Strike

Demonstration in Paris during a nationwide day of strikes and protests over France”s national budget. September 18, 2025 Paris.
IMAGO/NurPhoto
One million people marched across France on 18 September 2025 in response to a joint call from unions and the Bloquons Tout (Block Everything) movement. From the early morning, hundreds of grassroots initiatives joined picket lines following weeks of self-organized general assemblies. This second day of mobilization — coming after the protests on 10 September that drew 500,000 participants — confirmed both the scale and the radical nature of the emerging movement. While the call to action has resonated widely, the question of what comes ...
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September 22, Cosenza, Italy: A placard quoting “Block the genocide” is seen at a protest.
IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

If Not Now, When?

Federico Tomasone
It had been in the air for some time. The massive rally in Berlin over the weekend was only the latest sign of a growing continental momentum. The mobilisation in Italy has taken this dynamic to a new level. No one expected a wave of such magnitude:  On Monday 22 September, tens of thousands marched across Italy to condemn the genocide in Gaza, taking part in strikes and blockades in a demonstration under the Slogan “Blocchiamo Tutto” ("Let’s Block Everything"). The general strike called by grassroots trade unions, primarily the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), and ...
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Demonstration against the new Belgian government and its announced austerity measures, Bruxelles, February 13, 2025.
Sophia Thoenes

Bend It Like Belgium?

Federico Tomasone
As the new government targets pensions and workers’ rights, Belgian unions are showing Europe how to fight back Formed after months of political deadlock, Belgium’s new government led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever presents itself as a force of stability in an era of economic and social uncertainty. The so-called “Arizona coalition”, named as such for the colours of its liberal, Christian Democrat, and Flemish nationalist components, promises citizens fiscal discipline and economic recovery. Yet from its inception, its true agenda has been one that risks ...
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