Students in the Paris suburbs came onto the streets merely to get teachers into their classrooms, to have enough desks for their classmates, and to have the state build school buildings fit for the educational experience. These suburbs, or banlieues, are the warehouses of France’s working poor, mainly non-white communities that had come to France from its colonies. The French establishment does not want to talk about racism, self-righteous in its official ideology of universalisme (republican universalism). But racism from the state (particularly the police) and the far right parties is real, and the degradation of services in the banlieues proves to the non-white French that their rights are being systematically denied. Thus, every few years, young people in the banlieues emerge onto the streets to demand justice. More

Gaza’s devastation is both a humanitarian catastrophe and a crisis for Palestinian self-determination. Israel’s assaults show an international failure and pose questions for Gaza’s political future. In this interview, exclusive for CounterPunch, former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk focuses on “collateral damage” (and the film, NAZA) and the future of occupied Palestine. Falk looks at the limits of international law and the political economy of occupation and addresses what it would take to move beyond documenting destruction. He discusses a political horizon grounded in promoting Palestinian dignity. More

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection to a fourth term by gaining ground in Brazil’s largest cities while keeping his strong support in the Northeast. His geographic base is shifting and this change is clearest in Brazil’s 200 largest cities. There, Lula’s share of valid votes rose from 47.1% in 2022 to 49.57% this year, an increase of 2.4 percentage points. In smaller cities, his share fell from 54.6% to 53.9%. The Northeast is still the core region of Lula’s support. Lula won 69.37% of valid votes in the region, nearly the same as the 69.34% he won four years ago. He also won in the same number of municipalities as in 2022. More

The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee adopted a resolution on Western Sahara that renewed debate over the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination. The vote resulted in 152 votes in favor, 2 against, and 7 abstentions as international support for Morocco’s autonomy increased. In this exclusive interview for CounterPunch, Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies, discusses the UN vote and the future of Western Sahara. Zunes looks at the political challenges posed by Morocco’s claims to the territory. He also talks about UN peacekeeping and the role of U.S. foreign policy. Further, he describes how international solidarity can support Sahrawi self-determination. More