Author Archives: Patri

When a society does not want to see the wound, the best thing is to film the pus. Mathieu Kassovitz, at only 27 years old, did that in 1995: he took a black-and-white camera and went into the heart of the Parisian “banlieues” to give viewers an uncomfortable image, that of a France that did not recognise itself in its own outskirts. The film was not born from an aesthetic whim, but from the outrage over the death of Makomé … Read more

The struggle for decent housing has been a constant feature of Spain’s recent history. From the earliest protests against evictions to the current demonstrations against property speculation, neighbourhood and citizens’ movements have marked key milestones in the fight for this fundamental right. One of the largest mobilisations took place in 1931, when the CNT called a rent strike in Barcelona in response to the mass evictions caused by the 1929 crisis. Around 100,000 families joined the strike for eight months, … Read more

El futuro sobre plano (2004), by the Madrid-based punk rock band Biznaga, is an expression of rage in the face of the severe housing crisis in the Spanish State and a call for social mobilisation. The lyrics reflect the current housing situation in the country: financial speculation by vulture funds, lack of social housing, gentrification, mass tourism, evictions… but they also call for the contestation of the city and for reclaiming the right to inhabit it with dignity. The music … Read more

On 25 April 1974, the Carnation Revolution, led by the Armed Forces Movement (MFA), brought an end to Portugal’s Estado Novo, the longest-running dictatorship in Western Europe. In a non-violent uprising, the population took to the streets to support the military, placing red carnations in the barrels of their rifles. José Afonso’s song “Grândola, Vila Morena” was broadcast on the radio to serve as a signal to the groups that simultaneously seized the various seats of power, and it became … Read more

The Strategy of the Snail (1993) is a Colombian film directed by Sergio Cabrera and written by Humberto Dorado. It is considered by many critics to be the finest film in Colombian cinema, and has won awards at festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival and the Biarritz Latin American Film Festival. Based on a story by Ramón Jimeno, the film tells the story of a community of residents in a building known as La Casa Uribe who face … Read more

Palestinian resistance has been structured since the British Mandate (1920-1948) through adaptive forms of resistance to colonial repression. The Great Arab Revolt (1936-1939) was the first episode of large-scale popular mobilization, organized through a long general strike, local committees, and community networks. Women’s participation was fundamental during this period, both in social organization and in logistics, information transmission, and sustaining communities in resistance. After the Nakba of 1948 and, later, with the military occupation that began in 1967, new strategies … Read more

The epicenter of the fight against inequality In 2011, Zuccotti Park in New York became an emblematic square. The Occupy Wall Street movement emerged with a clear slogan: “We are the 99%”, denouncing the 1% control over the economy, politics, and life. Beyond the encampments, it built a model of resistance that continues to inspire anti-capitalist collectives such as ECOAR))). Roots of horizontal rebellion Occupy’s strength lay in its assembly-based structure. Without leaders or hierarchies, participants organized in working groups … Read more

  January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorates the victims and highlights the planned mechanisms of systematic oppression. The Holocaust was not a random act, but an organized and bureaucratized process, as historical documentation on the systematic identification and persecution of Jews and other groups by the Nazis shows. This pattern of violence can also be seen in other recent genocides and ethnic cleansing, such as in Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Myanmar. During World War II, state technology and administrative systems … Read more

  By mapping identities without sovereignty, a break in the uniform narrative of nation states is revealed. Atlas of Stateless Nations in Europe (2017), by Breton researcher Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez, provides a precise geopolitical catalog of indigenous, national, and cultural movements demanding autonomy from the Basque Country to Lapland. Through detailed maps and historical analysis, the book breaks down the mechanisms of cultural homogenization to highlight realities such as those of the Sorbs in Germany or the Veneti in Italy. The … Read more

When art stands as a collective voice, its resonance can be transformed into action. In 2012, the album Occupy This Album: 99 Songs for the 99 Percent crystallized this synergy between musical creation and social commitment. Compiling songs by artists such as Tom Morello, Patti Smith, and Ani DiFranco, the project not only spread criticism of the concentration of wealth, but also donated its profits to support the Occupy Wall Street movement. It was born during the struggle between emerging … Read more