Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
No ceasefire, no vote
In light of the mass movement in solidarity with Gaza, there is a simple metric to assess whether a Labour candidate deserves your support on July 4, explains ANDREW MURRAY
Campaigners and charities including Show Israel the Red Card and Scottish Friends of Palestine hold a protest ahead of the Scotland Women v Israel Women Euro 2025 qualifying fixture at Hampden Park in Glasgow, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, May 31, 2024
After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
The June 2025 attacks on Iran have heightened the risk of a wider war, exposed the fiction of a rules-based international order and left ordinary Iranians trapped between external aggression and internal repression, says the Committee for Defence of Iranian People’s Rights
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
A WWI hero, renowned ornithologist, medical doctor, trade union organiser and founder member of the Communist Party of Great Britain all rolled in one. MAT COWARD tells the story of a life so improbable it was once dismissed as fiction
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
“NO ceasefire, no vote” has been probably the most powerful slogan to emerge from the mass movement of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
That movement is itself the most important factor in progressive British politics today. Its significance may come to outweigh any likely outcome of the general election.
Its main fighting slogan expresses the connection between the mass opposition to Israeli genocide and the role of British politicians in enabling it. It seeks to hold the imperialist Establishment to account.
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In the run-up to the Communist Party congress in November ROB GRIFFITHS outlines a few ideas regarding its participation in the elections of May 2026
Building opposition into a political campaign
