Supporters of a socialist Catalan republic to address mass rallies in London

A Socialist Party press release

The events that have shaken Catalonia and the Spanish state have national and international implications.

These events, including Rajoy's decision to implement article 155 and suspend autonomy are being watched and discussed by millions the world over, especially those young people who are already seeking an alternative to repressive governments and austerity.

Socialism 2017 on 11&12 November will be attended by over a thousand students, trade unionists, Corbynistas, socialists and those who are socialist-curious, and the presence of socialists from the Spanish state to speak about the situation in Catalonia is a big attraction.

In July an organisation called Izquierda Revolucionaria which is based in the Spanish state, Venezuela and Mexico unified with the Socialist Party and the world organisation to which we're affiliated, the Committee for a Workers' International. It is from this organisation that IR general secretary Juan Ignacio Ramos comes.

Juan Ignacio will be joined in London by Coral Latorre who is the general secretary of the influential Sindicat d'Estudiants (SE - Student Union in Catalonia). The SE has called a student general strike for 25 and 26 October.

The editorial of the latest issue of the Socialist is on Catalonia.

Socialism 2017:

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November

Institute of Education, Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL

www.socialism2017.net

Juan Ignacio will be a speaker at the event's centrepiece rally on the Saturday evening, alongside the most prominent elected socialist in the US Kshama Sawant, Socialist Party general secretary Peter Taaffe, and others. This will take place at 6.30-8.30pm
Coral will speak at the closing rally on Sunday, 3-4.30pm, alongside Irish socialist TD (MP) Paul Murphy, Socialist Party deputy general secretary Hannah sell, and others.

Workshops and debates at Socialism 2017 include debates and discussion on:

How can the struggle for a socialist Catalan republic win? With Juan Ignacio introducing the discussion
Lessons from the victory of the Student Union against the Spanish government - with Coral
Debate: can the EU be reformed in the interests of the working class?

The two key themes of Socialism 2017 are:

How can we make Corbyn's policies real now?
Lessons of 1917 for our struggles to change society today

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The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

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