In a little-noticed procedural manoeuvre, in October 2020 the commission was forced to withdraw a so-called ‘Services Notification Procedure’ – which would have given it advance veto power over new laws by regional and local governments, and could have further limited local democratic initiatives in...

For many people in Santiago de Chile, October 18, 2019 marked the beginning of a new reality, one which required adapting to the emerging culture of rebellion. In a time when even the most peaceful of marches are broken up with tear gas and water...

The attitudes of racism and xenophobia, which have fueled the virulent rise of fascism today in places like the United States, must be combated by a radical humanism that celebrates ethnic, cultural and spiritual diversity. With communalism we might remake the world upon humanity’s potential...

After the first Fearless Cities summit that took place in Barcelona in 2017, we look back at the relevance, the challenges and  achievements that the municipalist movement is facing. As the author writes in this document, ‘behind these practices of muncipalism, a genuine refounding of...

First of a series of articles on new municipalism, this piece focuses on the trajectory and work of Marielle Franco, a Brazilian feminist activist known for her defence of human rights and her struggle against the many threats posed to them in Rio de Janeiro....

Today, the politics of hate and xenophobia are the main threats to the values that the EU once espoused. We need to avert their spread and build societies that are fair, inclusive and diverse. The municipal movements in cities across Europe are already building networks...

For the first time in decades, the Left is on the rise in the United States. This resurgence has primarily been driven forward by local and national struggles. In towns across the country, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapters have helped win important victories, such...

As the world continues to fight the rapid spread of coronavirus, confining many people to their homes and radically altering the way we move through, work in and think about our cities, some are wondering which of these adjustments will endure beyond the end of...

We can understand almost all of today’s crises to be crises of democracy. Representative ‘democracy’ has turned people from empowered citizens to alienated constituents. Libertarian municipalism, which promotes direct democracy, is an essential tool to regain power at the citizen level and provide solutions to...

In June 2020, after a drawn-out process punctuated by the peak of the health crisis, Green lists excelled in France’s municipal elections. They are now at the head of the executive in some of France’s largest cities, including Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Tours. In...

The local struggle to protect the Rio Blanco ecological reserve epitomizes the resistance against the destructive impact of decades of neoliberal development. Photo: Néstor Morales

Democracy may look like a street protest where anyone leads a chant. It may look like a union meeting voting to strike. It may look like a lengthy speech by an elder explaining the founding values of the community. It may be an “assembly of...