Over 50 students and teachers gathered at Dawson College in Montreal on Wednesday to hear Alan Woods speak on the Venezuelan Revolution. There was a healthy discussion on the progress of this magnificent movement, as well as some of its challenges. This was the third successful gathering in Montreal, and marked the last in an energetic series of events across Canada on Alan Woods' North American speaking tour. The US leg of the tour begins in the next days, and is sure to be a similarly resounding success — especially in light of recent mass struggles of the youth and of the trade unions.

Alan Woods’ first tour of North America continues to be a big success. Over 50 came out on Tuesday evening to hear Alan speak at the Graduate Students’ Association building at Concordia University. This was the second event in Montréal, after the successful French-language event on Monday, and yet another important step forward for the work here.

The latest stop in the Canadian leg of the Alan Woods North American speaking tour took place in Ottawa Sunday night, in which a lively and productive discussion was had amongst the 30 students, workers, and trade unionists attending.

Over 70 people filled the room at the SH pavilion of the Université du Québec à Montréal in the first Québec event of Alan Woods’ North American tour. The event was a great success, with Alan speaking about the events of May 68 in France, a topic very relevant to Québecois workers and youth inspired by the recent student strike.

The Alan Woods North American speaking has had a very succesful beginning. Below we publish the reports from the two first events in the tour. More reports will appear on our website over the next days and weeks.Over 100 enthusiastic participants turned out on Saturday evening for the third event featuring In Defence of Marxism editor, Alan Woods, on his current North American speaking tour.  Held at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, they were eager to listen to Alan speak on the prospects for revolution in the advanced capitalist countries,

In the months of October and November, Alan Woods, editor of the In Defence of Marxismwebsite will be speaking at a series of meetings in Canada and the USA. Below we publish the details of the Canadian part of the speaking tour.

Over one-hundred-and-thirty-five people attended the UCLU Marxist Society last night to watch “Days of Hope: General Strike” by Ken Loach. Present at the discussion held afterwards was the veteran socialist film director himself, as well as John Dunn from the “Justice for Miners” Campaign.

The Cambridge Marxist Society, founded shortly after the crisis began in 2008, is now in its fourth year of existence. Over these years, the society has grown to become the largest political society in Cambridge University, with 350 people signing up at this year’s freshers’ fair. This was followed up by an excellent first meeting of the new academic year, with over 90 people attending to hear Alan Woods, editor of www.marxist.com, speak on “Why Marx was right”.

Swat is a place known for religious extremism and the Taliban. A war has been going on between the Pakistan Army and the draconian religious fanatics it itself created and nourished just two years ago. During all those months of warthe Marxists not only exposed the reality of the Islamic fundamentalists and their connections with the Pakistani state but also organized the local masses against this evil nexus. Many comrades themselves became victims of this religious terrorism including one comrade who was shot and had eight bullets in himfrom a G-3 rifle. Only his will power and hatred against the cruelty of the state and the Taliban kept him alive.

In the months of October and November, Alan Woods, editor of the In Defence of Marxismwebsite will be speaking at a series of meetings in Canada and the USA. Below we publish the details of the speaking tour in so far as they have been announced.

The 2012 World Congress of the IMT, which was held in Marina di Massa, a seaside resort in Tuscany, Italy, marked an important advance for worldwide Marxism. It lasted for one week – from the 24th to 29th of July – with the participation of over 250 comrades from around the world. There were delegates and visitors from all over Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, and a record number of Pakistani comrades.

With the June 17 elections, Greece has entered into a new period. Austerity programmes have left the Greek economy in tatters and the working class have faced an onslaught of unprecedented proportions. The deepening of the capitalist crisis in Greece poses the need for socialism more clearly than ever before. The Greek Marxists have carried out a determined struggle for Marxism and a socialist programme, but they need your help.

For the first time we held the Seminar in the Camp of the Falcons (Socialist youth organisation) in Döbriach (Carinthia). 80 participants from eight (out of nine) Austrian provinces and five countries came to the Lake Millstatt. Unfortunately a number of comrades who registered could not make it to the seminar because of illness or work obligations. But this did not weaken the good mood. There were many reasons for the good mood, but in particular one: the quality of the political debates was especially high this year. The report also includes an open letter SYRIZA and their chairman Alexis Tsipras, which was passed by the participants of the seminar.

In the current political context of Quebec, Fred Weston, the managing editor of the popular international website, In Defence of Marxism, visited Montreal in order to discuss the economic crisis and the increased class polarization in Europe, and what lessons we can take from these experiences for the struggles in Quebec today.

On 23rd May, a group of approximately 50 people gathered on a Wednesday evening in downtown Toronto to hear Fred Weston, the managing editor of In Defence of Marxism, speak on the crisis in Europe. Aside from the faces of the dedicated activists who are present at most Toronto rallies and events, there were many new faces, especially from youth. The presentation by Fred was very insightful in regard to the enormity of the financial and political crisis, but at the same time positive in terms of the way forward.