History shows that almost all great reforms have begun with ordinary people rising up. In Kjell Östberg's book People on the move described how the right to vote, the eight-hour day and welfare did not come from above but grew out of strikes, demonstrations and union struggles. Workers, women, students and soldiers in uniform took to the streets together and demanded dignity, wages and justice. Social democracy was also born from such movements. When the red-greens later came to power, some of them forgot where the power once came from: from the people themselves.
Just-in-time sensitive to strikes
In today's globalized economy, that very force is once again dangerous for power. Production chains are just-in-time, everything should go on without interruption. A single port strike, transport blockade or large demonstration can stop the flow of goods and billions in profits in a few hours. That is why international capital is extremely sensitive to popular protests. This is known in France. There, the right to strike has been defended more fiercely than in any other EU country, and therefore more rights remain – higher pensions, stronger labour law, shorter working weeks. When French workers and students take to the streets, it is not just for themselves but for the survival of the entire European labour movement.
Demonstrations in mid-March for a humane migration policy
The new campaign For a humane migration policy should take the newfound interest of people who are not among the influential seriously. During ”manifestation weekend"March 13-15 there will be demonstrations around the country."
- Stockholm will be demonstrated at Norrmalmstorg on Sunday, March 15 at 13 p.m. There will be various kinds of speakers to show that there are many in society who are against this deportation policy. So far, Human Migration Policy has booked Bishop Andreas Holmberg, Ursula Berge from the Swedish Association of Academics SSR and Fredrik Kopsch from Timbro, according to Ingrid Eckerman.
Also in Luleå on March 14, a bishop will speak, Åsa Nyström. Along the way from Jokkmokk will come the chairman of the municipal board, Henrik Blind, one of those who lit the first torch for the municipalities' refusal to meet with the government's coordinator for return migration.
Other locations on March 14 are Växjö, Gothenburg, Lund and Umeå. On March 13 it is Malmö and Skövde.
Residents of several other places are interested: Grästorp, Borås, Kalmar, Uppsala, Karlstad. The turnout is exciting.
Generation Z has had enough
Generation Z, young people around the world, have understood this. They are protesting against corruption in Nepal, against injustice in Bangladesh, against climate destruction and racism in the US and Europe. They are organizing themselves via Discord, Telegram and Tiktok in a way that is reminiscent of the old popular movements' meetings in the House of Peoples - but faster and globally. They see how the politicians' children live in abundance while they themselves face unemployment, debt and insecure lives. And they are taking action.
Israel is starting to lose support for its oppression
A new study by Linda J. Bilmes, a professor of public economics at Harvard University, shows that between October 2023 and September 2025, the United States transferred about $34 billion to Israel. The sum includes not only direct aid but also the costs of American military operations in the region, particularly in Yemen and Iran, carried out on Israel's behalf.
The money comes from American taxpayers, while healthcare, education and social programs are being cut back at home. It has sparked strong anger – not only among Democrats but also within Trump’s own MAGA movement. More and more Americans are questioning why their government is funding a war that much of the world describes as genocide.
The previous consensus in the US on unconditional support for Israel is breaking down. Pro-Israeli propaganda is losing its credibility, and doubts are growing even among former supporters. Despite billions in aid and extensive PR campaigns, Israel can no longer win the decisive battle – the information war. The truth has begun to emerge, and it can no longer be hidden.
The protests against Trump and the grassroots of the West
In the United States on June 14, 2025, gathered million in so-called No Kings-protests against Donald Trump's foreign and domestic policies. Organizers report that more than five million people participated in over 2,100 locations. Wikipedia Despite the media often trying to downplay the scale and emphasize conflicts, the protests were largely peaceful. Calls were made to protest non-violently – and not to provoke security forces.
Before that, on April 5, 2025, it was organized Hands off!-protests where millions in the US and in cities in Europe protested against Trump and Elon Musk's policies - including abuses of power, social cuts and threats to democracy. Sympathy rallies against Trump were also organized in Berlin, Paris and Frankfurt. France 24 program+1
The global force becomes clear: capital markets react, international relations are shaken, pressure on those in power is built. When citizens in different countries demonstrate against the same system, united by messages of democracy and justice, the protests not only have a local effect but also play into the struggle for global legitimacy.
It is proof that popular mobilization, even in “democracies” with strong institutions, is not only possible but necessary – especially when power tries to quell deficits in legitimacy.
Power requires social acceptance
Fundamentally, all political and military power must be based on the acceptance of the people. When people can no longer live decently, they will always rise up. This has been the case in Paris in 1789, Petrograd in 1917, Warsaw in 1980, and Santiago in 2019. It is a law of history: no power can exist without justice.
Public protests and public education are having an impact
So let us remember that general education, conversations and protests is the foundation of democracy. We have wealth in abundance and opportunities to distribute and produce at the very end humane and environmentally friendly conditionsInstead, power drives us towards destruction. since the 1970s oil crisis to benefit the very richest of at the expense of everyone and everything elseThe people's will to protest awakens when they understand their and nature's opportunities for a paradisiacal life. Strikes and demonstrations is not a threat to society – de is the pulse of society.
Activate yourselvesRead on about the difference between right and left. Political parties, unions and associations build it future we want.
“Proletarians of all countries, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains. You have a world to gain.”
—Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (Communist Party Manifesto.
What is missing so far is long-term organization. It existed in the early 1900th century, but as these organizations were taken over by employed ombudsmen with their own interests, organizing fell into disrepute, unfortunately. The baby and the bathwater, so to speak.
This has had devastating consequences. The major protests in connection with the financial crash had virtually no consequences – only made things worse. This is due to a lack of long-term organization according to Vincent Bevins, see further http://www.folkrorelser.org/texter/varfor-misslyckades.html
We need institutions. If the anti-system opposition does not organize such institutions, the state and capital will gain total power in that area – and occasional expressions of opinion will mostly be ripples on the surface.
Well, I've thought about the grassroots getting greater rights to spontaneously dismiss their elected officials and party leadership in the middle of their term.
Constitutions don't help. It's about our readiness to act, our capacity for collective action, our "asabiya" as the Arabs say. If it doesn't exist, or if it's confused, it doesn't help how fancy the laws are.
As you say yourself, people *took* the right to create a better society in the early 1900th century, against all laws. We let it lapse, starting around 1945, when people became so fascinated by all the new technological gadgets they could get that they ignored the collective readiness for action. And now we are losing what was created in the 1900th century.