openDemocracy

The UK must leave the Energy Charter Treaty to meet climate goals

OPINION: We can’t be held hostage by a 1990s treaty that allows fossil fuel firms to sue governments

?We didn’t start today”: fight for abortion rights in Italy

Italians have marched for abortion rights since the far-Right election win, but their real fight began long before

How Russian sanctions can help combat the climate crisis

We must cut Russian fossil fuel imports and change our energy use, to combat both the cost of living crisis and the global climate crisis

Feminists fight anti-rights groups & climate inaction at UN

Women from the Global South battled for gender equality and climate justice at the UN’s annual Commission on the Status of Women summit

Latvia welcomes Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian violence

The small Baltic state, which borders both Russia and Belarus, has sprung into action to support Ukraine. Some Latvians are even going to fight

Proudly ‘Made in Prison’: Italian co-ops hire inmates to make food and fashion

Prisoners in Italy pay for their own detention, and often leave prison in debt and without skills. A network of co-ops is trying to change this

Can states be trusted to protect the public from radicalised extremists?

An examination of the radicalisation that leads to violent extremism such as the Liverpool bombing must include the state's role in fomenting it

The killing of Nizar Banat and authoritarianism in Palestine

For many in Palestine, the death of an activist in police custody highights that the dream of a Palestinian state has failed

From private emails to Post-it Notes: How politicians avoid scrutiny

Matt Hancock, who Labour accused of trying to ‘conduct government business in secret’, joins a long list of officials who have attempted to resi…

Why Germany gets it wrong about antisemitism and Palestine

Fears about antisemitism are understandable, given German history – but in fact, it’s the unquestioning support for a “Jewish state” that is mis…

The bio-politics of lockdown in Greece

Has there been a consolidated ‘right-wing shift’ within Greece’s ruling party amid the persisting COVID-19 crisis?

Press freedom in Greece is under pressure – from the government and itself

Abuses of power and attacks against the press by both the state and the police, are causing a feeling of ‘asphyxiation’ in public discourse

?One of the problems in France is distrust’, Macron warns. Why might that be?

When it comes to selling things that kill, France is the rising star, when it comes to those that save lives, such as vaccines, its sun has been…

Nigerian human rights advocates explain why castrating rapists is the wrong strategy

A Nigerian state has introduced sterilisation and death as a penalty for child rape. Local rights advocates explain what should happen instead.

How the far right took over the mainstream

While white male voters tend to still make up a large proportion of far-right parties and right-wing extremist organisations in Europe, a more w…

How the agricultural lobby is sabotaging Europe’s Green Deal

It has already succeeded in keeping binding pesticide reduction goals at bay.

The memory of Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still alive

Those who defend statues meant to assert dominance have yet to learn the lessons of the past.

Meet Fado Bicha, Portugal’s queer anti-racist feminist musicians

The music group is rewriting traditional Portuguese fado songs into anti-discrimination anthems for 2019 – and has a growing following