On 11 March 2021, the Leon Trotsky House Museum held an online event to celebrate the 95th birthday of Esteban Volkov, grandson of Leon Trotsky, and lifelong defender of the historical truth of the life and work of the great revolutionary. We provide our readers with a recording of the tribute to Esteban Volkov by Alan Woods, editor of In Defence of Marxism, at that event including English subtitles.

The pandemic is out of control in Brazil. According to official data, at the time of writing (21 March) there have already been more than 294,000 people killed by COVID-19. Approximately 2,000 new deaths are registered on average every day. When underreporting is taken into account, these figures are likely to be significantly higher.

A number of countries in Europe halted the use of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine over the past two weeks, due to an unproven association with blood clots. Following a review by the European Medical Agency, they have now resumed, but this politically driven decision has seriously dented public confidence in the vaccine, which was already low.

On 18 March, the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Paris Commune, Wellred Books launched its latest title: The Civil War in France by Karl Marx. With over 350 people from 37 countries registering, over 150 people attended our first online book launch, which was simultaneously live-streamed to YouTube and Facebook.

It has been an explosive couple of weeks at Holyrood (the devolved Scottish Parliament), as Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond testified before a special parliamentary inquiry, pitting current and former Scottish National Party (SNP) First Ministers against one another. Representing rival factions of the party’s upper echelons, the personal break between Sturgeon and Salmond over the latter’s inappropriate conduct has had deep political implications.

The following is an introduction to Wellred Books’ new republication of The Civil War in France by Karl Marx. This excellent overview explains the main events and political processes of this inspirational watershed in the history of working-class struggle. The Communards' heroic, triumphant, but ultimately tragic efforts to build the first workers' government are filled with lessons for revolutionaries today.

Wellred Books is proud to launch a new edition of The Civil War in France by Karl Marx (pre-order now), to coincide with the 150th anniversary of that great chapter in working-class history: the Paris Commune. Our edition features a new introduction providing the historical background to the Paris Commune, as well as Engels' 1891 introduction and articles by Lenin and Trotsky. ...

Last weekend, hundreds of activists met for the most successful Socialist Appeal conference ever. From the high political level of the discussions, to the huge amount of money raised, to the enthusiasm on display: this was a truly inspiring event.

Scared by the recent rise of militant protests, the Tory government has pushed through new powers to clampdown on demos. But activists will not be quashed so easily. The labour movement must mobilise to smash through these repressive laws.

On 11 March 2021, the Leon Trotsky House Museum held an online event to celebrate the 95th birthday of Esteban Volkov, Leon Trotsky’s grandson and lifelong defender of the historical truth of the life and work of the great revolutionary. Hundreds of people from around the world followed the event, which consisted of three separate panels of individuals associated with Esteban Volkov and the Trotsky museum.

In the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, and the subsequent police suppression of a vigil in her memory, protestors have taken to the streets across Britain. We must mobilise to overthrow this entire oppressive, violent, and repressive system. Speakers from Socialist Appeal (British section of the IMT) will address these events at a free public rally today at 7PM GMT, register here.

Over the past week, Britain has experienced an outpouring of anger and indignation after the body of 33-year-old Sarah Everard was discovered in Kent. She had been abducted and murdered while walking home from a friend's house in South London. An off-duty policeman has been arrested and charged with this heinous crime. On the weekend, a peaceful vigil in Clapham Common was brutally broken up by police, using COVID-19 restrictions as an excuse.

Brazil is beating records for the number of daily deaths due to COVID-19, and at the time of writing, the country has exceeded 260,000 casualties. Added to this is the collapse of the country’s health system, with the occupation of beds exceeding 80 percent of capacity in 16 states and the Federal District, with nine states exceeding 90 percent capacity. Read the original in Portuguese, originally published 4 March.

This translation of an article originally published by Révolution (the French section of the IMT), provides an overview of the Paris Commune: its heroic rise, its tragic fall, and its lessons for revolutionaries today. 

On the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Paris Commune, join Wellred Books as we launch our latest title The Civil War in France by Karl Marx. Today, at 6pm GMT, Jules Legendre, a leading activist from Révolution – the IMT in France, will explain these inspiring events and draw out the lessons revolutionaries must take from the first time the working class took power. Register for free here!