Hundreds of social movement activists from around the world marched through Porto Alegre on Thursday to inaugurate the First International Antifascist Conference, a four-day gathering aimed at building collective resistance against the far‑right surge.
The conference, running through March 29 in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, opened with a large street demonstration and a series of participatory panels designed to strengthen international solidarity and antifascist organizing.
During a panel on the role of institutional politics, Spanish Member of the European Parliament Ana Miranda said the antifascist struggle must include defending the sovereignty of nations, citing what she described as “imperialist attacks on Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Iran, Palestine, Libya and Syria.”
She further accused the United States of playing a central role in advancing such policies, asserting that “North American imperialism is currently set on killing peoples.”
Organizers said the conference also includes self‑managed activities aimed at empowering youth, popular militancy and grassroots movements. A declaration of principles signed by 1,800 activists from Latin America and beyond has backed the event.