Headlines at the World Socialist Web Site today:
1. Ukrainian President Zelensky pledges elections, quickly backtracks
The fight for democracy and to end the war in Ukraine is inseparable from the struggle to mobilize the working class in Ukraine and internationally against capitalism.2. French politics lurches right after the death of a fascist
The death of a fascist near an event organised by France Unbowed (La France Insoumise, LFI) has triggered a right-wing rampage in France.
3. Germany: 6 years since the racist murders in Hanau
Six years after the racist murder attack in Hanau, thousands took to the streets again on February 19 to commemorate the victims. A tenth victim has recently succumbed to his injuries.
The deal was finalized as 31,000 Kaiser workers are on strike across California and Hawaii, underscoring the political significance of their struggle.
5. Will Lehman backs plant occupations by Mexican auto parts workers against mass layoffs
The Mack Trucks worker and candidate for United Auto Workers president has issued a statement supporting the Mexican auto parts workers fighting mass layoffs by US-based corporation.
6. US forces in position for illegal attack on Iran
The United States has positioned its naval and air forces for a massive assault on Iran in the largest military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
7. Billionaires and corporate lawyers resign following latest Epstein file release
Billionaires, CEOs and corporate attorneys have stepped down after newly released Justice Department files exposed their ties to Epstein. Despite mounting evidence, no new indictments have been issued.
8. World Socialist Revolution is the answer to imperialist war and fascism
David North delivered lectures online at the invitation of Social Democracy clubs at Bilkent University and Middle East Technical University, both located in Ankara, Turkey. The lectures were delivered on February 17 and 19.
9. “The worst of the worst”: ICE detains Chilean death squad killer
The Trump administration claims ad nauseam that ICE’s anti-immigrant dragnet is targeting the “worst of the worst.” Whether by chance or design, the detention of Armando Fernández Larios fits the bill.
10. More than 100 film artists condemn Berlinale’s censorship of opposition to Israel’s Gaza genocide
The open letter quotes Chinese artist Ai Weiwei who described what was taking place in Germany as “doing what they did in the 1930s.”
11. Labor government moves to bar entry to Australian women and children interned in Syria
The Albanese government’s actions, echoing the anti-immigrant poison of One Nation, flout warnings of widespread human rights abuses in Syrian internment camps.
12. Job cuts and restructuring continue at Australian universities, facilitated by the trade unions
Union deals and enterprise agreements are enabling the Albanese Labor government’s pro-corporate and pro-military restructuring of universities.
13. The global company Veolia at the heart of NZ’s wastewater disaster
Active across 56 countries, Veolia epitomises the subordination of vital resources and public services to the profit interests of finance capital, imposing the costs onto the working class.
14. Washington D.C. declares public emergency after Potomac sewer collapse
The District’s Potomac sewage emergency stems from long‑neglected infrastructure which will be addressed through prolonged repairs and higher rates on the population and devastated health and livelihoods for River residents.
The artist was not criticized for her works, but for several pro-Palestinian posts on Instagram criticizing the Israeli government, including a call to boycott Israel.
16. Former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested in Epstein investigation
Police arrested Andrew on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office, believed to relate to emails released by the US Department of Justice showing him sharing information with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
17. Trade unions, Catalan regional government work to suppress teachers’ anger after mass strike
Across Catalonia, the number of demonstrators exceeded 100,000. The total number of teachers in the region is around 90,000, indicating that substantial numbers of students and other Catalan workers supported the teachers.
18. Jeremy Corbyn: Britain’s anti-socialist witch-hunter
Having been deprived of Labour’s century-old apparatus for expelling socialists and repressing the party membership, Corbyn and his allies are endeavouring to create a new one.
19. Workers Struggles: Africa, Europe & Middle Easte
Africa
Kenya:
Nigeria:
Europe
Belgium:
Firefighters hold strike and demonstration in Brussels against cuts
France:
Teachers in the Paris region walk out over austerity cuts
France and Italy:
Games software designers at Ubisoft strike against layoffs and for better pay and working conditions
Spain:
Tens of thousands of doctors continue strikes over changes to pay and conditions
United Kingdom:
Structural steel workers in Bolton walk out after zero percent pay offer
Further walkout by microbiology staff at UK hospital over pay banding and workloads
Middle East
Israel:
Strike by port workers over fear of job losses following takeover
20. Free Ukrainian socialist and anti-war activist, Bogdan Syrotiuk!
The fight for the Ukrainian socialist and anti-war activist's freedom is an essential component of the struggle against imperialist war, genocide, dictatorship and fascism.
