The Sound of Solidarity

In 1992, the then Labor government announced it would cut student support, Austudy, from its already derisory level. Thousands of students took to the streets. In Melbourne, the police counter-attacked by arresting five socialists. It took more than two years but a significant defence campaign led to all the major charges being dropped. Among the five were Marcus Banks and Jonathan Sherlock and we...

David Glanz challenges some common arguments that workers in Australia and the West benefit from the exploitation of the Global South. He argues that workers everywhere have common interests, laying the basis for a common struggle against the system. Read more about imperialism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Solidarity member Judy McVey took part in organising the campaign for the right to march in Queensland. Judy talks about why the ban on marches was put in place, how the campaign was organised and what debates took place inside it, how victory was won and what this means today. Read more about struggle in Queensland. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode is republished with permission of th...

Luke Ottavi describes the revolutionary process that shook Sudan and gave hope to millions before it faltered and created space for ruling class factions backed by regional powers to fight for power and wealth. He points to the politics needed to ensure that the next mass upsurge ends in victory for workers and the poor. Read more about Sudan. Find out about Solidarity.

Solidarity member Paddy Gibson discusses socialist anti-racist theory in the 19th century, its flaws and how it was modified and challenged by the Communist Party of Australia during the 20th century, and the amazing campaigns led by the Communist Party against anti-Aboriginal racism during the 1920s and 1930s. Read more about Aboriginal resistance. Find out more about Solidarity. This episode is...

Abortion rights are under attack in the US and Australia. Why is the right fixated on controlling women's bodies? How can we fight back? Judy McVey, author of the Solidarity pamphlet, Abortion: The fight that’s still to be won, discusses the issues. Read more about the fight for abortion rights. Buy the book, Marxism and Women’s Liberation. Find out more about Solidarity.

Some say it is the influence of the Zionist lobby in the US that explains America's unwavering support for Israel. But David Glanz argues that the real reason is that the US sees Israel as an indispensable ally in a region of huge strategic importance. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Julie Monteiro explains how the Democrats paved the way for Trump and how building mass resistance is the key to turning the tide on reaction. Read more about US politics. Find out more about Solidarity.

Thirty years ago, in September 1994, students at the Australian National University in Canberra occupied the chancellery building for eight days.  Tom Orsag was working in Canberra at the time and was an active supporter of the occupation. Here he tells the story of the struggle. Read more about student struggles. Find out more about Solidarity.  

Paddy Gibson looks at the potential for revolt against Israel's genocide and also against the Arab leaders who are helping make it possible. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Sydney on 24 August 2024.

On 11 September 2000 (known as S11), 10,000 people surrounded the World Economic Forum in Melbourne and shut it down. In the wake of the recent action against Land Forces, David Glanz discusses the lessons of S11 for organising effective direct action today. Read more about direct action. Find out more about Solidarity.

In this episode, Graham Willett and Geraldine Fela share stories about how the union movement has stood up against homophobia. Graham Willett is a recovering academic, a socialist and an historian. He has been involved in groups as diverse as the Gay Community News collective, ACTUP and the Australian Queer Archives. Geraldine Fela is a labour movement historian and author of Critical Care: Nurses...

Julie Monteiro discusses how oppression can bring people into the struggle for liberation but why organising primarily on the basis of identity can be a dead end. Read more about the fight against oppression. Find out more about Solidarity. This talk was given at the Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August.

Far right and fascist parties are on the rise across Europe, from the National Rally in France to Austria’s Freedom Party and the German AfD, while in the US Donald Trump still has a chance of taking back the Presidency. Adam Adelpour explains the difference between fascist parties and other forms of far right politics -- and why it matters for how we resist them. This talk was given at Solidarity...

Labor is pushing a rightwing agenda -- attacking the CFMEU, leaving refugees to rot, spending billions on nuclear submarines and the military, and more. Maeve Larkins unpacks why the ALP is putting Australian capitalism first. Read more about Labor. Find out more about Solidarity.

David Glanz looks at the dangers posed by the rise of the far right and argues that the left has to avoid the trap of "lesser evilism" and instead build a united front of revolutionaries and reformists to stop our common enemies. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August. Read more about fascism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Cooper Forsyth outlines how imperialism has shaped the Middle East and laid the basis for Israeli war and genocide. He explains how Leon Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution can point a way forward for Palestinian liberation. This talk was delivered at Solidarity's Resist and Rebel conference in Melbourne on 24 August. Read more about Trotsky. Read more about Palestine. Find out about Solidari...

Solidarity's Ian Rintoul argues why we need to organise to defend the CFMEU. Midhat Jafri, an activist for Palestine and Solidarity member at UNSW, discusses the way forward to defeat imperialism and gain Palestinian liberation. Read about the CFMEU. Read about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Hundreds marched on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office in Sydney in a rally organised by Stop the War on Palestine. Solidarity member Manu brings us the voices of those who spoke up that day. Read more about Palestine. Find out more about Solidarity.

Labour movement historian Geraldine Fela talks about her new book, which discusses the vital political role nurses played in turning back the spread of AIDS, and of homophobia. Geraldine is a member of Solidarity. The book, Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis, is published by UNSW Press , $49.99. Read more about nurses organising. Find out more about Solidarity.

We talk to journalist and author Nic Maclellan, who has been reporting on New Caledonia/Kanaky for four decades, about the Kanak struggle for independence from French colonialism. Read more about Kanaky. Find out about Solidarity.

Tom Orsag, a Solidarity member and retired CFMEU member, argues why we need to unite in defence of the construction workers' union, the CFMEU. This talk was recorded on 25 July. Read more about the CFMEU. Find out more about Solidarity.

Refugees and asylum-seekers in Melbourne are protesting 24 hours a day - first outside the office of Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil and then, when she was shuffled out of the role, outside the Department of Home Affairs. We spoke to three Iranian women about why they're fighting back. The Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne is at 808 Bourke Street, Docklands. Support is welcome at any time...

Defenders of Israel cannot justify the slaughter in Gaza so they resort to smearing supporters of the Palestinians as antisemitic. Tami Gadir, a Solidarity member and anti-Zionist Jew, takes apart their arguments and shows how fighting for Palestine and fighting antisemitism go hand in hand. Read more about Zionism. Find out more about Solidarity.

Erima Dall talks about the waves of revolutionary struggle that have rocked the Middle East and points to the importance of rebuilding the socialist tradition of struggle from below. This talk was given at Solidarity's Keep Left conference on 30 March. Read more about imperialism and resistance in the Middle East. Find out more about Solidarity.