In Spain, Farmworkers Are Dying in the Heat
Three migrant farmworkers died from heatstroke in Spain this summer. Largely ignored by media, their fate illustrates how the effects of the climate crisis are offloaded on the least visible workers.
88 Articles by: Eoghan Gilmartin
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Eoghan Gilmartin is a writer, translator, and Jacobin contributor based in Madrid.
Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has broken ranks with other NATO leaders as he refused to commit to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense. It’s a welcome move, and a rare voice of dissent from Europe’s rush to remilitarize.
Even in Government, Spain’s Left Struggles to Get a Hearing
Spain’s left-wing alliance Sumar sought to use high office to deliver workers’ rights and lower the cost of living. During the pandemic, it made progress — but now that the broad-left coalition has no majority, Sumar is struggling to make itself heard.
How Emmanuel Macron Fell in Love With Africa’s Last Colony
Morocco is increasingly a focus of European alliance-building and investment, including in illegally occupied Western Sahara. French president Emmanuel Macron is leading moves to normalize the colony, despite rulings by the EU’s own courts.
Migrant Deaths Off Spain’s Coast Are Worse Than Ever
At least 10,457 migrants died trying to reach Spain’s territory in 2024. The European Union’s crackdown on Mediterranean crossings has diverted African migrants toward the even more perilous Atlantic route, turning the ocean into a mass grave.
The Mass Deaths in Spain Aren’t Just a Natural Disaster
At least 95 people died in flash floods in eastern Spain on Tuesday. Far fewer could have died in the Valencia region if its right-wing government had prepared civil protection measures — and if bosses hadn’t insisted that workers come into work.
Spain’s Alt-Right Scored an Electoral Upset via Telegram
In Spain, conspiracy theorist Alvise Pérez’s new party just won three seats in the EU Parliament. Its get-out-the-vote operation mainly relied on his own Telegram channel — showing how much the alt-right is outcompeting the Left on social media.
Spain’s Vox Party Is the Center of the Global Far Right
Last Sunday, Spain’s Vox party hosted a rally featuring far-right leaders from around the world, including everyone from Marine Le Pen to Javier Milei. It shows how coordinated the movement is becoming — and how Vox is playing a central role.
Sumar Isn’t Making Its Mark on Spain’s New Government
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, seized the initiative this week by slapping down right-wing judicial attacks on his government. But his left-wing allies Sumar seem increasingly overshadowed — and their weak position is exposing divisions in their ranks.
Activist Judges Want to Oust Spain’s Broad-Left Government
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez may resign after a judge launched a bogus corruption probe targeting his wife, Begoña Gómez. The case is a farce pushed by far-right lobbyists that shows the need to rein in Spain’s politicized judiciary.
Britain Helped Franco Destroy Spanish Democracy
Eighty-five years ago today, Francisco Franco declared victory in the Spanish Civil War. In an interview, historian Paul Preston tells Jacobin about the decisive role that Franco’s sympathizers in the British government played in crushing Spanish democracy.
Why Spain Opposed the West’s Punishment of UNRWA
When the US suspended aid to the main UN aid agency in Gaza, the Spanish government increased its funding. While most Western countries follow a dogged pro-Israel line, left-wing ministers in Spain have been a rare dissenting voice.
To Change Spain, the Left Needs to Rein in a Reactionary Judicial Establishment
Spain’s congress has voted in Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez for a new term as prime minister. His pact with left-wing Sumar and Catalan parties has withstood far-right violence — but must still overcome resistance from conservative activist judges.
In Spain, Conservative Judges Rebel Against an Amnesty for Catalan Nationalists
After an inconclusive election, Spain’s broad-left coalition can only stay in power with Catalan parties’ help. It’s ready to negotiate an amnesty for Catalan nationalists — but the idea is creating an intense backlash from right-wing activist judges.
For Spain’s Left to Remain in Power, It Has to Remake the State
Spain’s election didn’t produce the expected right-wing landslide — and offers the Socialists and left-wing Sumar another chance to govern. To form a majority, they’ll need to assemble a wider coalition, based on remaking Spain’s democratic institutions.
Spain’s Left Is Fighting Back Against the Rise of the Far Right
Yolanda Díaz’s left-unity Sumar platform is gaining momentum, countering far-right Vox’s rise in the final stretch before today’s election. Left-wing unity and mobilization are crucial to fend off the possibility of a reactionary wave.
Spain’s Far Right Say They’re Rebels — But the Establishment’s Already Accepted Them
A decade ago, Spain was often cited as a rare European country without far-right MPs. But polls for Sunday’s election suggest the Franco-nostalgist Vox party is about to enter national government, after years building its influence over mainstream conservatives.
Faced With the Rising Right, Spain’s Left Is Struggling to Build a Common Front
Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz has hailed a unity deal that will see the Left run together in July’s snap election. The deal hasn’t pleased everyone — but it could help keep the far right from power.
Faced With Electoral Wipeout, Spain’s Left Has to Unite
After gains for the Right in Sunday’s local and regional contests, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap general election. Yolanda Díaz’s left-wing Sumar project can get a good result — but only if the Left can overcome its damaging splits.
Spain’s Labor Minister, Yolanda Díaz, Is Working to Rebuild the Left
Spain’s labor minister, Yolanda Díaz, is a Communist — and her success restoring workplace protections has made her the country’s most popular politician. Now her new electoral platform Sumar is trying to use that popularity to revitalize the Spanish left.