News

The delegates of the PTB-PVDA Unity Congress have elected Raoul Hedebouw as the party's new president by a large majority. Hedebouw, who received 94.1% of the vote, is taking over from Peter Mertens. The announcement was made during the closing session of the congress, which - due to compulsory health measures - had to be held online.

On 5 December, the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) will elect its new president at its statutory congress. Peter Mertens announces that he will not stand for re-election and will pass the torch. Peter Mertens has presided over the Marxist party for thirteen years, and has been the main architect of the party's renewal. From a small party, the PTB-PVDA has become a major political player in the whole country.

Thanks to the Covid vaccine, pharmaceutical multinationals are making hundreds of millions of euros. But did you know that their thirst for profit is prolonging the pandemic? Marc Botenga, Member of the European Parliament (PTB-PVDA), explains why this is the case, but also how to make sure it changes.

On 9 October, the national headquarters of Italy's main trade union, CGIL, was the victim of an organised attack by demonstrators who openly claimed to be fascists. Led by members of the fascist group Forza Nuova, among others, dozens of demonstrators wrecked the CGIL headquarters in Rome.

From November 1 to 12, leaders from 196 countries will gather in Glasgow, Scotland for COP 26, the annual climate conference hosted by the United Nations. It is time to remind them that the big polluting multinationals have been destroying our planet for far too long. That's why Comac, the PTB student movement, is organising a trip to Glasgow to get active and make our voices heard. Save the climate, go to Glasgow!

On Wednesday and Thursday, July 14 and 15, several European countries were hit by heavy rainfall and flooding. In Belgium, the disaster killed 41 people. Tens of thousands of people lost their belongings and became temporarily homeless. The PTB-PVDA launched an appeal for solidarity from day one: "We want to offer help now. Solidarity is a verb." A photo report.

Presentation of part of the programme

It's not every day that you hear such a dissonant voice in parliament. Raoul Hedebouw, leader of the group in the Belgian parliament and spokesperson of the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), refuses to play along with the United States, which wants to guarantee its supremacy and the profits of multinationals. Watch the video.

Nuclear weapons and the Cold War are back, driven by NATO. But what exactly is NATO, and what does it intend to do?

On Monday 14 June, the first NATO summit under the presidency of the new US President Joe Biden took place in Brussels.

The weekend of 15-16 May, all over the world, from Brussels to Johannesburg, via New York, Washington and London, citizens of all origins gathered to show their solidarity with the Palestinian people on the occasion of the 73rd commemoration of the Nakba, which refers to the consequences for the Palestinians of the occupation and colonization by Israel in 1948. This year, the Nakba, a day of commemoration but also and above all of resistance, has a special meaning while the Israeli army is bombing Palestinian civilians.

"Today we celebrate half a century of struggle, together with patients, to build a healthy society," says Janneke Ronse, president of Medicine for the People and a nurse. "50 years that patients can go see their GP without paying. 50 years of putting our money where our mouth is. We are incredibly proud of that."​ To mark the occasion, the network of people's clinics is hosting a variety of activities and an online meeting on April 18 at 11 a.m.