IVP606 - July 2025

“Movements of solidarity with the Serbian people must be stepped up, as has already been the case during the two visits of Serbian demonstrators to Brussels and Strasbourg.”

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’s DAY is June 1 in Ukraine, Russia, and 47 other countries. This Children’s Day, the Ukraine Solidarity Network (US) calls for the freedom and return of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian children whom Russia has kidnapped and for ending the mass starvation of millions of children in Palestine, Sudan, and other sites of widespread child hunger such as Haiti, South Sudan, and Mali.

By just a few votes in both houses, the Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s 940-page “Big Beautiful Bill,” a $3.4 trillion package, cutting taxes for the rich and slashing social programs for the working class and the poor, while at the same time increasing the national debts by $3 trillion or more.

“Nonetheless, the political ground has shifted. What once seemed impossible—the return of Marxist politics, the reorganization of underground parties, the convergence of student and worker struggles—is now a living process.”

The mass movement for solidarity with the population of Gaza and of Palestine worldwide is labelled antisemitic and subject to repression both collectively by the banning of Palestine solidarity organizations (Palestine Action in Britain labelled as terrorist, threat of dissolution against Urgence Palestine in France for example) and against individuals including many academics sacked for denouncing the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The situation in Gaza is terrible, with massacres during the distribution of food aid, starvation imposed by Israel and the systematic destruction of the region. Impunity remains total, and those who speak out against this genocide are silenced.

Trump’s tariffs bullied the whole world. Both Canada and China reacted strongly against them, most countries did not. This garnered a lot of international support for Beijing,. A global poll conducted by Morning Consult showed that in January last year, the U.S. in various countries scored more than 20 points while China scored negatively. However, by the end of May this year, after Trump’s “Liberation Day”, the perceptions reversed, with the U.S. at -1.5 and China at +8.8. Many see this as a reflection of people’s sympathy with China’s resistance to Trump. This comes with a heavy price, however. China’s exports have already slowed down since early 2025, and in May it plunged 34.5% year-on-year.

Since Sunday night, a veritable game of cat and mouse has been played out on the streets of Belgrade between citizens and the police. The principle is simple and highly effective: erect improvised barricades, block a street or intersection, wait for the police to arrive, then disperse peacefully before starting again further on. In this ballet of non-violent resistance, each withdrawal is a new opening. While the police dismantle the roadblocks, sometimes violently, others form elsewhere. And this elusive movement is spreading throughout the country.

“Everything is moving toward the eventual establishment of a new political regime in the country. Massive and sustained popular mobilisation is what can put a stop to this reactionary process, but this must not sideline the national midterm elections next October, which are also a decisive arena for struggle.”