DiEM25

Italy went to the polls just over a week ago in an election whose outcome seemed inevitable since Mario Draghi’s unelected government collapsed. The result: a massive victory for the far-right, with the Brothers of Italy becoming the largest party in the country and its leader, Giorgia Meloni, becoming prime minister. The Left, meanwhile, had a dismal day after a campaign marked by disunity and an inability to speak to Italians struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. How did Italy get here, what happens now, and how can the Left rebuild itself into a force capable of challenging the far-right in the present – and defeating it in the future?  Our panel, including Federico Dolce, Patrizia Pozzo and MeRA25 leader Yanis Varoufakis, debate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Esteban Servat is an Argentinian scientist and anti-fracking activist with a roller-coaster of a story that every activist should hear. In 2018 in rural Argentina, Esteban went head-to-head with his government and the world’s most powerful energy companies. The issue: drilling for oil in the planet’s second-largest shale gas basin, and averting environmental catastrophe for the region and the hundreds of thousands of people who live there. With a leaked report, a Facebook page, and a lot of guts, Esteban mobilised tens of thousands of people in the biggest anti-fracking protest yet witnessed. The government tried to prosecute him. And when that didn’t work, things got dangerous… In this interview with Mehran Khalili for our activism series Frontline, Esteban takes us through what he did, how power reacted, tactics that worked and those that didn’t. And he tells us where the new struggle for environmental justice is at: with the Debt For Climate campaign (https://debtforclimate.org/). It’s a fascinating story and a treasure trove for activists looking to shed light on secrets that power would rather keep hidden. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Last month, Greece’s intelligence service – under control of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis – got caught tapping the phone of a prominent opposition leader. The scandal, known as the “Greek Watergate”, has generated an uproar. And it’s led to a wave of calls for Mitsotakis’ resignation in Greece, including from our party in the Greek parliament, MeRA25. Meanwhile, the EU has put forward a proposal that would effectively end secure online communications, under the guise of fighting child pornography. Though the cause is noble, their solution would allow Big Tech to monitor everything on your phone. Opponents argue that this threatens personal rights and freedom of speech. And false positives have already had disastrous consequences for people falsely “flagged”. Is sacrificing our privacy the only way to combat child pornography? What does the potential expansion of digital surveillance by governments and corporations mean for democracy in Europe and beyond? And what can we, as activist citizens, do about all this? Our panel, including Julijana Zita, Erik Edman and MeRA25 leader Yanis Varoufakis, debate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Winter Is Coming…and Europe is facing a full-blown energy crisis. Power companies are hiking the price of electricity, making a tough winter even worse. And this time, it’s not just the poorest who are affected. The middle class is also feeling the squeeze. How much of this is due to how our politicians have set up Europe’s energy market, and how much to corporate greed? What other factors are at play? And how can we get out of this mess?  Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Julijana Zita and Erik Edman, investigate.  SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Last Friday, a groundbreaking report exposed the lies of both the EU and the Greek government. It revealed a systematic campaign of violent and illegal expulsions of migrants trying to get to Europe. The perpetrator: the Greek Coast Guard and FRONTEX, the EU border control. The report, from independent research agency Forensic Architecture, shows that since March 2020 the Establishment pushed back 27,464 asylum seekers trying to cross the Mediterranean, leaving them to die in the sea. It documents over 1000 cases of illegal and brutal expulsions, including 26 occasions when authorities threw people directly into the water. Two of these people were *handcuffed*. The practice of pushbacks against desperate people is against every international commitment that Greece has made. The Greek government has consistently denied it, calling it ‘fake news’. This new report shows they’re lying — with the full knowledge of the EU. Why is Europe so intent on keeping desperate people from crossing its borders in the Mediterranean, while welcoming (as it should) refugees from Ukraine? And, most importantly, how do we stop our governments from committing these crimes and hold them accountable?  Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Julijana Zita and Erik Edman, investigate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Prices are on the rise everywhere you look. Your electricity bill is going up. Food is more expensive. Rents are increasing. And your salary, of course, is not keeping up with it all. Inflation is at a level not seen in decades. But why? Is it the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, or something else? Is it going to get worse? And more importantly, how the hell do we fix this?  Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Erik Edman and Julijana Zita, discusses.  SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Last week, our fears came true: the UK decided to extradite Julian Assange to the US. He now faces up to 175 years behind bars in the US – after an unconscionable three years in Belmarsh prison in London. Why? Because he stood up to power, and revealed the American government’s crimes. We ask Renata Ávila, one of Julian’s lawyers, about his options, and what people can do. And we check in on our Milan event on reclaiming labour rights in Europe.  Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Ivana Nenadovic and more, investigate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Officially, the EU opposes annexation and considers illegal settlements in occupied territories an obstacle to international peace and stability. However, as with many other cases, what the EU states is far from its practices. Trade is still allowed between the European Single Market and these settlements, making their existence not only viable but economically profitable for the occupiers. As war is waged in Ukraine, and other tragically less popular conflicts continue to rage in Palestine, Yemen, Mali and across the world, we must take a stand against Europe’s legacy of hypocrisy. This is why DiEM25 has joined forces with Human Rights Watch, independent Irish Senator Frances Black, and many others, in supporting the Stop Trade With Settlements campaign and in calling Israel an apartheid state.  In this DiEM TV special, DiEM25 Political Director Erik Edman talks with independent Irish Senator Frances Black and Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, about what it means to take a stand against illegal settlements, and — crucially — what people can do to help. Visit the campaign's website: https://stopsettlements.org SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Pride month is when corporations take to social media to signal their progressive credentials. But are they genuinely interested in creating diverse, inclusive societies? Or are they marketing a form of rainbow capitalism? And what should we, as radical subversive activists, be doing to advance LGBT+ causes? Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Ivana Nenadovic, Erik Edman and more, investigate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has set off a new arms race. Countries like Germany are announcing billions of euros in new military spending, and historically neutral nations like Sweden and Finland are now intent on joining NATO. And polls indicate that many of these moves have broad public support. But some believe in a different path for Europe, one that rejects the submission of the continent to both US and Russian interests: neutrality. On May 13, our own Yanis Varoufakis issued the Athens Declaration with Jeremy Corbyn and Ece Temelkuran, calling for such a path. Does neutrality mean indifference in the face of a war of aggression and all the suffering that follows? Can an independent Europe lead the way towards peace? Or is it just a pipedream in a world of nuclear weapons, colossal armies and escalating tensions? Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Erik Edman and more, investigate. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join ​  Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official