For more than half a year people have taken to the streets in the Rif region and the rest of Morocco. They demand an end to humiliation (“hogra”) at the hands of police and state officials, and investment in public services and employment.

The movement began with the brutal police murder of the fishmonger Mohcine Fikri in Al Hoceima. Hoceima is part of the northern Rif region—a politically, economically and culturally marginalised part of Morocco. The region has a rich history of resistance, both against colonialism and the Moroccan regime. The demands of the Amazighen people of the region have been taken up by people all over the country.

The protests have grown over the past weeks, further strengthened in reaction to repression. After years of silence, people are coming out in huge numbers. Women are taking a leading role within the protests. Last Sunday hundreds of thousands demonstrated ...

The announcement today by the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, that a referendum will be held on the independence of Catalunya of Sunday 1 October responds to a longstanding demand by a large majority of the country. It comes after years of mass mobilisations in recent years, with demonstrations of up to 2 million people, and countless other actions.

Currently, around 80% of the the Catalan population are in favour of a referendum being held. Some of them would prefer it to be organised in agreement with the Spanish government in Madrid.

With this aim, over the last three months, a very broad campaign, the National Pact for the Referendum, collected half a million signatures in favour of the Catalan and Spanish governments coming to an agreement on a referendum. This campaign included the pro independence parties, but also “the commons”. This new left political space in Catalunya combines social ...