Press statement by John Wight of the SSP about the great US democracy.

The days of war-planners meeting in Munich, going largely unnoticed by the general public, are a thing of the past. Meanwhile they have to barricade themselves behind a mass of police units because in the last few years thousands of people have confronted the military's generals, the war ministers and the arms lobbyists/dealers with their resistance. There are reasons enough for this. The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) celebrate in their 50th year of existence as a globally active "peace-keeping" force and increase their participation in the "war on terrorism" not only in Afghanistan. The USA and Great Britain and their occupying regime in Iraq have created a system that in reality offers the Iraqi people only terror and a fight for survival. The rulers in the EU continue to aspire to the formation of a European military force despite the failure to implement a Europe-wide constitution: The supposed protection from terrorist attacks serves as a convenient springboard for racist exclusion tactics, repression and deprivation of human, civil and international rights. For these reasons the exponents of such policies are getting together in Munich’s Hotel Bayerischer Hof from 3rd to 5th February 2006. Let’s prepare a suitable reception for them

U.K and REGIONAL FORUMS and NEWSWIRES

A call out to protest against G8 summit of 2006 in St. Petersburg, Russia

* A member of the group promoting the Alternative Social Forum explains why the World Social Forum (WSF), taking place in Caracas during January 2006, is another attempt by the Chavez government to impede the autonomous development of social struggles in the country.

The National Security Agency (NSA), on the orders of the Bush administration, eavesdropped on the private conversations and e-mail of its own employees, employees of other U.S. intelligence agencies -- including the CIA and DIA -- and their contacts in the media, Congress, and oversight agencies and offices.

New 2005 Retrospective “I Miss You� run time 3:05

In the last three days the Mapuche Community ‘Juan Paillalef’ was confronted with harsh police violence. The confrontations started during a peaceful act of protest by the Mapuche Community against illegal road constructions through several Mapuche lands. The police chased away the protesting group and entered the community using guns, teargas and clubs. The following day Juana Calfunao and her sister were arrested without a warrant. When released yesterday, both women showed bad injuries from being beaten by the police.

The following statement was issued, by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) executive committee, on 24 November 2005 with regard to the on-going protests against the dawn raids aimed at refugees in Scotland. Bear in mind when reading it, that this is the only union in Britain which has an absolute majority of socialists - mostly members of the SP and SWP - on its executive committee

MTST Manifest: Hungry at Christmas, pro popular housing!