Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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A first national gathering for the French gilets jaunes
In the first month alone of yellow vest protests, 3,700 were convicted with 216 jailed — but despite repression, the movement is growing. BENOIT MARTIN reports on the assembly of assemblies — the ‘political wing’ of the protests
Protesters call for a general strike and a referendum on French EU membership
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
THE movement of the gilets jaunes in France continues to grow despite President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to “appease the situation” and his backing for the most drastic repression.
New regulations against protests have been introduced. They punish demonstrators who fail to give advance notice of their protests and make organisers responsible for any damages that may ensue.
Preventive arrests, confiscation of protective masks against tear gas, and the beating and maiming of demonstrators are routine.
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DENNIS BROE gives an update on the last week of anti-austerity protests against the Macron regime, which has seen the supposedly more right-leaning Gilets Jaunes join with the unions and the left
The desperate French president keeps running up the same political cul-de-sac. DENNIS BROE offers an explanation