THREE million people, workers, youth, those in insecure employment, students, pensioners, immigrants, descended on Rome on Saturday March 23, 2002 for the biggest demonstration in the history of the Italian Republic.
Left Bloc strengthened
15 April 2002, byWith nearly 20,000 more votes than it won in the parliamentary elections in 2000, the Left Bloc was the only left current to increase its strength in Portugal’s early general elections on March 17, 2002.
Left Bloc Deputies
15 April 2002Francisco Louca (’Chico’, leader of the PSR, Portuguese section of the Fourth International) and Luis Fazenda (secretary general of the UDP, ex-Maoist) were re-elected to the Portuguese parliament as Left Bloc deputies.
"An unknown to represent the unknowns"
15 April 2002, byON Saturday March 23, 2002 the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR, French section of the Fourth International) deposited at the Constitutional Council the 500 "sponsorships" that will enable its candidate, Olivier Besancenot, to be on the ballot in the first round of the presidential election on April 21.
Barcelona: against the Europe of capital
15 April 2002, byOver half a million people mobilized in Barcelona against the meeting of European Union Heads of State and Government on March 15-16, 2002. It marks a watershed in the development of the movement against capitalist globalisation in the Spanish state, and could lead to the opening of a new cycle of mobilizations in the Spanish state and Catalonia.
An international for humanity
15 April 2002, by"THIS is an International that isn’t controlled by anyone". That’s how the Peruvian Trotskyist and veteran peasant leader Hugo Blanco described the World Social Forum held for a second time in Porto Alegre, Brazil from January 31 to February 5, 2002.
From event to movement
15 April 2002, byTHE second World Social Forum at Porto Alegre opens a new phase in the anti-globalisation movement. Both in political and media terms, the event was a success, with about 15,000 thousand delegates, 5,000 organizations and more than 50,000 participants.
Unanswered questions
15 April 2002, byONE source of friction at the II WSF in Porto Alegre was the decision taken by the organisers to exclude the political parties of the Sao Paulo Forum, on the grounds that the gathering was one of social movements and not political parties.
A triple triumph
15 April 2002, byTHE 2002 Word Social Forum in Porto Alegre was a triumph on three levels: in terms of participation, much bigger than in 2001, depth of political and theoretical reflection on the main problems of our epoch and definition of forthcoming events and future objectives.
