Above photo: President of the UAW Shawn Fain addresses Manifiesta 2024. PTB.
A new edition of ManiFiesta brought discussions on building true solidarity with Palestine.
And the changing role of trade unions in society.
Over 15,000 people gathered in Ostend, Belgium, for ManiFiesta 2024, a two-day event of activism and solidarity. Inspired by speeches from global activists and union leaders, attendees left with a renewed drive to pursue mobilizations in different parts of Europe.
Speaking at the central event of ManiFiesta, Raoul Hedebouw, president of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB), set the tone by addressing growing inequalities and attacks on workers’ rights in Belgium, announcing a response from the party. A significant part of the event was also devoted to building solidarity with Palestine, with speakers such as Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) and climate justice activist Anuna De Wever Van Der Heyden emphasizing the importance of international support for Palestinian liberation.
Barghouti reminded attendees that achieving justice for Palestine requires long-term commitment, stating that “solidarity is not charity or simply a spirit,” but a shared responsibility to end all complicity in Israel’s crimes. From healthcare workers like Benboutrif Khaled and Bouchakour Chems-Eddine, who had volunteered in Gaza, to musicians like Lowkey, and activists in the BDS movement, the dedication to building true solidarity with Palestine persisted throughout ManiFiesta.
Beyond Palestine, ManiFiesta 2024 also highlighted the responsibility European movements bear toward the Global South and the conditions those countries face as a result of historic and current European policies. Speakers and participants discussed the importance of addressing global inequalities, climate justice, and the colonialism and imperialism that continue to shape today’s global system.
However, the emerging multipolarity and the weakening of the West’s domination in economic and international policy have opened the door to hope that the world can be shaped in a different way. The behavior of the US and its allies in the case of Israel’s ongoing genocide against Gaza may have confirmed, once again, that they hold weak connections to much of the rest of the world. On the other hand, the courage of some countries from the Global South in openly defying US dictates remains inspiring, with opportunities for resistance emerging from different directions.
“The West has forgotten how to build things,” said Vijay Prashad, executive director of the Tricontinental Institute, reflecting on the future that the growing Palestine solidarity movement might contribute to. “Israel blows up hospitals. The Global South will build them,” he stated.
Another key topic at ManiFiesta was the role of trade unions in addressing growing inequalities and defending workers’ rights. British MP Jeremy Corbyn highlighted the vital role unions can play in pushing for peace and disarmament, while United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain shared his union’s success in shifting power to its members. These discussions offered a glimpse into what lies ahead for trade unions in the European Union, with more austerity and neoliberal policies looming.
Fain suggested that the way to confront problems in the workplace, along with corporate greed, lies in the capacity of trade unions to give a voice to workers and stand up for their interests, resisting slurs from corporate media and employers. “People want to work,” Fain said. “They also want a life outside of work.”
His observations were echoed by dozens of trade unions participating in ManiFiesta, both international, like Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and local, including Belgian workers currently fighting against closures in the automotive industry and for a bigger role for trade unions in society. Contrary to mainstream implications, Belgian trade unionist Hillal Sor stated that labor unions must not remain silent on topics beyond the workplace but should join wider social struggles, including those for disarmament and justice for Palestine, as addressed at other moments during the festival.
The conversations held during the two days of ManiFiesta are certain to fuel future mobilizations across Europe, from labor strikes to protests in support of Palestine. For the PTB and other political organizations present, the challenge now lies in translating the momentum built at ManiFiesta into concrete actions that can shape a more just society.