“The United States should not expect it will be able to assemble its NATO junior partners in Washington without resistance from the people,” Ben Zinevich
by Globetrotter and Peoples Dispatch
Activists Protest NATO Summit in Washington
Hundreds of demonstrators representing a diverse coalition of anti-imperialist and anti-war organizations staged a mobilization ahead of the NATO summit, held in Washington, DC from July 9 to 11. This protest was organized by the Resist NATO coalition, which includes organizations such as the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, the Resist U.S.-Led War Movement, and BAYAN-USA, which engages diaspora Filipinos in the struggle against imperialism.
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| Photo: NATO |
“NATO’s 75th summit is occurring during Russia’s counter-aggression strategy against U.S.-NATO military escalation and NATO territorial expansion, which has enabled NATO to call on its members to provide billions in weapons and military aid. The summit is also occurring when NATO is building military partnerships with Indo-Pacific countries to counter the influence of China,” said organizers from the Resist NATO coalition.
“The United States should not expect it will be able to assemble its NATO junior partners in Washington without resistance from the people,” Ben Zinevich, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which also participated in the mobilization on Sunday, told Peoples Dispatch “Not when U.S. weaponry is flooding Ukraine and prolonging a war that could have been avoided with Russia. Not when Washington and NATO partners continue to supply the means for the state of Israel to conduct its genocidal war on Palestine.”
The protest took place after multiple actions in San Diego and Hawai’i protesting the biennial Rim of the Pacific war games, including a mobilization of hundreds in San Diego last Sunday.
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Macron Delays Mandate for New Popular Front
The results of the general election in France are in: the left-progressive alliance New Popular Front (NFP) will be the largest parliamentary group with 182 seats, followed by 168 seats held by Emmanuel Macron’s liberal coalition, and 143 seats by the far-right National Rally, which includes supporters from the Gaullist party Republicans. However, none of the three groups secured an absolute majority of 289 seats, leading to uncertainty about the next steps.
While most have no doubt that the NFP, which ran on a platform of strengthening public services and addressing the cost-of-living crisis, should be given the chance to form a government, President Emmanuel Macron himself asked Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to “stay for a while longer” when he offered his resignation on Monday, in order to “ensure the stability of the country.”
“Emmanuel Macron wants Gabriel Attal to stay on as prime minister ‘to ensure the stability of the country.’ It’s a strange democratic concept to act as if the election didn’t produce a clear result: Mr. Attal is in the minority. True stability would mean letting the majority, i.e., the NFP, govern,” said Éric Coquerel, a representative of France Unbowed.
“The president has the duty to call the NFP to govern,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed, said after voting stations closed. “Voters have chosen between two radically opposed projects. The NFP is ready to govern. It is the only well-constructed, coherent, and united alternative option, equipped with an organized and detailed program.”
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Venezuelan Presidential Campaigns Kick Off
This past week saw the official launch of the electoral campaign in Venezuela, which will last until July 25. The current president, Nicolás Maduro, of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and the right-wing leader Edmundo González Urrutia, of the United Democratic Platform, are currently leading the polls for the July 28 elections.
The initial campaign strategy of both candidates consisted of marching through the streets of Caracas hoping to show massive support for their candidacies. Both candidates focused on displaying religious symbols, discussing a hopeful future, and praising national emblems. However, their political speeches were vastly different.
González Urrutia, who wore a jersey of the Venezuelan National Soccer Team, said that his campaign “initiates… the path of change to recover Venezuela.” The opposition candidate, who often appears alongside right-wing coup supporter María Corina Machado to project an image of support from the most right-wing groups in the country, promised to improve salaries and the national economy. He has also focused his political rhetoric on the concept of “freedom.”
The Maduro campaign, called “Our Venezuela of the XXI Century,” focused on highlighting the social achievements and the continuity of the Bolivarian process that has been leading the country since 1999. “I extend my hands to everyone; we have gone through hard and heroic times and we have overcome one by one the challenges. In the face of every [foreign] sanction, [we propose] a solution; in the face of every aggression, more revolution,” Maduro said.
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Nasser Hospital Overwhelmed as Israel Issues More Evacuation Orders
Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip has faced a surge of patients after the European Gaza Hospital was emptied following evacuation orders from the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) on July 1.
The European Gaza Hospital, with a capacity of approximately 650 beds, had about 320 patients at the time of the evacuation. All patients, staff, and families fled by the evening of the next day, fearing the hospital would be surrounded, besieged, and raided by the IOF—a pattern observed in other medical centers since October 7. While some patients were transported by ambulances, others had no choice but to walk 10 kilometers to Nasser Hospital.
“We have heard that patients have traveled on their own, either arriving at Nasser Hospital in beds or being walked by their families,” reported Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Although international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), supported the translocation of equipment and supplies to Nasser Hospital, the situation remains unsustainable. MSF reports that departments designed to host approximately 50 patients have recently admitted double that number.
MSF staff also warned that patients are now lying on blankets on the floor due to a shortage of mattresses and beds. “The team has put nails on the wall so we can hang the intravenous fluids and medication we need to give patients, but it’s a very difficult situation, and the team is exhausted,” said MSF nurse activity manager Cristina Roldán.
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