europe
Massive police operation for pro-Erdogan demonstration in Cologne
By Andreas Kunstmann and Marianne Arens, 3 August 2016
The police operation and civil war exercise in Munich has now been followed by a massive police deployment Sunday in the city of Cologne for a Turkish demonstration.
Spain: Catalan regional parliament votes next steps to independence
By Alejandro López, 3 August 2016
The independence vote has deepened the political crisis in Spain, which has now been without a government for eight months.
UK: Weymouth and Bridport bus drivers escalate strike action
By Ajanta Silva, 3 August 2016
The Weymouth bus drivers’ dispute demonstrates that whenever the union bureaucracy are forced to call industrial action, they ensure that it remains isolated.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
29 July 2016
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Lack of job protection for European pilots turns dream job into nightmare
By Marianne Arens, 26 July 2016
A growing number of pilots in Europe are compelled to accept short-term contracts, sham self-employment and insecure employment relations.
Corbyn and McDonnell plead with UK Labour Party right wing for “unity”
By Robert Stevens and Chris Marsden, 25 July 2016
The aim of the Blairites is not merely to depose Corbyn, but to thwart the growing anti-capitalist sentiment and yearning for fundamental social change among millions of people.
UK: National Health Service cardiac units to be cut
By Margot Miller, 25 July 2016
The cuts will reduce from 13 to 10 the number of units in the country dealing with congenital heart disease—a condition that mainly affects children.
The Munich shooting spree and the Americanization of German society
By Christoph Vandreier and Peter Schwarz, 25 July 2016
The massive police operation in Munich, as well as the reaction of many media outlets and politicians, showsthat the tragic event is being used to justify a new law-and-order campaign.
The Turkish coup, US militarism and the collapse of democracy
By Bill Van Auken, 22 July 2016
The tumultuous events in Turkey have exposed the interconnection between the worldwide eruption of US militarism and the global breakdown of democratic forms of rule.
France’s permanent state of emergency
By Alex Lantier, 21 July 2016
Amid a deep crisis of bourgeois democracy and seething social tensions across Europe, the ruling elite aims to transition from democratic to dictatorial forms of rule.
Former British prime minister warns of revolution
By Nick Beams, 19 July 2016
Brown couches his comments in terms of the danger of right-wing populist forces, but his real fear is the development of a socialist movement of the working class.
German parliament expands law on sexual crimes
By Christoph Vandreier, 19 July 2016
The aim is to exploit an emotionally charged issue to strengthen the state and scapegoat refugees.
UK trade unions fail to mobilise for anti-austerity demonstration
By Paul Mitchell, 19 July 2016
The most striking feature of the London demo was the absence of trade union leaders and Labour “lefts.”
EU demands more austerity after Spain and Portugal fail to cut deficits
By Alejandro López and Paul Mitchell, 19 July 2016
The EU’s unprecedented call for billions of euros in fines comes amid a major banking crisis in Italy and the Brexit crisis.
After Nice attack, French government calls up military reserves
By Alex Lantier, 18 July 2016
Well before the political character of the mass killing in Nice has been clearly established, the French government is pushing for military escalation inside and outside France.
German Left Party and Greens: Warmongering after the attack in Nice
By Johannes Stern, 18 July 2016
Seizing on the murderous attack in southern France, two leading members of the German Left and Green parties demanded an intensified military intervention in Syria and Iraq.
Social inequality escalates in Denmark amid bonanza for banks and corporations
By Ellis Wynne, 18 July 2016
Denmark has fallen from the world’s most equal society at the beginning of the millennium to number 14 in the list of European countries.
What the coup against Jeremy Corbyn reveals about the Labour Party
By Chris Marsden, 18 July 2016
Labour was, from its birth, dedicated to the defence of capitalism against the threat of international socialism.
“No more war, ever!”: PSG presents posters for Berlin state election
By Partei für Soziale Gleichheit, 18 July 2016
The PSG’s election campaign connects the struggle against social cuts and war with the struggle against their source—capitalism.
Failed military coup in Turkey
By James Cogan, 16 July 2016
The political upheaval in Turkey is testimony to the generalised breakdown taking place internationally in the political institutions and mechanisms of bourgeois rule.
UK Guardian’s Owen Jones offers apologia for anti-Corbyn coup
By Julie Hyland, 16 July 2016
Jones’ criticism of the right-wing Labourites is not with their coup against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn per se, but rather its timing.
One year since Syriza’s betrayal in Greece
By Bill Van Auken, 15 July 2016
Syriza’s ceaseless collaboration in the implementation of brutal austerity measures has vindicated the warnings made by the WSWS even before the pseudo-left party came to power.
Trudeau bolsters Canadian support for Ukraine’s far-right regime
By Roger Jordan, 15 July 2016
During a two-day visit, Trudeau signed a free trade agreement with the Poroshenko government and signaled support for it “reclaiming territory” through war.
Dozens murdered in possible terrorist attack in Nice, France
By Oscar Grenfell, 15 July 2016
French President Francois Hollande invoked the horrific attack to justify expansion of the “state of emergency” for another three months.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
15 July 2016
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
German militarism on display at NATO summit
By Johannes Stern, 13 July 2016
Two years after German officials announced plans to remilitarise the country, media outlets are warning of preparations for “total war.”
Head-on train collision near Bari, Italy kills at least 25
By our reporter, 13 July 2016
The single track where the trains collided has no automatic braking system similar to other areas in Italy’s poorer southern regions.
Theresa May wins Conservative leadership contest and will be new UK prime minister
By Robert Stevens, 12 July 2016
The ruthless dispatch of contender Andrea Leadsom, in order to secure the favoured candidate of the ruling elite as prime minister, is testament to the dire crisis facing the British bourgeoisie.
Angela Eagle chosen to front anti-Corbyn coup in UK Labour Party
By Chris Marsden, 12 July 2016
The campaign to remove UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn by 172 MPs pits the Parliamentary Labour Party against the vast majority of Labour Party supporters.
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon ignored in Europe
By Steve James, 12 July 2016
While the Brexit crisis centres on British relations with the EU, the unanticipated debacle is also threatening to destabilise relations between and within all the EU’s component countries.
NATO summit plans escalation against Russia in Eastern Europe, Middle East
By Alex Lantier, 11 July 2016
NATO is planning a major military escalation, based on plans for a perpetual state of war in the Middle East and preparations for all-out war with Russia in Europe.
Leadership contest launched, raising prospect of split in UK Labour Party
By Robert Stevens and Chris Marsden, 11 July 2016
Nothing is being ruled out by the Parliamentary Labour Party, including the possibility that Labour leader Corbyn will not be allowed to stand in a leadership contest.
Five agency workers crushed to death in British scrapyard
By Danny Richardson, 11 July 2016
Three serious incidents have occurred at the Hawkeswood Metal recycling plant in the Nechells area of Birmingham in the last few years.
European Union working with African despots to deter refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 11 July 2016
At their latest meeting in the Slovakian capital Bratislava, EU interior ministers agreed on speedier deportation of refugees and closer cooperation with African dictatorships.
German arms exports almost doubled in 2015
By Johannes Stern, 8 July 2016
In all probability, German arms exports will increase again this year.
French parliamentary report on terror attacks calls for new police powers
By Alex Lantier, 8 July 2016
The report, which evades the role of the imperialist war in Syria in creating the Islamist networks that carried out the attacks, is awash with contradictions and evasions.
UK junior doctors vote to reject contract
By Paul Mitchell, 7 July 2016
Junior doctors rejected a contract supported by the British Medical Association union that slashes overtime pay and extends working hours.
Social Democrats, Left Party and Greens preparing coalition in Germany
By Peter Schwarz, 7 July 2016
Despite its proponents’ left phrase-mongering, the proposed coalition would aim to secure German hegemony in Europe.
UK Conservative leadership doubles down on Brexit as pound resumes plunge
By Julie Hyland, 6 July 2016
The pound fell to a 31-year low against the dollar following news that economic growth in the UK slowed to less than 0.2 percent in the second quarter.
Britain’s right-wing media call for creation of new pro-European Union party
By Robert Stevens, 6 July 2016
Leading commentators in the financial press view the founding of a new party as a means of reversing a strategic setback for the dominant sections of British capital.
Lufthansa flight attendants union accepts arbitration agreement
By Marianne Arens, 6 July 2016
By agreeing to the arbitration award, the union is stabbing cabin staff and pilots in the back in their struggle to defend jobs, wages and pensions.
UK: Forty-two years after Birmingham pub bombings, inquest to be reopened
By Trevor Johnson, 6 July 2016
The inquest is into the bombings themselves and their victims, rather than the frame-up of six innocent men.
Brexit and the return of European militarism
By Johannes Stern, 5 July 2016
The European Union has reacted to the outcome of the referendum on UK membership of the European Union by calling for the militarization of the continent.
Union boss offers to broker “peace” deal with Labour’s anti-Corbyn plotters
By Robert Stevens, 5 July 2016
A frantic last-ditch effort is being made to force the resignation of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn so as to avoid a fresh leadership contest.
UK teachers hold one-day strike against education bill
By Tania Kent, 5 July 2016
The strike by National Union of Teachers members takes place amid the drive for the complete privatisation of state education.
Volkswagen: 700 workers lose their jobs in Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 5 July 2016
The VW board is using the company’s current crisis to make long-planned cuts in its workforce, relying heavily on the IG Metall trade union and its related works councils.
Brexit financial fallout widens
By Nick Beams, 4 July 2016
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has warned of “economic post-traumatic stress” hitting financial markets, businesses and households.
Brexit vote heightens tensions in Europe
By Peter Schwarz, 1 July 2016
Last week’s vote by the United Kingdom has been met by an intensified drive by Germany to exert dominance over the European continent.
The anti-Corbyn coup and calls for a second referendum on Brexit
Statement of the Socialist Equality Party (Britain), 1 July 2016
The strategic interests of the ruling elite in Britain and the US—especially as regards NATO and its military provocations against Russia—require that the referendum result be rescinded.
Death toll in Istanbul airport attack rises to 41
By Alex Lantier, 30 June 2016
The massacre is the tragic yet predictable outcome of the NATO powers' backing of Al Qaeda-linked forces in their war for regime-change in Syria.
EU maintains hard line toward UK over Brexit
By Johannes Stern, 30 June 2016
While officially expressing dismay over the result of the Brexit referendum, EU leaders now see it as an opportunity to turn the EU into an aggressive military power.
UK Labour right wing mounts leadership challenge against Corbyn
By Chris Marsden, 30 June 2016
The coup against Corbyn is considered vital to the ability of the British ruling class to safeguard its interests globally.
Thousands turn up for cancelled “Remain in EU” rallies throughout the UK
By our reporters, 30 June 2016
The purpose of those addressing the rally was to exploit the frustration and anger of young people at the referendum result and its consequences.
Spanish interior minister used state apparatus to topple opponents
By James Lerner, 30 June 2016
The “Fernándezgate” recordings, which show Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz conspiring against political opponents, expose the disintegration of democratic forms of rule in Spain.
Workers at two UK rail companies strike against threat to jobs and safety
By Michael Barnes, 29 June 2016
On all existing driver-only operations there are no conductors or onboard staff, other than the revenue inspectors.
Dozens killed in bomb attacks at Istanbul airport
By Patrick Martin, 29 June 2016
The death toll has mounted in the second major terrorist attack on a European airport in three months.
IG Metall trade union backs Volkswagen board
By Dietmar Henning, 28 June 2016
IG Metall sprang to the support of management, which is exploiting the emission scandal to impose the biggest ever attacks on jobs, wages and conditions.
The way forward after the Brexit referendum
By Statement by the Socialist Equality Party (UK), 27 June 2016
The only certainty in the aftermath of the Leave vote is that the assault on the working class will be intensified, as the ruling elite demand greater sacrifices in the “national interest.”
Brexit vote intensifies conflicts within European Union
By Alex Lantier, 25 June 2016
The process of European integration begun just after World War II, intended to build political institutions that would make a new world war impossible, is unraveling.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
24 June 2016
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition make nationalist case for Brexit
By Robert Stevens, 23 June 2016
The Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party serve to blind the working class to the dangers posed by the strengthening of the most right-wing sections of the bourgeoisie through the referendum campaign.
Despite mounting opposition, French unions signal concessions on labor law
By Alex Lantier, 20 June 2016
The Stalinist General Confederation of Labor has indicated that it may be open to negotiating firm-level contracts under the new law that violate the national Labor Code.
Billionaire former BHS boss faces down UK parliamentary committee
By Jean Shaoul, 20 June 2016
Some 11,000 workers are set to lose their jobs and around 22,000 present and future retirees will see their pensions decimated after the collapse of high street retailer BHS.
US Navy to continue Black Sea incursions, brushing aside Russian demands
By Thomas Gaist, 18 June 2016
Rather than countering “Russian aggression,” the breakneck militarization of the Black Sea is rooted in the drive by the US and European powers to control the Eurasian landmass.
Unidos Podemos pulls ahead of Socialist Party in Spanish election campaign
By Alejandro López, 18 June 2016
The latest polls confirm the historic breakdown of the two party-system that has dominated Spanish politics since the end of the fascist dictatorship.
Leeds bus workers strike over pay
By Barbara Slaughter, 18 June 2016
Earlier this month, 250 workers employed by First Bus Leeds voted unanimously to reject management’s paltry pay offer and begin a campaign of strike action.
The EU referendum and the murder of British MP Jo Cox
By Julie Hyland, 18 June 2016
The murder of Cox has starkly revealed the fascistic character of the forces being whipped up around this week’s referendum on British membership in the EU, particularly by the Leave campaign.
Fears of UK exit from the EU fuel global panic
By Robert Stevens, 17 June 2016
The release of polls showing a likely “leave” result in the referendum on membership in the EU has fueled a stock sell-off and prompted worried statements by central banks.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
17 June 2016
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Britain’s Labour Party helps Conservative government pass Snoopers’ Charter
By Trevor Johnson, 15 June 2016
The UK’s security and spying agencies are being rewarded for their criminality with new and almost unlimited powers.
NATO orders four additional battalions to Russian border
By Thomas Gaist, 14 June 2016
The deployments are among the most provocative actions taken by the NATO high command in the course of its anti-Russian buildup, now well into its second year.
Pseudo-lefts appointed to leadership of Germany’s Left Party
By Ulrich Rippert, 14 June 2016
Within Germany, the Left Party is increasingly viewed as a right-wing, bourgeois party, which spouts left sounding phrases, but is no different in practice than the established parties.
Belgian unions try to suppress country’s growing strike wave
By Ross Mitchell and Paul Bond, 13 June 2016
The unions in Belgium and France view a joint struggle by workers in both countries as a threat.
North Sea oil workers must wage unified struggle
By Steve James, 13 June 2016
The crisis in the North Sea industry is one expression of the global capitalist chaos in oil production.
Sports Direct and BHS: The real face of British capitalism
By Julie Hyland, 13 June 2016
While lamenting Ashley and Green as the “unacceptable face of capitalism,” the media made clear that much of what had occurred was perfectly legal.
The Brexit referendum from a European perspective
By Peter Schwarz, 13 June 2016
Reading the commentary in the international press concerning the referendum on a British exit from the European Union, one gets a sense of a ruling class that has lost its bearings.
Bond yields fall as fears rise over global economic growth
By Nick Beams, 11 June 2016
As the pile of negative yielding government debt passes the $10 trillion mark, it has been described as a “supernova that will explode one day.”
UK trade union federation calls for Britain to remain in EU
By Robert Stevens, 11 June 2016
The Trades Union Congress is backing the Remain campaign on the cynical basis that it is necessary to protect workers from the attacks of the Conservative government.
Public meeting at Humboldt University in Berlin
The referendum on Brexit: Why the SEP rejects both camps
11 June 2016
On Friday, June 17, Chris Marsden, a member of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site from Britain, will speak in Berlin at Humboldt University on the referendum for British withdrawal from the EU, and on the party’s campaign for an active boycott.
British rail workers facing state repression
By Michael Barnes, 10 June 2016
Workers have held strikes to protest the elimination of the safety-critical role of the conductor, who operates doors on the busiest routes in the UK.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
10 June 2016
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Massive NATO war game risks conflict with Russia
By Johannes Stern, 9 June 2016
NATO’s largest exercise since the end of the Cold War began Tuesday with 2,000 British, Polish and American troops parachuting from planes near the northern Polish town of Torun.
Strikes against austerity in France and Belgium defy union pressure for sellout
By Alex Lantier, 9 June 2016
Garbage workers took strike action in several cities across France, joining rail, port and oil workers in France and rail workers in Belgium.
Cameron/Farage debate on EU dominated by anti-immigrant rhetoric
By Robert Stevens, 9 June 2016
Tuesday night’s TV debate between Prime Minister David Cameron and UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage centred on who could more aggressively scapegoat migrants.
Setback for ruling Democratic Party in Italian municipal elections
By Marianne Arens, 9 June 2016
Poor results for Democratic Party candidates and gains for Grillo’s Five Star Movement are clear signs of dissatisfaction with the Renzi government.
Right-wing Polish government revives effort to extradite Roman Polanski
By Alan Gilman, 9 June 2016
The new attempt by the Polish government to extradite Polanski is the latest chapter in the US government’s vindictive pursuit of the filmmaker.
One in seven children in Germany relies on social welfare
By Marianne Arens, 7 June 2016
Almost a decade and a half after the “Agenda 2010” reforms, more than 1.5 million children under the age of 15 rely on Hartz IV welfare.
The case for an active boycott of the Brexit referendum
By Chris Marsden, 7 June 2016
The struggle for a socialist Britain within a United Socialist States of Europe is a burning necessity for workers who, in every country, face the same class enemy and the same problems of austerity and war.
UK: The political fraud of the Another Europe is Possible campaign
By Julie Hyland, 7 June 2016
The campaign makes no mention of the Cameron government’s austerity agenda that has seen millions of jobs destroyed, wages cut, welfare slashed to the bone and migrants denied entry to the UK.
Hundreds more refugees die in the Mediterranean
By Martin Kreikenbaum, 6 June 2016
Within eight days, many more than 1,200 refugees have drowned during their voyage to Europe.
UK Labour leader Corbyn stakes his future on vote to remain in EU
By Chris Marsden, 6 June 2016
Corbyn is towing the line dictated by the dominant sections of British imperialism, which see membership of the EU as essential for securing Britain’s economic interests.
German government tightens anti-terror laws
By Johannes Stern, 6 June 2016
Throughout Europe, the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris are being used as a pretext for constructing a police state, just as happened in the US following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Striking rail workers speak out on movement against French labor law
By Alex Lantier and V. Gnana, 6 June 2016
WSWS reporters spoke to striking rail workers and students mobilized in solidarity with their strike at railway stations across Paris.
What is behind the Armenian resolution passed by the German parliament?
By Johannes Stern, 4 June 2016
On Thursday, the German parliament passed a resolution describing the mass murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as “genocide.”
A dozen dead, tens of thousands displaced as floods hit Germany and France
By our reporter, 4 June 2016
Floods claimed between 12 and 18 lives, according to initial reports, and it is feared that the death toll could climb higher.
Scotland’s RISE electoral coalition descends into crisis
By Steve James, 4 June 2016
RISE is led by an aspiring middle class layer of academics and commentators seeking to build their careers through the creation of a new Scottish capitalist state
British pensioners over 75 increasingly likely to live in poverty
By Trevor Johnson, 4 June 2016
Just under a quarter of single pensioners are living in poverty.
Strikes in France elicit support from German workers
By Verena Nees, 3 June 2016
Sympathy from workers and young people, anger and resentment in the media—this is how Germany is reacting to the strikes in France.
German Left Party congress carries out further shift to the right
By Ulrich Rippert, 3 June 2016
Regardless of the standard trite phrases about social justice, the Left Party set a political course at its party congress for participation in government at the federal level.
Anti-migrant propaganda dominates UK Brexit referendum
By Chris Marsden, 3 June 2016
Both the Remain and Leave campaigns for the June 23 referendum on UK membership of the European Union are pushing anti-migrant measures.
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