Peter Taaffe speaking at the rally for the centenary of the October revolution in Madrid, 4.11.17, photo by Izquierda Revolucionaria

Peter Taaffe speaking at the rally for the centenary of the October revolution in Madrid, 4.11.17, photo by Izquierda Revolucionaria   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

On 4 November, 250 workers and youth attended a vibrant rally to celebrate the centenary of the October Russian revolution in Madrid. Taking place in the context of the ongoing revolutionary crisis in Catalonia and the Spanish state, the meeting emphasised the relevance of Bolshevik ideas in the current battles to do away with capitalism and change the world.

The meeting was addressed by Peter Taaffe (above centre), Socialist Party general secretary; Irish Socialist Party and Solidarity MP Paul Murphy; Barbara Areal, leading member of Izquierda Revolucionaria (IR) and socialist feminist platform ‘Libres y Combativas’; Juan Ignacio Ramos, IR general secretary; and the general secretaries of the Sindicato de Estudiantes (Students’ Union) in Catalonia and the Spanish state, Coral Latorre and Ana Garcia.

Peter Taaffe underlined the importance of the Bolshevik struggle in opposition to national oppression, which remains a key weapon in the arsenal of Marxists today in Catalonia and elsewhere, in the struggle to build a mass revolutionary international.

This successful rally is the second major Russian revolution centenary organised by IR and the CWI in the Spanish state this year, following the historic rally attended by over 600 people in Barcelona in July. These have been the biggest rallies held to commemorate the Russian revolution in the Spanish state this year.