Oppression

Who benefited from the British Empire?

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland
Marxism and Oppression - video

Shabbir Lakha discusses the Marxist understanding of oppression, where it comes from and how we can overcome it
We need a radical alternative to the Cop-out in Glasgow – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on climate change and the case of Kathleen Stock
Enough! Taking the streets, taking on spiking

Thousands come out to protest against the continuous attack no women on and off the streets, Karen Buckley reports
Socialist Explainers: Short Answers to Big Questions

In this collection of socialist explainers, we’re giving quick responses to the questions that loom largest for us today
Women's liberation and the trans debate

In the light of current discussions, we repost a document first circulated by Counterfire in September 2020. We believe it remains relevant.
Sexual violence, economic violence: why women still need our rights – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Sarah Everard's murder and its aftermath
'We need to move fast': Ken Loach on Starmer, socialism and building a new left - interview

Ken Loach speaks to Chris Nineham about his expulsion from the Labour Party and the next steps for the left
Changing the narrative on Palestine: The Big Ride 2021 – photo essay

The Big Ride for Palestine 2021 arrives tomorrow in Tower Hamlets. Orlando Hill is reporting on the road, noting the upsurge in support for Palestinian liberation
Trans rights, women’s rights and open debate – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on how the left should confront oppression
The Israeli War Machine is deliberately destroying Palestinian families - CounterBlast

Terrorising civilians has always been part of Zionist military doctrine and is not accidental, writes Sean Ledwith
A day in the life of a Palestinian: The Present review

Farah Nabulsi’s Oscar-nominated The Present shows the daily oppression faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, finds Sybil Cock
Police bill: the protestors aren’t for turning – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on today’s new laws, some recent victories and the Shrewsbury 24
Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music - book review

Gerald Horne’s Jazz and Justice is an illuminating history of the material conditions of African-American Jazz musicians in its classic decades, finds Martin Hall
Lessons from the Yellow Vests: Police violence, protest and the state

The experiences of the Gilets jaunes have much to tell us about the capitalist state’s response to mass protest, writes Susan Ram
Justice at last for the Shrewsbury pickets

The victory for the Shrewsbury 24 lays bare how the state conspired to lock up striking workers in the 70s, reports John Westmoreland
Who starts it? Violence, protest and what the police are really for

Attempts to defend the police in Bristol ignore the essential role of policing in society and the hostility to protests and pickets, argues Chris Nineham
Why a woman’s work is never done

Susan Newman discusses how the subjugation of women through unpaid labour in the sphere of social reproduction is central to the functioning of capitalism
'Shame on you!': New Scotland Yard sees protest at police violence

In an atmosphere of anger and resistance, protestors call for an end to police violence against women, reports Yonas Makoni
‘We are all Sarah Everard’: women of Manchester stand up to the police

Women in Manchester will not be silenced, argues Lucy Nichols, in this report from the vigil
Sarah Everard killing: can women ever be safe?

Commenting on the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, Lindsey German argues that violence against women and institutional sexism must be combated through collective action
The Women's Liberation Movement and the Politics of Class in Britain - book review

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
The fight for women's liberation - Marxism and Women's liberation extract

Katherine Connelly looks at the struggle against women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation
Racism, sexism and ‘Karens’

You can’t fight one oppression by doubling down on another, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
LGBTHM: Class, Sexuality and Liberation - 25 Feb, 7pm

For LGBT History Month, Counterfire is hosting this public meeting with Kevin Ovenden to discuss the radical history of the movement, how it won key arguments and the continuing fight for liberation
Armoured cars and tanks and guns: the real story of the Irish troubles

Chris Bambery looks at the history of the Northern Ireland state - and the violence Britain was prepared to use to maintain it
Marxism, the family and women's oppression - video

Lindsey German discusses where women's oppression comes from in capitalist society
Marxism and feminism - Marxism and Women's Liberation extract

Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analysing women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation
Where does sexism come from? - Marxism and Women's Liberation excerpt

Elaine Graham-Leigh traces the roots of women's oppression in this excerpt from Marxism and Women's Liberation
The limits of identity politics - video

Elaine Graham-Leigh explains the origins and limitations of identity politics and what a Marxist understanding of oppression and how to overcome it offers
The Coronavirus crisis amplifies women’s oppression

Lindsey German argues that women and sex inequality should be at the centre of our analysis of social transformation.
Is a society without oppression possible? - explainer

Elaine Graham-Leigh analyses where oppression comes from and if it can be overcome
Why class matters - explainer

David McAllister explains what the working class is and why it's central to transforming society
More Than a Left Foot - book review

Bob Williams-Findlay’s account of a lifetime’s involvement in the disabled people’s movement and left activism impresses fellow campaigner, Judy Hunt
Democratic history challenges imperialist and racist history

Dominic Alexander explains how black history is intrinsically connected to the history of the working class
Tony Cliff: revolutionary theory and practice

John Rees remembers Tony Cliff’s unique contribution to the Marxist tradition
Film Review: Misbehaviour is misjudged

Women's liberation struggles deserve to be made into films, but Misbehaviour is not one of them says Penny Hicks
Assange trial shows all journalists are now under attack

The extradition of Assange will deter journalists from speaking truth to power, says Shadia Edwards-Dashti
Labour in vain? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on post-Corbynism and the trans debate
Born to rule over us? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on privilege and democracy, state control, and standing up to the Jewish Board of Deputies
Unelected judges deny the right to strike - election briefing 14 November

Lindsey German on the attack on the posties and women’s work
Bosses put the screws on the newly elected Portuguese government to avoid changes to employment laws

At the meeting between the PS [Socialist Party] leader and the president of the CIP, the employer confederation argued that the next government should be supported by "agreements during each budget", which may include the PSD
Cardiff rallies in solidarity with Kurdish hunger strikers

The Kurdish community and anti-war activists in Wales have mobilised to amplify the voices of Kurdish hunger strikers, reports Kevin Potter
Bloody Friday in Gaza: a great return massacre

An unarmed, civilian protest from a people who have been oppressed for decades, results in bloodshed and massacre.
As a trans woman, this is the unity I want to see

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison
Marxism and Women's Liberation

Buy online: A cutting edge guide to the way class and women's oppression intersect, and how emancipation must be linked to system change
Morroco’s Makhzen: repression and resistance

Fallout from the Arab Spring continues to permeate North African struggles, writes Richard Greeman
Escaping Bleak House: sex, class and power in neoliberal Britain

In this major new analysis, Lindsey German looks at resistance to neoliberalism, oppression's relationship to class, and how new forms of organising and the united front are central to a socialist transformation of Britain
Burkini ban: the Islamophobia that lies beneath the beach secularism

Is France's left doing enough to challenge the new wave of state Islamophobia, asks John Mullen
Burkini ban: taking the anger back to the French state

Friday night’s central London emergency protest shows how Islamophobia must be countered, reports Katherine Connelly
The Orlando massacre was a homophobic act

We cannot let the massacre in Orlando be used to stoke up homophobia and Islamophobia, argues Lindsey German
Marxism and Oppression, by Tony Cliff - key texts

This week the 'key text' in our series is an article written by Tony Cliff on Marxism and oppression, introduced by Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
Exquisite and hard hitting: 'Working from Home' by Julie McCalden

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work
Marxism and Feminism

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German
Reclaiming the spirit of Pride

Nick O'Brien argues that the success of the Pride movie gives us a unique opportunity to reclaim the spirit of Pride this summer
Migrants welcome here

With the focus of hatred aimed at migrants the elite culprits of society's problems hide behind racism
The fire last time: when ghetto riots rocked America

Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order
This is not about offence!

Offensive jokes are a significant part of the infrastructure of prejudice argues Jeremy Messenger
Work, Sex and Power

The entire human history of exploitation and oppression is vividly summarised in Willie Thompson’s Work, Sex, Power, finds Mike Quille
Black and dangerous? Listening to patients’ experiences of mental health services in London

Why are black people with mental health problems still more likely than whites to be heavily medicated, restrained and detained against their will?
Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression
The SNP’s gay marriage crisis

Adam Frew analyses why the SNP have got themselves into a mess over same-sex marriage.

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Oppression

Oppression

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland

Shabbir Lakha discusses the Marxist understanding of oppression, where it comes from and how we can overcome it

Lindsey German on climate change and the case of Kathleen Stock

Thousands come out to protest against the continuous attack no women on and off the streets, Karen Buckley reports

In this collection of socialist explainers, we’re giving quick responses to the questions that loom largest for us today

In the light of current discussions, we repost a document first circulated by Counterfire in September 2020. We believe it remains relevant.

Lindsey German on Sarah Everard's murder and its aftermath

Ken Loach speaks to Chris Nineham about his expulsion from the Labour Party and the next steps for the left

The Big Ride for Palestine 2021 arrives tomorrow in Tower Hamlets. Orlando Hill is reporting on the road, noting the upsurge in support for Palestinian liberation

Lindsey German on how the left should confront oppression

Terrorising civilians has always been part of Zionist military doctrine and is not accidental, writes Sean Ledwith

Farah Nabulsi’s Oscar-nominated The Present shows the daily oppression faced by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, finds Sybil Cock

Lindsey German on today’s new laws, some recent victories and the Shrewsbury 24

Gerald Horne’s Jazz and Justice is an illuminating history of the material conditions of African-American Jazz musicians in its classic decades, finds Martin Hall

The experiences of the Gilets jaunes have much to tell us about the capitalist state’s response to mass protest, writes Susan Ram

The victory for the Shrewsbury 24 lays bare how the state conspired to lock up striking workers in the 70s, reports John Westmoreland

Attempts to defend the police in Bristol ignore the essential role of policing in society and the hostility to protests and pickets, argues Chris Nineham

Susan Newman discusses how the subjugation of women through unpaid labour in the sphere of social reproduction is central to the functioning of capitalism

In an atmosphere of anger and resistance, protestors call for an end to police violence against women, reports Yonas Makoni

Women in Manchester will not be silenced, argues Lucy Nichols, in this report from the vigil

Commenting on the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, Lindsey German argues that violence against women and institutional sexism must be combated through collective action

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Katherine Connelly looks at the struggle against women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation

You can’t fight one oppression by doubling down on another, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

For LGBT History Month, Counterfire is hosting this public meeting with Kevin Ovenden to discuss the radical history of the movement, how it won key arguments and the continuing fight for liberation

Chris Bambery looks at the history of the Northern Ireland state - and the violence Britain was prepared to use to maintain it

Lindsey German discusses where women's oppression comes from in capitalist society

Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analysing women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation

Elaine Graham-Leigh traces the roots of women's oppression in this excerpt from Marxism and Women's Liberation

Elaine Graham-Leigh explains the origins and limitations of identity politics and what a Marxist understanding of oppression and how to overcome it offers

Lindsey German argues that women and sex inequality should be at the centre of our analysis of social transformation.

Elaine Graham-Leigh analyses where oppression comes from and if it can be overcome

David McAllister explains what the working class is and why it's central to transforming society

Bob Williams-Findlay’s account of a lifetime’s involvement in the disabled people’s movement and left activism impresses fellow campaigner, Judy Hunt

Dominic Alexander explains how black history is intrinsically connected to the history of the working class

John Rees remembers Tony Cliff’s unique contribution to the Marxist tradition

Women's liberation struggles deserve to be made into films, but Misbehaviour is not one of them says Penny Hicks

The extradition of Assange will deter journalists from speaking truth to power, says Shadia Edwards-Dashti

Lindsey German on post-Corbynism and the trans debate

Lindsey German on privilege and democracy, state control, and standing up to the Jewish Board of Deputies

Lindsey German on the attack on the posties and women’s work

At the meeting between the PS [Socialist Party] leader and the president of the CIP, the employer confederation argued that the next government should be supported by "agreements during each budget", which may include the PSD

The Kurdish community and anti-war activists in Wales have mobilised to amplify the voices of Kurdish hunger strikers, reports Kevin Potter

An unarmed, civilian protest from a people who have been oppressed for decades, results in bloodshed and massacre.

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison

Buy online: A cutting edge guide to the way class and women's oppression intersect, and how emancipation must be linked to system change

Fallout from the Arab Spring continues to permeate North African struggles, writes Richard Greeman

In this major new analysis, Lindsey German looks at resistance to neoliberalism, oppression's relationship to class, and how new forms of organising and the united front are central to a socialist transformation of Britain

Is France's left doing enough to challenge the new wave of state Islamophobia, asks John Mullen

Friday night’s central London emergency protest shows how Islamophobia must be countered, reports Katherine Connelly

We cannot let the massacre in Orlando be used to stoke up homophobia and Islamophobia, argues Lindsey German

This week the 'key text' in our series is an article written by Tony Cliff on Marxism and oppression, introduced by Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German

Nick O'Brien argues that the success of the Pride movie gives us a unique opportunity to reclaim the spirit of Pride this summer

With the focus of hatred aimed at migrants the elite culprits of society's problems hide behind racism

Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order

Offensive jokes are a significant part of the infrastructure of prejudice argues Jeremy Messenger

The entire human history of exploitation and oppression is vividly summarised in Willie Thompson’s Work, Sex, Power, finds Mike Quille

Why are black people with mental health problems still more likely than whites to be heavily medicated, restrained and detained against their will?

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression

Adam Frew analyses why the SNP have got themselves into a mess over same-sex marriage.