By: Casey G.

[Editor’s Note: The final session of the Political Education Committee’s fall Organizing 101 series, “Always Be Organizing,” will be in Dearborn at 6:30 Thursday, November 20, followed by a social hour. You don’t need to have attended the first three sessions to attend the last! RSVP here.]

I’ve paid my $5 a month to DSA since about 2020, attending one General Meeting but always ending up finding one reason or another not to really get involved. After moving to Detroit this summer, I pulled up the Detroit DSA Events page and told myself it was time to stop sitting on the sidelines. I’d spent years agreeing with the principles, nodding along online, but I wanted to actually meet people and be part of the work.

Organizing 101 felt like a good first step — a way to connect what I believe with what I do.

At its heart, Organizing 101, based on the Labor Notes book Secrets of a Successful Organizer, is about connection. The series introduced the foundations of union organizing — how to move from appreciating the idea of a union to the practical, everyday skills we need to bring people together and build solidarity in our workplaces. Before Zoom calls and printing stickers, organizing begins with talking to your coworkers.

Session One, Beating Apathy, focused on moving from frustration to collaboration. How do you go from venting about work to building real momentum and solutions with your colleagues? We practiced early organizing conversations — asking good questions to uncover issues, and helping coworkers move from “this is just the way things are” to realizing they have permission to feel frustrated, to dream, and to hope for (and potentially help build) a better workplace.

The basics of being a good listener don’t change, but it’s always useful to have a refresher. The handout taught me our brains process thoughts four times faster than spoken speech, making it easy to fill in the gaps in someone’s story with our own assumptions. We practiced role-playing exercises to make sure we were slowing down enough to focus on what was really being said, and how to show you hear what someone’s saying.

Our leaders also walked us through the organizer’s bullseye — from the core group (the folks thinking about organizing even on their days off), to activists and then supporters, and how to identify the disengaged or those hostile to the campaign. It was helpful to visualize where different people might fall, and how to meet each of them where they are.

Session Two, Organizing Your Leadership Team, built on that foundation with a hands-on exercise. We were given quotes from conversations with five hotel employees and asked to identify which one might be a natural leader. There was a bit of logic and deduction involved — who did coworkers mention most often? Who already had everyone’s phone numbers? From there, we began to think about the logistics of our own workplaces: Who spends time together outside of work? How many departments and shifts are there?

Then we talked with those around us about examples in our own workplaces of times we might need to move fast and mobilize. Participants were open and vulnerable, sharing experiences from their workplaces and giving examples of grievances and goals.

In a small workplace, maybe you could reach everyone yourself — but it’s not exactly in the spirit of solidarity to carry that alone. True organizing means identifying and empowering others to lead alongside you, creating a network strong enough to mobilize everyone.

Session Three, Turning an Issue into a Campaign, featured Michigan State Representative Dylan Wegela, who shared lessons from his time organizing a statewide strike with teachers in Arizona. Moving from identifying issues, we then identified targets for the campaign (people who had the ability to change these things) and potential strategies. The strategy ideas were then put on a thermometer ranging from a relatively calm and cool idea like wearing red shirts on a Wednesday (the starting point for the Arizona campaign), to piping hot like a strike, or, in my favorite new phrase from the workshop, “Teacher January 6” (that one might have broken the thermometer).

My favorite part was an exercise where we were given five common workplace grievances he found with the teachers in Arizona, and participants brainstormed possible demands to address them. Afterward, we compared our ideas to the actual demands the teachers made in their campaign — out of the six demands the group had come up with, we’d accurately guessed half of them, most of which were solidified in the contract later.

Dylan’s reflections were honest and grounding — some campaigns succeed, and many don’t. It was inspiring to hear both his victories and his honesty. Not every campaign wins, but every one builds skills, connection, and courage — and that, too, is a victory.

Organizing 101: Jump-Starting Action Through Education was originally published in The Detroit Socialist on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Events & Actions

Events with a are especially new-member-friendly!

Tuesday, November 18 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM): ICE out of SF courts! (In person at 100 Montgomery St)

Tuesday, November 18 (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM): Keep Market Street Car Free Petition Delivery + Public Comment (In person at San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl)

Tuesday, November 18 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM): Ecosocialist Bi-Weekly Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Wednesday, November 19 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM): What Is DSA?  (In person at Senator Milton Marks Branch Library, Richmond District, 351 9th Ave)

Wednesday, November 19 (6:45 PM – 8:30 PM): Tenant Organizing Working Group Meeting (Zoom and in person at 438 Haight St)

Wednesday, November 19 (7:30 PM – 9:00 PM): Richmond District Social (In person at Lost Marbles Brewery, 823 Clement St)

Thursday, November 20 (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM): Education Board Open Meeting (Zoom)

Thursday, November 20 (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM):   DSA from NY to SF: Our Time 2 Win! (In person at 2868 Mission St)

Thursday, November 20 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Immigrant Justice Court Action Orientation (In person at 1916 McAllister St)

Friday, November 21 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM): ICE out of SF courts! (In person at 100 Montgomery St)

Friday, November 21 (7:00 PM – 9:00 PM): Labor Movie Night: Finally Got the News (In person at 1916 McAllister St)

Saturday, November 22 (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM): Physical Education + Self Defense Training (In person at William McKinley Monument, Panhandle)

Saturday, November 22 (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM): RV Outreach Event with the Coalition on Homelessness (Garfield Square Park & Recreation Center, 3100 26th St)

Saturday, November 22 (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM): What It Takes to Win: Power Mapping Session (In person at 1916 McAllister St)

Sunday, November 23 (11:00 AM – 12:00 PM): Public Bank Lit Drop (Meet at McCoppin Square Park, 1200 Taraval St)

Sunday, November 23 (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM): No Appetite for Apartheid Consumer Pledge Canvass (Meet at Clement & Arguello St)

Sunday, November 23 (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM): SF Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Flyering (Meet at Nopa, 560 Divisadero St)

Sunday, November 23 (1:00 PM – 2:30 PM): What Is DSA? (In person at 1916 McAllister St)

Sunday, November 23 (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Capital Reading Group (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Monday, November 24 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Tenderloin Healing Circle (In person at Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)

Monday, November 24 (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM): Homelessness Working Group Regular Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Sunday, November 30 (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM): Growing Community: DSA Goes to Hummingbird Farm (In person at Hummingbird Farm, 1645 Geneva Ave)

Monday, December 1 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Labor Board x SF Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Local Meeting (Zoom and in person 1916 McAllister St)

Check out https://dsasf.org/events for more events and updates.

ICE Out of SF Courts!

Join neighbors, activists, grassroots organizations in resisting ICE abductions happening at immigration court hearings! ICE is taking anyone indiscriminately in order to meet their daily quotas. Many of those taken include people with no removal proceedings.

We’ll be meeting every Tuesday and Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at Immigration Court at 100 Montgomery. We need all hands on deck. The 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM window is when we most need to boost turnout, but if you can’t make that please come whenever works for you. 1 or 2 hours or the entire time! We’re also holding orientation sessions for folks, but that is not required to attend. See the Immigrant Justice Court Action Orientation event for more details.

Keep Market Street Moving

Today, November 18! DSA SF is joining the Keep Market Street Moving campaign for two actions at City Hall where we’re supporting the Citizens Advisory Committee’s call to close the loophole that allows Waymo and other TNCs on car-free Market Street between Steuart and 10th. Join us for  a rally and petition delivery at 12:00 PM and public comment shortly around 1:00 PM. RSVP here.

Ask: RDU Picnic!

Show some solidarity for the members of Rideshare Drivers United, come to our picnic today, November 18th from 12:00-3:00 PM at Bayside Park (1125 Airport Rd, Burlingame)!

DSA From NY to SF: Our Time to Win

New York City didn’t elect Zohran Mamdani overnight. NYC DSA spent years building coalitions, training members, and forging a socialist path in NY’s halls of power.

But DSA SF is no stranger to this work. Join us on Thursday, Nov 20 for DSA From NY to SF: Our Time to Win. You’ll get a crash course on how electoral politics work in SF and how socialists can tap in. We’ll be joined by two DSA members: D9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder and former D5 Supervisor Dean Preston!

Let’s keep building the movement that can win our own Zohran-scale victories.

Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts (2868 Mission St)
Thursday, November 20, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
RSVP

Labor Movie Night: Finally Got the News

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? On Friday, November 21 at 7:00 PM at 1916 McAllister St, DSA SF’s Labor Board is showing FINALLY GOT THE NEWS, a documentary on the League of Revolutionary Black Workers working in the auto factories of Detroit. Through interviews with the members of the movement and footage shot in the auto plants, the film documents their efforts to build an independent black labor organization that, unlike the UAW, will respond to worker’s problems, such as the assembly line speed-up and inadequate wages faced by both black and white workers in the industry. Join us for a screening and discussion about how we can learn from the revolutionary workers who came before us!
RSVP here!

Apartheid-Free Bay Area Consumer Pledge Canvassing

Our next consumer pledge canvass will be on Sunday, November 23 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Clement Street Farmers Market! We’ll meet at Clement and Arguello (by Breck’s). Let’s have a strong close for 2025 and build support for an apartheid-free SF!
RSVP here.

SF Public Bank Coalition Lit Drop

Please join DSA SF’s Ecosocialist Working Group and the SF Public Bank Coalition in a lit drop event this Sunday, November 23 at 11:00 AM in McCoppin Square Park. We’re spreading the word about the opportunity for an upcoming public bank in San Francisco, which would be the first for any city in the US. Training, coffee, and snacks will be provided! RSVP here.

DSA SF Goes to Hummingbird Farm

Come touch grass with Socialists on Sunday, November 30 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Hummingbird Farm in SF!

We will be working with the farm’s staff to learn about their approach to eco justice, urban agriculture, and community organizing. This will be a great opportunity for newcomers and veterans alike to come meet their comrades, get a little exercise, and connect themselves with the land.

Come prepared to get your hands dirty! RSVP here. More info on Hummingbird Farm is available on their website.

Join DSA SF in Demanding Equitable Transit Funding

In response to Mayor Lurie’s office considering a parcel tax to address the Muni funding crisis, we joined Muni Now, Muni Forever, a coalition of community advocates and organizations, in demanding that the measure:

• Generate enough revenue to expand Muni service by 10%
• Be structured fairly, with a variable rate so smaller properties pay less and larger properties pay more
• Protect tenants from additional costs
• Scale with inflation and rising costs to prevent a similar crisis in a few years

Read the full letter here.
Make your voice heard by joining us in these demands: muniforever.org/speak-up

Behind the Scenes

The Chapter Coordination Committee (CCC) regularly rotates duties among chapter members. This allows us to train new members in key duties that help keep the chapter running like organizing chapter meetings, keeping records updated, office cleanup, updating the DSA SF website and publishing the weekly newsletter. Members can view current CCC rotations.

Interested in helping with the newsletter or other day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running? Fill out the CCC help form.

Robert Blatchford (1851 – 1943) was an English socialist and editor of The Clarion, which sprang up a number of socialist cultural organizations including the National Clarion Cycling Club, hiking clubs, and theater groups.

In Merrie England, first published in The Clarion, Blatchford writes to the “practical working man,” John Smith of Oldham, making the case for socialism. The book is written in an accessible and humorous style. It was said that “for every convert made by ‘Das Kapital,’ there were a hundred made by ‘Merrie England.’”

While several passages are dated and Blatchford’s solutions are sometimes eccentric, Merrie England demonstrates how to argue socialist principles. The follow-ing excerpt, from the chapter ‘Minor Questions,’ responds to common questions posed by critics of socialism. – GLH

1. Under Socialism: What will you do with your loafers?

Before I answer this question allow me to offer a few hints to young Socialists. The opponents of Socialism appear to suppose that if they can suggest any difficulty, however trivial, which may arise in the working of our system, they have disposed of the whole matter. Very many ardent but inexperienced young Socialists fall into the error of trying to prove that Socialism and Heaven are the same thing.

Both sides should remember that Socialism is not offered as a perfect system of life, but only as very great improvement upon the system under which we now live.

The question, then, is not whether Socialism is the best thing man can conceive, but whether Socialism is better than our present method of life.

Therefore, when a critic asks a young Socialist whether a certain evil will exist under Socialism, let the Socialist immediately ask his critic whether the same evil exists now.

So in the case of the loafer. Many over-confident, but not very profound, critics, demand triumphantly, “What will you do with your loafers?”

To them I say, “What do you do with your loafers?”

The word loafer, I take it, means one who loafs or sponges upon the earnings of other people.

A loafer, then, may be an idle tramp without a shirt to his back, or he may be an idle peer with a rent-roll of half a million a year.

It is stated in one of the Fabian tracts — “Facts for Socialists” — that there are something like a million of adult males in receipt of large incomes who never do any kind of work at all.

Under Socialism these men might continue idle; but they would certainly not continue rich, nor would they continue to be known as “gentlemen.”

But besides the millions of well-paid and well-fed loafers who are at present supported upon the earnings of the poor, there are now in this country immense numbers of paupers, beggars, tramps, and criminals, as well as a large army of unemployed workers.

Now before I tell you what would be done with all these people under Socialism, I must tell you what is done with them now.

Do you suppose that society does not support these loafers? But they live; and what do they live on?

All wealth is won by labour, is it not? Then all the tramps, thieves, paupers, and beggars live upon poor-rates, plunder, alms, or prison allowances, and all these means of support are earned by the labour of the working poor.

But under your present system you not only feed and house these loafers, but you go to the expense of masters, matrons, doctors, warders, and police, all of whom have to be fed and paid to wait upon or attend to the loafers.

Next, with regard to the unemployed. These people exist; and they exist in enforced idleness, and at the expense of those who work.

Note one or two facts. These people do nothing for their own support, and many of them, through want and shame, and forced idleness, become criminals or tramps.

This is not only a waste of wealth, and a waste of power, it is also a most wicked and disgraceful waste of human souls.

Now, let us see how things would work out under Socialism. We will divide our loafers into two classes. Those who could work and will not, and those who would work and cannot.

So long as it is possible for a willing worker to be forced into idleness, so long will there exist a reason for the giving of alms.

Why do we relieve a tramp on the road, or a beggar in the street? It is because we are never sure that the man is a loafer; because we always fear that his penury may be due to misfortune, and not to idleness. But under Socialism this doubt would disappear. Under Socialism there would be work for all. Therefore, under Socialism every man who was able to work would be able to live. This fact being universally known, no able-bodied man could exist without work. A beggar or a tramp would be inevitably a loafer, and not a hand would be held out to help him.

The answer to the able-bodied beggar would be “If you are hungry go and work.” If the man refused to work he must starve.

The answer, then, to the question of what Socialists would do with the loafers is, that under Socialism we should oblige the loafer to work or perish; whereas, under present conditions, we either make him into a “gentleman” or a pauper, or a beggar, or a thief; in any one of which capacities he is allowed to live in idleness upon the labour of other men.

Tell me, is it not true of Merrie England to-day that the idlest are the richest, and the most industrious the poorest amongst the people? Well, I want you to remind your critics of these things when they ask you what Socialists will do with their loafers.

Let us take another question.

The post Merrie England (1894) first appeared on Rochester Red Star.

More chapter reports from the fall of 2025, this time focusing on electoral campaigns and more!

The post Fall 2025 Chapter Reports: Electoral Campaigns and More appeared first on Democratic Left.

Detroit DSA Turns Out for Starbucks Strikers — And So Do Customers

By: Kristin Daniel

[Editors’ note: Kristin was part of Detroit DSA’s solidarity action Saturday, November 15, along with dozens of other DSA chapters across the country, to support Starbucks strikers. We leafleted five nonunion stores in metro Detroit to inform both baristas and customers about the workers’ strike for a union contract with decent pay and working conditions. Stay tuned to the Labor Working Group to find out about future actions next weekend.]

Standing on Woodward Avenue, trying to hold a poster that read “Solidarity with Starbucks Workers” in just the right way so the wind wouldn’t take it out of my hand, I smiled and waved along with my comrade, KC, as the first car turned in. As the car started to get into the line for the drive-through, the driver stopped and rolled her window down and asked what was going on.

“There’s a strike happening!” I answered, as KC stepped forward, handing the woman a small flier. We explained that Starbucks stores across the country were striking for a better contract, and that we were asking people to consider getting their coffee elsewhere for the duration of the strike.

“Hell yeah. I can absolutely go somewhere else today,” the woman responded, looking up from the flier. She exited the drive-through line, drove around the building, and honked and cheered as she turned back into the main road.

Although not every interaction for the rest of the day was as positive as the first, the community responded resoundingly positively. Some people in the drive-through line refused to roll their windows down, and others walking into the store took longer paths around the parking lot to avoid walking by us, but a truly surprising number of people were interested in hearing about the union.

Although many of the people that we spoke to had already paid for a mobile order and did not want to go through the process of cancelling, they enthusiastically said that they would not come back until after the strike was over. Those that had yet to put in an order were excited to chat through options for local coffee shops nearby after hearing about the strike.

In general, people seemed curious and willing to engage. Many had not heard about the strike and wanted to hear about the demands of the workers. One woman we spoke to told us that she was part of a union, and that her union had just won a new contract, so she was happy to help others do the same.

Cars driving by honked and waved when they saw us standing outside the shop. Over a dozen people decided to go somewhere else for the day, and even more pledged not to come back. We ran out of fliers in about an hour, and I headed home feeling more connected to my community, hopeful about the future, and confident that Starbucks workers would get the contract that they deserved.

In the past few years, labor unions have reached a level of popular support that they hadn’t seen since the 1960s, but many people still have a stereotypical view of labor unions as being only possible for certain types of jobs. As fewer Americans are employed in things like manufacturing, the image of what a union job can be also needs to change. The current strike action by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) is not only an opportunity for workers to fight for their own dignity and a fair contract, but also a great opportunity to demonstrate to a receptive public that workers in different sectors can successfully organize and improve their material conditions.

If my experience is any indication, many people that are headed to Starbucks are people that would have little opportunity to engage with the labor movement otherwise. Many people simply didn’t know that Starbucks workers had a union, much less that Starbucks Workers United was on strike. By standing in solidarity with SBWU during this strike, socialists can engage more working class Americans who are already sympathetic and help convert popular support to tangible wins.

As someone who is newer to the chapter, getting involved was very easy. Simply join the Labor Working Group Slack to get updates from the DSA Starbucks solidarity committee and find an action that you are able to attend. As noted, the community has been largely receptive, so don’t be scared to come out and speak with your neighbors about how they can help!

To support Starbucks workers, commit to boycotting Starbucks for the duration of the strike by signing their No Contract, No Coffee pledge, or donate to the strike fund.

Detroit DSA Turns Out for Starbucks Strikers — And So Do Customers was originally published in The Detroit Socialist on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Español

Este fin de semana, la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza, fuerza policiaca personal de Trump, empezará a ocupar nuestra ciudad y secuestrar a nuestros vecinos para terrorizar a la comunidad inmigrante e intimidarnos a quienes nos oponemos. Charlotte Metro DSA condena esta invasión. Nos mantenemos en solidaridad con la clase trabajadora de todas las naciones . Lucharemos contra esta invasión con toda la gente de consciencia.

Estos ataques son parte de una historia larga del estado fomentando la división entre personas de la clase trabajadora para debilitar y amenazar a nuestras comunidades con agentes armados cuando parecemos demasiado fuertes.

Previamente en este año, iniciamos nuestra campaña para boicotear a Avelo. La aerolínea Avelo es una aerolínea de bajo costo que está bajo contrato con ICE para llevar a cabo vuelos de deportaciones. Estamos pidiendo a la gente que participe en el boicot para generar presión a la empresa y la Ciudad de Concord, ciudad de donde despegan los vuelos, para que cesen el contrato. Con este fin llevaremos a cabo una protesta el día 29 alrededor del aeropuerto Concord-Padgett, les invitamos a que se nos unan.

Otros grupos de la comunidad están trabajando activamente para luchar contra este fenómeno.

Por favor revisen y utilicen la red de migrantes de las Carolinas y su línea directa para reportar secuestros (704) 740-7737

Y también visiten Siembra NC para obtener detalles sobre el entrenamiento en vigilancia de ICE el 17 de noviembre.

Nuestro objetivo es organizar y unir a la ciudad para resistir estos secuestros. Por favor acérquese a nosotros para colaborar o involucrarse.

En Solidaridad,

El Comité Directivo de Charlotte Metro DSA

English

Today, Customs & Border Patrol, Trump’s personal police force, will begin occupying our city and abducting our neighbors to terrorize the immigrant community and cow domestic opposition. Charlotte Metro DSA condemns this invasion. We stand in solidarity with the working class of all nations. We will fight this invasion with all people of conscience.

These attacks are a part of the long history of capital & its state fomenting divisions among the working class to keep us weak and siccing armed agents on us and our communities when we appear too strong.

Earlier this year we began our Boycott Avelo campaign. Avelo airlines is a budget airline that has a contract with ICE for deportation flights. We are asking people to boycott the company and help us put pressure on the company and the City of Concord where they fly out of to get them to drop the contract. To that end, we’ll be having a protest on the 29th by the Concord-Padgett airport. We invite you to join us.

Other groups in the community have also been actively fighting back. Please check out the Carolina Migrant Network and use their hotline to report abductions: (704) 740-7737. 

See Siembra NC for details about their upcoming ICE Watch trainings.

We aim to organize and unite the city to resist these abductions. Please reach out to collaborate or get involved. 

In Solidarity,

The Charlotte Metro DSA Steering Committee

by Gregory Lebens-Higgins

The following remarks were made at the No Reawaken America Tour (“RAT”) Teach-In, held August 13, 2022 at Austin Park in Batavia, NY. The RAT was a christian nationalist propaganda tour featuring Michael Flynn, Eric Trump, and other reactionaries and conspiracists. After public pressure from groups like ROC DSA, the event moved from Rochester to the Cornerstone Church in Batavia, where it was met by the continued resistance of the newly-formed Genesee County DSA and allies.

These were my first public remarks as a socialist (a “coming out,” if you will)—acting upon my beliefs as part of an organized mass working-class movement. It was an empowering experience, and one that we try to recreate for others in the pages of Rochester Red Star. Although much has changed over the intervening three years, the themes expressed here continue to ring true. A recording of these remarks is available here: bit.ly/norat-wny. 

My name is Greg. I’m here as an organizer with the Genesee County DSA. Thank you for being here this afternoon. For showing that Western New York stands together in opposing the entrenchment of fascist ideology. We cannot stay silent.

This teach-in is not just about the Reawaken America Tour taking place today. It is about solidifying a movement of the people, all people. Not just white, heterosexual, so-called “Christian patriots.”

We, as socialists, believe that if people’s needs are met, if they are provided the conditions to live a dignified life, if they do not feel alienated, and voiceless, that fascism will not gain ground.

I joined DSA in the spring of 2020. At that time COVID was beginning to run rampant through society. Our government’s response was weak and late. Our healthcare system—shaped by years of profit-motivated care—was unprepared for the crisis. People were faced with the choice between not paying their bills or putting their lives at risk. Essential workers were forced onto the front lines but remained at the bottom of the class structure. And those with small businesses, forced to shutter their doors, confronted the possibility of being pressed into precarity.

We must recognize that people have legitimate concerns regarding their material conditions. There is a link between our failing healthcare system and COVID denialism. We must also acknowledge people’s feelings of isolation.

We live in a society that doesn’t seem to value life. That witnessed over a million deaths from COVID while our leaders called for a return to business as usual. Where two million people exist as exiles behind the bars of our jails and prisons. Where twelve million children live in food insecure households. And where regular shooting deaths have been metabolized.

These problems are overwhelming. It is easy to drift into nihilism and indifference. To construct elaborate fantasies about the “demonic forces” tearing apart the fabric of our society. Those speaking at the Reawaken America Tour hope to play on these fears. To exploit the hopelessness that people are feeling.

But what the Reawaken America Tour offers as a solution is the scapegoating of minorities, and an increasingly authoritarian society. These beliefs can only result in a dangerous logic of elimination.

As socialists, we offer an alternative vision, with the needs of all people at its center. I know you are all here today because you care. Because you believe that if we work together, we can change the circumstances that have led to those outcomes that I have just described.

Genesee County DSA is a relatively new organization. We first met at the beginning of April. But that meeting, with higher attendance than any of us could have anticipated, showed each of us that we are not alone in confronting these issues.

Since the Reawaken America Tour settled its sights on Batavia, we have discovered even more allies. The amplification of our opposition to fascism, our protests against this event over the preceding weeks, and today’s teach-in, all happened because we could count on one another.

THIS is what democracy looks like. With our collective voice, we shall overcome. We must do more than vote every two years. We must continue to find our strength in one another, and build networks to create real change. Change that will deny the hateful ideology of fascism room to fester.

SOLIDARITY FOREVER!

The post We Cannot Stay Silent. first appeared on Rochester Red Star.

By: Andrew Sebald

This article was originally published in the Call.

On Monday, September 22, 2025, grassroots unions and student organizations throughout Italy successfully organized a general strike in just a few days. The strike coincided with the passage of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The Flotilla constituted a group of boats with activists from all over the world, from Brazil to the United Kingdom and beyond, intending to reach Gaza with aid to break the Israeli government’s blockade. 

The bold actions of Italian grassroots unions pushed overwhelming pressure on the Italian government and other political institutions. The Italian government eventually sent two warships alongside the Flotilla. The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), the biggest confederated labor union in Italy, would join militant organizers in a general strike on October 3rd. The results were staggering – hundreds of thousands flooded the streets.

On Friday, September 26, Bread & Roses member Andrew Sebald interviewed two members of the Italian student movement. Anna is a sociology PhD student and is a member of CAU (Collettivo Autorganizzato Universitario), an organization for militant student organizers with university chapters across the country. Enrico is an undergraduate student in Naples and also a member of CAU. I was joined by two comrades from Brazil’s Party of Socialism and Liberty (PSOL): Victor Gorman, a social work student at the University of Brasilia, an ecosocialist youth organization, and Peter, currently studying abroad. Both are members of PSOL’s MES tendency. 

While this revolutionary moment may have passed, this interview attempts to capture crucial perspectives amid a climactic moment in the global fight for a free Palestine.

Can you describe how mobilization for the general strike started, and all the moments that led up to it?

Anna: So, this big mobilization is the result of the work we’ve done in our universities in the past two years. We organized mobilizations demanding academic boycotts within our university administrations, and around other forms of complicity of our government with Israel. We must fight this especially as Italians, because Italy is presently exporting the third most weapons to Israel, violating international law. We had contacts with the Freedom flotilla (the previous flotilla to attempt to sail to Gaza). We met with Rima Hassan, a Palestinian member of the European Parliament for La France Insoumise (LFI), who is onboard the flotilla. 

Enrico: Continuing off that, I just want to underline the path that we have traversed. Pro Palestine mobilizations in Italy can be divided in three phases. The first one was just after October 7th, when we all struggled to even mention genocide. Mobilizations were mainly humanitarian ones after seeing Israel’s sudden brutality and barbarism. In this phase, we were often asked to condemn Hamas. The pressure by the government and the media made it difficult to share a political analysis of what is happening in  Palestine and on our view of coloniality. Afterward, a second phase launched when we managed to obtain more space in the public discourse to share our position on Palestine. Our counterparts focused more on antisemitism and neutrality in universities, even though they aren’t. Now in our third phase, we see that people of the world are furious. The term “genocide” has been named by the United Nations and is widely acknowledged – not by the European Union yet. 

What are grassroots unions, and how will they organize for the general strike?

Enrico: I am not in USB [Unione Sindacale di base, the main promoter of the general strike of September 22]. However, I want to speak on what led up to the general strike and our strategies. All mass movements are products of objective and subjective factors. The objective factors here encompass the Italian perception of the Palestinian struggle. People are fed up. In Naples, we saw not just militants but also families out in the streets, with almost fifty percent of the mobilization constituted of high school students. There are also subjective elements. By this we mean that there was a militant organization behind this mobilisation. CGIL, the center-, and liberal left wanted us to believe this was just born out of the blue. No, this was organized. Our flyers, occupations, assemblies, etc,. did not collude with institutional powers, and produced a “rupture force”, capable of breaking with the center left. The CGIL called for a strike on the 19th to lure attention away from the 22nd, and it was a total failure. Not every protestor had a USB union card, but we know the CGIL wouldn’t have been able to organize this mobilization.

Anna: We have two types of trade unions: confederate and grassroot ones. The confederate ones, like CGIL, are bigger and linked to what we call the “false opposition” to our government. It’s driven by the center-left Democratic Party, who has not supported our struggles around the Gazan genocide. They did not protest until this June, which is a shame for them. Comparatively, we have grassroot trade unions. USB is one of the main unions mobilizing for the flotilla. Grassroot trade unions have been mobilizing workers for Palestine for two years. USB effectively contacted workers and organized them and played a pivotal role because of its link with dockworkers in Genoa. Genoan dockworkers are organized through CALP (Collettivo Autonomo dei Lavoratori Portuali). Previously, they have mobilized to block weapon shipments from the port of Genoa to Palestine and Yemen. The government punished them for that, but they were ready when the flotilla started. Some of them are on the flotilla now.

Fifty thousand people marched in the city in the past few days. One of the dockworkers went viral saying, “if we lose contact with our boats, with our comrades, even for just twenty minutes, we will block everything.” This simple slogan proved effective, which several organizations throughout Italy used to organize starting from the days before the general strike.

This all started from CALP, which is part of USB. We created national networks in all our active cities, which helped prepare the general strike. We as students worked with USB through Potere Al Popolo (Power to the People), which allowed us to coordinate actions in every step of building the general strike. So for us, if something happens in the flotilla, we will block everything, meaning that we will block universities.

What role did the student movement play in organizing for the general strike, and what was its impact?   

Anna: For a long time, the student movement was at the forefront of the pro-Palestine movement here. We were the first to break the silence in public discourse. For the first year and a half, even saying “genocide” was difficult. When we occupied a university in Spring 2024, we had an interview on national television. The network ultimately censored us because they thought we would say “genocide” on TV. The government and university administration said that we were antisemitic and attacked us. We faced repression and criminalization, but we remained steadfast. We did not retrocede because those were our words. This made these positions more mainstream. We slowly gained more space in the public discourse, growing alongside gradual approval among the rest of the population. Making it possible to speak about genocide, condemn Israel, and the Zionist complicity of our institutions sparked widespread debate and allowed more people to speak freely about Palestine and join our movement.

Enrico: Italy has a different university model versus the US. Things that work in the US may not work in Italy, and vice versa. For example, encampments can work on US campuses, but can’t work in Italy because universities don’t have the space.

So, how were university students able to lead national and international mobilizations? Not because we are young and cool, but because universities are institutions that reflect economic structures in society. Our schools propagandize around competition and militarization. Yet, there is another vital function of the university, which is its ability to put democracy in practice. It’s a center where people in power are forced into discussion. This is how we can overwrite mainstream propaganda.

This general strike was organized under the Giorgia Meloni administration. Earlier, Meloni was quoted saying, “If something that doesn’t exist is recognized on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn’t.” Police also fought protestors in various areas throughout the country. Now, in the wake of this strike, Italy has decided to send a warship to protect the flotilla. So, what struggles have you faced with this administration, and what victories have you gained despite them?

Enrico: The Meloni Government has been the most right-wing government in Italy since Mussolini. Repression has always been an element here. The Italian people remember the 2008 protests against the university reform and the Years of Lead, but more importantly, our organization historically understands how to face these struggles. Repression can be directly proportional to the magnitude of a mobilization. Last year, the Meloni Government approved the DL Sicurezza, a borderline fascist law that hindered our capacity to protest. Members of CAU, Cambiare Rotta and Potere al Popolo!, discovered that five policemen had infiltrated five different student collectives for ten months. They presented themselves as enthusiastic student organizers, but some of their practices made us question whether they were actually policemen. We then discovered everything from open source research. We brought our evidence to the Parliament, but they initially negated the infiltration. We were told that this guy who infiltrated our collective in Naples was there because he liked a girl from our collective, and then we were told that he was there because he was just a student, and didn’t actually engage with the police. But when the other infiltrators were discovered, they were obligated to actually respond. Their response was general, saying it was for prevention, fearing a possible return to the Years of Lead. All of that is bullshit to distract from the fact that these men infiltrated a political party.

Yesterday, we discovered that the Ministry of Antisemitism of Israel proposed a document about the recent Italian mobilizations regarding their risk, who promoted them, their Instagram followers, their likes, etc. Our collective and some of the mobilizations we organized were included in that list. How contradictory is it that a nationalist government like the Italian one permits the intelligence of a foreign country to enter our borders?

Where is the center-left in all of this? All the components of the center left that are in Parliament, condemned the violence that happened in the last days in Milan and other demonstrations across the country, and said little on the underlying massive force that was behind these organizations. Why? Because they know that they cannot bring the same radicalism and people in the streets, and are incapable of bringing forth a force of ruptures with other political forces in Italy. 

I saw videos of drivers who were interviewed while highways were blocked and several of them were in support of the strike and Palestine. It was very moving to see that. What was able to change a majority of the population’s opinion since the start of the genocide?

Anna: We have a far-right government that is implementing policies and new laws to harshly punish political dissent. This process started with previous administrations, but has accelerated under Meloni. Some police violence also happened on the 22nd, but the fact that there were thousands of people in the streets helped limit potential police violence because there were too many of us. They couldn’t stop us. We didn’t fear water cannons or tear gas at train stations, ports, highways, etc. We just were able to outnumber the police.

Repression is a problem and our government has always been in support of Israel. Not just the Prime Minister, but also the Minister of University and Research. When we started encampments last spring, Italian university presidents, the Minister of University and Research and the Minister of the Interior, all met to see how they could repress our protests. Now, this government is shifting in a different direction. Our Prime Minister said we will recognize the State of Palestine, but with certain conditions including dismantling Hamas, freeing all the hostages, etc. I think that there are at least two Italian warships that are going to join the flotilla. It is not to prevent attacks from Israel, but to save Italian citizens on board in case of Israel attacks the flotilla again. So, the action of sending warships was not to prevent attacks, but to react to them. 

In terms of popular support, there has been a significant shift. Since last May or June, popular opinion started swaying more openly pro-Palestinian. I think what’s helped this process was, of course, the constant presence of mobilizations for Palestine, and symbols in public spaces. The Italian media is still pro-Israel, but the atrocities being committed are just too evident to hide them. People see what is happening and understand that Israel responsible. 

What does the general strike do for Gaza and the Palestinian cause, and what does it say about the future of the Italian left?

Enrico: The 22nd was a historic day. It demonstrated that Italy can organize with other European comrades. This brought forth a collective consciousness that intended to disrupt power. Protesters acknowledged that the Sumud flotilla wasn’t just a humanitarian project. If it was, the flotilla would have simply accepted the proposals of Minister Crosetto and Israel to take off to Cyprus and then allow Israel to conduct humanitarian aid into the Strip. Crosetto and Meloni conceded to us because they know that if they at least didn’t send a warship, they would have had more trouble. It is a victory for us. However, Italy will only help the Sumud flotilla in international waters if they are attacked, but they will not attack the Israeli ships. This is the bare minimum. 

Regarding the next steps, USB has already proposed a general strike again, this time without any notice. There will be another big national demonstration on the 4th of October called by local Palestine organizations, and we hope that it will be huge. We are not scared of repression, we are not scared of taking the debate line even further. The Sumud flotilla is only the start.

Anna: What Italy and the West can do for Palestine is to stop the complicity of our institutions at all levels. We need to block the war machine, and we also need to increase pressure on our governments at the local, national, and European level to cease this complicity. Every kind of mobilization that puts our governments in a difficult position contributes to the Palestinian struggle. Meloni said after the 22nd that we were protesting to attack the government. We agree with her on that. Our protest was not just against Israel but it was also against the Italian government and its complicity with Israel. Our protest is also against the complicity of the European Union. Our protest is also against the imperialistic politics of the NATO alliance. The US is using several NATO bases in the south of Italy to surveil the last flotilla missions. 

This strike is showing us how we can do so in practical terms. We can block a port to block a boat carrying weapons to Israel. We can block a railway station to put strong pressure on our institutions. The days following the general strike, people have been blocking railway stations again and are ready to block other critical infrastructures. People are ready to join us. It is our duty to keep this movement alive, and to keep mobilizing in the next days when the whole pro-Palestinian movement is ready to take the streets again. We are ready to keep mobilizing to fight Israel, our governments, and other Western institutions to dismantle their imperialistic and capitalistic policies.

Andrew Sebald, who conducted the interview, is a member of Boston DSA.

The post “People see what is happening”: Italy’s General Strike for Palestine appeared first on Working Mass.