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Mining Lithium in Europe’s(Semi)Periphery and The Making of an Extractivist Frontier

Note from LeftEast Editors: Originally published by Second Cold War Observatory on May 2, 2024. Perhaps more than any other material, lithium has, in recent years, been increasingly presented as the silver bullet for the so-called twin transition—the digital and the green transitions. Lithium is essential to most conventional batteries used in diverse technologies, from phones […]

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We Asked: How is Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity Unfolding in Hungary? (an Interview with Soma Ábrahám Kiss and Bernáth Lackó)

Most political parties and other actors of the political landscape, significant or niche, openly support the Israeli narrative and there are barely any public figures that condemn the oppression of anti-war protests and opinions in public statements, unless they are asked directly to do so.  On Hungary’s political palette, it is mainly the small and marginal leftist organisations that support peace or the Palestinian people.

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ELMO Interviews

We Asked: How is the Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity Unfolding in Croatia?

Since the launch of Hamas’ Operation Floods of Aqsa and Israel’s bombardment of besieged Gaza, Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists in Europe have been facing unprecedented censorship, policing, harassment, arrests, gag orders, and threats. In compiling several reports from leftist activists in various locations in Europe, we aim to alert our activist communities across our region […]

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We Asked

We asked: How is the Suppression of Palestinian Solidarity Unfolding in Czechia?

Since the launch of Hamas’ Operation Floods of Aqsa and Israel’s bombardment of besieged Gaza, Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists in Europe have been facing unprecedented censorship, policing, harassment, arrests, gag orders, and threats. In compiling several reports from leftist activists in various locations in Europe, we aim to alert our activist communities across our region […]

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“An absolute deluge of repression”: The criminalization of dissent in Israel today

Tibor T. Meszmann interviews Matan Kaminer Can you describe what is going on, what are the positions and challenges for the Israeli left after October 7th, after the circles of violence intensified in both Israel and in the Occupied Territories?  Whenever talking about the “Israeli left,” it’s important to begin by clarifying what is meant. […]

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The Life Uprising in Iran, Imperialism, and International Solidarity

During her visit to Tehran with her family on September 13, Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, a 22-year-old from Kurdistan province, was arrested at the central metro station by the infamous “morality police” for ‘bad hijab’(wearing her headscarf slightly looser around her neck and head.) In a statement issued two days after her arrest, Tehran police said she suffered […]

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“No to NATO, Yes to Peace!” – Finnish Protesters March Against Western Imperialism and Putin’s war in Ukraine

The following report back from Finland by Kyle Bailey looks at a nascent protest movement against the sudden shift in Finnish public opinion when it comes to NATO membership. The Russian military’s recent aggression against Ukraine has effectively upended a key mainstay of Finland’s post-WWII diplomacy, which was built around official neutrality. In the space of a few months, this consensus has been shattered and a new consensus seems to be emerging instead around accelerated NATO membership. This short piece gives insight into the narrowing space of public debate in Finland on these issues, and highlights how a small coalition of progressive groups are attempting to challenge the militarization such a decision is surely to bring in its wake.

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The Anti-Capitalist Basis and Potential of the Slogan: “We Want Social Housing, Not Militarization”

Note from LeftEast editors: This article originally appeared in Romanian in The Political Art Gazette and we publish it as part of the collaboration in the ELMO – Eastern European Left Media Outlet network. On March 8th, 2022, responding to the invitation of Meduza Kolektiv and Rhythms of Resistance Cluj, the radical housing justice movement […]

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To whom does the smart city belong, if…?

Note from LeftEast editors: We are publishing the press release of the Romanian Social Housing NOW! (Căşi sociale ACUM!) radical housing justice movement based in Cluj-Napoca. They organized a hybrid, online and physical, action day on 17th December, commemorating the eviction of 350 Roma people that happened on the same day 11 years ago. The […]

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#ЗаЧтоСидитМедведев: Why Was the Russian Poet and Leftist Kirill Medvedev Arrested?

Today is day five of the 10-day sentence Kirill Medvedev, along with Moscow-based urban activists Anastasia Borisyuk and Fyodor Neronov received for “resistance to the lawful demands of police officers.” A week ago, together with a number of concerned citizens, they were inspecting the construction of a premium-class apart-hotel on the historical Sretenka Street, where […]