On Friday, 28 November 2025, the International Committee of the Anti-Fascist Conference and for the Sovereignty of Peoples was launched. The conference will be held from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Porto Alegre. The virtual meeting, led by the Brazilian committee from the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, brought together more than 80 comrades from different parts of the world, including Belgian historian Eric Toussaint, a leading figure in the anti-globalisation movement and direct promoter of the conference, and benefited from translations into French, English and Spanish.
City Councillor Roberto Robaina, president of the PSOL in Porto Alegre and one of the event’s coordinators, opened the meeting by emphasising the importance of debating anti-fascism at the international level in order to combat it. He explained that the first stage of the event was achieved thanks to coordination between the PSOL and the PT, followed by the incorporation of the PC do B and the decisive support of social organisations. He highlighted the participation of Cpers-Sindicato, CUT and, in particular, the immediate integration of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) into the organising committee, which ensured that the process was part of the unity of the left and the strength of the working-class movements.
Roberto Robaina added that the World Social Forums, organised in Porto Alegre in the early 2000s, served as inspiration for the upcoming conference.
’The forums were important moments for bringing people together. They had a real impact on the political and international situation. So we also drew inspiration from this objective, but with a more concrete focus, based on the need to fight fascism,’ he explained. ’From the outset, we had an initial international connection thanks to Eric Toussaint’s initiatives, and as a result, we are here today thanks to the connection between the local committee and those who are already here, those who were involved in the international work. And I have seen here that we have the conditions to organise a very representative international conference due to the very nature of the meeting we are organising,’ he concluded.
Affirming that it was a source of pride for the city to once again host a debate of this magnitude – especially after the country had been governed by ’one of the world’s leading far-right experiments’ – the president of the PT in Porto Alegre, Rodrigo Dilélio, presented the initial proposal of around 10 themes developed by the local committee for consideration by international collaborators.
● The far-right offensive around the world: causes, consequences and challenges
● Solidarity between peoples and the anti-imperialist struggle, which would be the second theme
● Brazil under the threat of the far right and imperialism
● Palestinian resistance to Zionism and genocide
● Workers’ confrontation with neoliberalism and fascism
● The struggle against fascism in the Americas
● The struggle for agrarian reform in the context of climate change
● Anti-racism, feminism and civil rights in the fight against fascism
● Resistance, coordination and democratic alternatives
● General Assembly and adoption of the Porto Alegre Charter
’I will conclude by saying that here in Porto Alegre, and in various organisations here in Brazil, there are high expectations regarding the support already shown by many of you. And we believe that we will organise a major event with a large march on 26 March. We will work hard to welcome you,’ added Dilélio.
Raul Carrion, ex-state deputy and member of the International Relations Secretariat of the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil), presented some of the 73 entities that have already joined the conference locally, such as six trade union federations, the MST, the Confederation of Agricultural Workers, the National Confederation of Residents’ Associations, the National Union of Students, the Brazilian Union of Secondary Students, the Brazilian Committee of the World Social Forum, entities fighting for women’s emancipation, anti-racist entities, and intellectuals. He also took the opportunity to comment on the lines of action proposed for approval by the International Committee:
“The basic themes are obviously not set in stone; they are open to modification. But it must be said that they are the result of long and meticulous work, dating back to the event planned for 2024 and the subject of intense discussion throughout 2025, taking into account the profound changes that have taken place on the international scene. It is also important to mention that, in addition to the round tables organised around these central themes, there is room for self-managed round tables that will address other topics. And given that it is impossible for everyone to participate in the round tables as speakers, the idea is also to designate discussants in advance, who will speak briefly to give their opinions and ask questions on the topics addressed.”
Raul Carrion added: the title of our conference expresses the conviction that it is impossible to fight fascism—which arises from within monopolistic big capital—without fighting imperialism, and vice versa.
The floor was then given to Eric Toussaint, who began by expressing his enthusiasm for the International Anti-Fascist Conference’s ability to bring together diverse political forces belonging to the popular camp, including parties, social movements, trade unions, farmers’ organisations, feminist organisations, anti-racist organisations, lifelong learning associations and all kinds of movements that ’play a fundamental role if we want to defeat the many imperialist aggressions and the rise of neo-fascism’.
’To date, we can already say that activists and organisations from more than 40 countries have confirmed their willingness to travel to Porto Alegre and participate in today’s meeting. Currently participating in this online meeting are comrades living in Mexico, where it is 7 a.m., comrades in India, where it is 6:30 p.m., comrades in the Philippines, where it is 9 p.m., and comrades in Australia, where it is past midnight. We are covering all continents here, and there is something new: Africa. We have significant representation from sub-Saharan Africa (Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa), North Africa and the Arab region. All of this is extremely positive. It allows us to believe that we are really going to take a step forward,’ he said.
As a contribution to the success of the event, Toussaint mentioned the possibility of creating joint committees to promote and mobilise support for Porto Alegre in countries such as Italy, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Argentina, in order to publicise the conference as widely as possible and send delegations. He added:
’And it is very important that, in this next stage, you have the opportunity to register proposals for self-managed workshops that we will develop based on the experience of the World Social Forum in order to bring all the proposals together. In some cases, it will be necessary to propose merging certain activities, i.e. combining activities proposed on the same theme, which will help to deepen collaboration between organisations from different continents.’
’Let us also remember that the next edition of the World Social Forum will take place in Benin, West Africa, in August 2026, where we will be able to present the results of the Porto Alegre conference.’
Participation
At the end of the first segment, the president of PSOL in Rio Grande do Sul, Gabrielle Tolotti, recalled that the idea behind the meeting was to formalise the international committee and proposed a new meeting date before Christmas 2025. She then gave the floor to the participants so that they could comment on what had been proposed.
Nicoletta Grieco, from the Italian trade union confederation CGIL and the International Network of Anti-Fascist Trade Unions, was the first to speak. In her statement, she expressed her gratitude for the invitation and announced that she was committed to both the International Anti-Fascist Conference in Porto Alegre and an international event against fascism in Buenos Aires, to be held from 23 to 25 March 2026.
’I just want to let you know that we will most likely not be able to attend the conference from the first day, and I ask you, if possible, to adjust the programme slightly so that we can organise our participation. We have already expressed our willingness to participate, but we have two events that coincide almost exactly, and therefore, as CGIL and the International Network of Anti-Fascist Trade Unions, we are very happy and very pleased to participate in this conference, and we thank you very much,’ she said.
Socio-environmental lawyer Mauri Cruz, a member of the Brazilian Collective of the World Social Forum, emphasised in his speech the importance of coordination with ’radically democratic’ left-wing parties and the revival of the character and importance of the World Social Forum processes.
’We believe that the International Anti-Fascist Conference plays an important role in rebuilding dialogue between the movements and processes of the Forum and our internationalist, anti-capitalist and anti-fascist struggle. We are very motivated by this process. As Eric said, I think we are moving forward with great motivation to organise an event that marks a change in terms of the internationalist rearticulation we need. After our first World Social Forums, we have not ly managed to find an international space with the potential of the first ones. And we are in this search. And I believe that our event can contribute to this,’ he commented.
Carles Viera, from the Candidatura de Unidad Popular (CUP) in Catalonia, stressed that holding the conference ’is not only timely and desirable, but absolutely necessary and indispensable’.
’Our commitment is therefore to participate very actively to the extent of our capabilities, because we believe that capitalist globalisation has led, among other consequences, to a process of globalisation of fascism. Capitalism and fascism are becoming increasingly militarised and aggressive. Palestine is an extreme and tragic example of this dynamic; and most liberal democracies are not moving towards democracy and socialism, but rather towards the far right and fascism. In the face of this phenomenon, international, global unity of the left is necessary and indispensable in order to confront this process and reverse it. From our point of view, this means a broad international anti-fascist alliance that is also, necessarily and logically, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist. In this sense, it seems to us, at least to me, that the proposal shared here for the organisation of this forum in Porto Alegre in March is very relevant. The proposal for the event seems to me to be well positioned and well targeted. The same applies to the proposed programme, the lines of action and the spirit that have been shared here in order to participate and ensure that this event is a success and marks the way forward at the global level to build this anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist front,’ he urged.
Jorge Escalante, from the Súmate current of the Nuevo Perú party, stressed that the conference was an opportunity to put campaigns, actions and various initiatives into practice so that, together, we can block the very dangerous advance of fascism, not only in the world in general, but also in South America, and he gave the example of the reality of his own country:
’It is important to explain why, beyond the economic, social and political crisis we are experiencing in Peru, other factors are having a profound impact on society, such as large-scale corruption and growing insecurity in Peruvian society. We must always explain the authoritarianism of the current Peruvian government and its political satellites. We must fight them. To fight them, we must wage a broader struggle. And it is precisely this struggle that will slow the advance of neo-fascism. It is therefore very important for us that it expands and that other sectors join in.’
Amarildo, from the Single Workers’ Central (CUT), took advantage of his speech to suggest broadening one of the thematic areas of the International Anti-Fascist Conference.
’Within the framework of ’The workers’ struggle against neoliberalism and fascism’, and given the presence of numerous trade union organisations here in Porto Alegre, we could also address the trade union strategy for this struggle. This would enable us, as trade union organisations, to reflect on the task we must accomplish within the framework of this alliance; this international front that we must organise as a class, but as a class organised within the trade union movement. This is a suggestion we are putting forward, and we have discussed it with the Latin American and European trade union centres in particular,’ he said.
Similarly, Pablo Reimers, secretary of the international section of the Chilean Communist Party, used the example of Chile to emphasise that fascism is not a distant idea, but a terror knocking at our door:
’Indeed, we are about to face, to contest, in a decisive manner, an election against the son of an SS officer in Chile. We are not talking about a subtle, ’rethought’ fascism, so to speak, we are talking about the old fascism that is knocking on our door, and that is something that must be fought. Our enemies have built an international network, because the methods are the same, the structures are the same, the rhetoric is the same, and the perversion is the same. In this context, a response is needed. We must reorganise, establish links and define the role we will play in geopolitics and in our local struggle.’
Isaac Rudnick, from the Libres del Sur movement in Argentina, announced that the mobilisation of Argentine organisations was progressing.
’We are already convening a meeting in Buenos Aires for our first participation in the conference and this, as in the case of this meeting, will certainly be the first step in enabling us to then forge links with other organisations that have strengthened our participation. This is an opportunity to strengthen unity, which is now more necessary than ever, in this context of the advance of the right wing and the far right throughout the world, and particularly in Argentina. As you know, we have one of the most emblematic governments of this far right, which is causing many problems for the population. We will therefore certainly emerge stronger from this wave to continue the struggle we are waging here,’ he said.
Comrade Sergio García, leader of the Argentine Socialist Workers’ Movement (MST), welcomed the growth of anti-fascist movements around the world, particularly in his own country: 24 March 2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Argentine military coup.
’This places us, not only on the day of the mobilisation, but also in the two months leading up to it, in a very exciting political campaign, which requires a lot of effort, a great political and financial effort, in the face of the far-right government, to ensure that the 50th anniversary of the coup is a mass celebration. And we, at the MST, have made a commitment as part of our participation. But, in any case, I would also like to say that we will make an effort to participate with the delegation in your event in Brazil (…) In the global context we are living in, the need to join forces against the far right, against fascism, is an urgent necessity,’ he said.
Ángel Vera, from Uruguay’s Party for the Victory of the People (PVP), drew attention to the need to take into account the specific characteristics of each country when creating unity to fight fascism.
’It is not easy to talk about the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) when demanding criteria for unity within this permanent and continuous diversity. Let’s say that the rise of the far right in Uruguay is also an expression of the crisis of the country’s dependent model, but also of the Uruguayan idiosyncrasy. Conflicts unfold in a different way, without the violence that prevails in other countries. It is clear that the defeat of progressive expectations has opened up a hegemonic vacuum, which the dominant bloc has filled with the theme of security, establishing certain forms of liberal authoritarianism, but these have not occurred in the same way, with the same intensity and violence as in other countries. There is also the question of subjectivity, because authoritarian neoliberal subjectivity is also the product of structural issues, such as precariousness, community division and political disorientation, which also exist within Uruguay’s broad front. It is therefore undoubtedly necessary to build a movement, a theory, an organisation, with a horizon, with a plan,’ he added.
Patricia Pol, a member of the International Committee of the World Social Forum from ATTAC France, pointed out that although her country’s government is not officially far-right, the country feels its weight thanks to the support of parliamentarians from this sector in the Macron government. ATTAC therefore believes that it is urgent to reflect, discuss and build a strong social and internationalist movement:
’When Eric started talking about this conference in Nepal in 2024, as part of the World Social Forum, saying that we needed to bring together political, social, citizen and trade union movements, I thought that yes, this was something very important. And in Belém, at the People’s Summit, we also noticed this combination and this very important energy. It seemed essential to us to do something urgently by bringing these sectors together. We would therefore also like to thank the whole team for this conference.’
The participation of Jorgelina Matusevicius, national coordinator of the Vientos del Pueblo movement, brought to the international conference a direct call for the construction of collective responses to the global advance of the far right. She stressed the urgency of strengthening internationalist spaces capable of articulating analyses, strategies and concrete experiences of struggle.
’For us, it is essential to strengthen internationalist spaces that allow for the exchange of tools and experiences in the struggle against the far right, whose global articulation is already directly affecting our countries politically, socially and culturally. In Argentina, this offensive is currently taking the form of a labour counter-reform that is removing rights and attempting to discipline the working class. That is why this meeting is important not only for debating ideas, but also for sharing concrete experiences of struggle and mobilisation. The cultural dimension is also central, whether through commissions or artistic events, as it contributes to transforming subjectivities and building alternatives,’ she stressed.
The intervention by Ylse Rios, representative of the Popular Socialist Convergence Party of Paraguay, reinforced the urgency of the international conference in the face of the advance of the right wing in her country and the intensification of capitalism’s offensives against the Latin American peoples.
’I would like to thank you for including us in this space. For us, members of Socialist Convergence, this conference is urgent given the situation we are experiencing in Paraguay, where the right wing is advancing and we are struggling to confront it. We are very happy to participate and help build the March event. We know that, in isolation, we feel the blows of capitalism even more, which affects all countries and continues to promote the genocide of our indigenous peoples. That is why this meeting is so necessary. I affirm that we will be present as much as possible.’
The president of the PSOL of Rio Grande do Sul, Gabrielle Tolotti, closed the meeting, which she considered very fruitful, and called on her comrades for the next stage of the work:
’We have established the creation of the International Committee of the Anti-Fascist Conference for the Sovereignty of Peoples. We propose that the next meeting take place on Monday 15 December, 16 December or 17 December. We will consult with the participants to see what suits everyone. But I think we had an excellent meeting and that we will continue to fight, comrades. Thank you all very much for your participation.’
The following people participated in the launch meeting of the International Committee of the Anti-Fascist Conference and for the Sovereignty of Peoples:
| Name | Organisation | Country |
| Jorgelina Matusevicius | National Coordinator of the Vientos del Pueblo Movement | Argentina |
| María Elena Saludas | CPI, ATTAC Argentina, CADTM AYNA | Argentina |
| Isaac Rudnik | Libres del Sur | Argentina |
| Sergio Garcia | Socialist Workers’ Movement (MST) – LIS | Argentina |
| Pablo Goodbar | MUCLS, Vientos del Pueblo | Argentina |
| Atílio Boron | Sociologist and Writer | Argentina |
| Federico Fuentes | Links | Australia |
| Aitor Murgia (ELA) | ELA Trade Union | Basque Country |
| Maxime Perriot | CADTM | Belgium |
| Pablo Laixhay | CADTM | Belgium |
| Eric Toussaint | International spokesperson for CADTM member of the WSF IC since its creation in 2001 | Belgium |
| Senira Beledelli | ACJM | Brazil |
| Mauri Cruz | Brazilian Committee of the World Social Forum | Brazil |
| Rodrigo de Oliveira Callais | CTB | Brazil |
| Rafaella Venturella | World Forum on Health and Social Security | Brazil |
| Jorge Pereira | Rosa Luxemburg Foundation | Brazil |
| Ana Cristina SP | IV and Inprecor Brasil magazine | Brazil |
| Maria do Carmo | World March of Women | Brazil |
| Lara Rodrigues | Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) | Brazil |
| Miguel Stédile | MST | Brazil |
| Rodrigo Campos Dilelio | President of the PT in Porto Alegre | Brazil |
| Robson Cardoch Valdez | Secretary of International Relations for FEPAL – Arab-Palestinian Federation of Brazil | Brazil |
| Wevergton Brito | SRI – PCdoB | Brazil |
| Raul Carrion | International Relations Secretariat of the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil) | Brazil |
| Vanessa Gil | MES | Brazil |
| Israel Dutra | PSOL | Brazil |
| Gabrielle Tolotti | PSOL | Brazil |
| Roberto Robaina | PSOL | Brazil |
| Antônio Neto | PSOL | Brazil |
| Juçara Dutra | Regional Committee of Education International (South America) | Brazil |
| Gustavo Bernardes | LGBTQI+ Sector of the Workers’ Party | Brazil |
| Eduardo Mancuso | Democratic Forum of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio Grande do Sul | Brazil |
| Erick Kayser | General Secretary of the Workers’ Party / Porto Alegre (PT/POA) | Brazil |
| Marcos Jakoby | Executive Committee of the Workers’ Party of Rio Grande do Sul (PT/RS) | Brazil |
| Amarildo Cenci | President of the Unified Workers’ Central of Rio Grande do Sul (CUTRS) | Brazil |
| Bruno Magalhães | Translation | Brazil |
| Milton Rondó | Translation | Brazil |
| Geff | Translation | Brazil |
| Pablo Abufom | Solidaridad Movement | Chile |
| Pablo Reimers | Regional Exterior PC Chile | Chile |
| Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research | Chile/India |
| Jhon Castaño | CADTM-AYNA. UNEB | Colombia |
| Maria Rosalba Gómez Vásquez | CUT Colombia | Colombia |
| FENASIBANCOL COLOMBIA | Fenasibancol | Colombia |
| William Gaviria | National Union of Bank Employees (UNEB) and CADTM | Colombia |
| Luc Mukendi | CADTM Lubumbashi | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Yvonne Ngoyi | World March of Women and UFDH, Kinshasa. | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Jane Léonie, ATTAC | ATTAC | France |
| Béa Whitaker | ATTAC | France |
| Patricia Pol | ATTAC France, member of the WSF IC. | France |
| Fabien Cohen | CRID/WSF IC | France |
| Cem Yoldas | Young Anti-Fascist Guard | France |
| Penelope Duggan | International Viewpoint magazine | France |
| Linda Victor | Translation | Germany |
| Sushovan Dhar | Member of the Coordinating Committee of the Asian Social Forum, Alternative Viewpoint Magazine | India |
| Nicoletta Grieco | CGIL | Italy |
| Solange Koné | World March of Women and Forum on Economic and Social Strategies | Ivory Coast |
| Veronica Carrillo | National Coalition for the Suspension of Public Debt Payments (PNSPDP), CADTM | Mexico |
| Omar Aziki | ATTAC-CADTM | Morocco |
| Farooq Sulehria | Jeddojehad.com magazine | Pakistan |
| Aurelio Robles | MAS | Panama |
| Ylse Rios | Paraguayan Socialist Popular Convergence Party | Paraguay |
| Jorge Escalante | Novo Peru Movement | Peru |
| Valtimore B. Fenis | Member of the Philippine Human Rights Executive Committee for Mindanao | Philippines |
| Yusop H. Abutazil | Mindanao Human Rights Campaign | Philippines |
| Jorge Lefèvre | Puerto Rican Association of University Professors (APPU) | Puerto Rico |
| Brian Ashley | Amandla Magazine | South Africa |
| Samantha Hargreaves | WOMIN | South Africa |
| Carles Riera, CUP Catalonia | CUP – Catalonia | Spain |
| Fernanda Gadea | Vice-coordinator of ATTAC, coordinator of ATTAC Canary Islands | Spain |
| Gabriella Lima | Member of CADTM and the Ensemble à Gauche platform | Switzerland |
| Jana Silverman | Democratic Socialists of America | United States |
| Idílio Jara | Unknown | Unknown |
| Rodrigo Cherubim | Unknown | Unknown |
| Daniel Dalmão | CP Uruguay | Uruguay |
| Ángel Vera | PVP | Uruguay |
| Gabriel Portillo | PVP | Uruguay |
| Cecilia Vercellino | PVP | Uruguay |
| Brenda Bogliaccini | Unknown | Uruguay |
| Luis Bonilla | Otras vocês em Educacion | Venezuela |