The First International Anti-Fascist Conference, which will be held from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Porto Alegre (RS – Brazil), was conceived as an urgent political act of collective resistance against the global advance of the far right and the authoritarian escalation that threatens rights and democracy. Organised by anti-fascist forces, the conference will open with a large street demonstration and will feature a variety of thematic panels constructed in pluralistic and participatory fashion, as well as self-managed activities that empower social movements, youth and popular activism in the construction of concrete alternatives for international solidarity and for the fight against fascism.
The conference is organised on the initiative of the MES-PSOL in alliance with the Workers’ Party (PT) and the Communist Party (PCdoB) of Porto Alegre, an alliance that has been extended to social movements (such as the Landless Movement – MST) and various national workers’ unions, such as education workers’ unions, metro workers’ unions and other more organised categories in Brazil.
The PT is the party of Lula, the current president of Brazil. Internationally, it is linked to the São Paulo Forum, the Progressive International and similar organisations. It is the largest party in terms of membership in the country and the second largest bloc in the Chamber of Deputies. In the trade union movement, it leads the CUT (the largest trade union federation in the country). Lula’s government remains in coalition with other left-wing parties, but also with sectors of the traditional right. Lula’s position on Ukraine is fairly centrist, criticising the war in abstract terms and advocating immediate peace (even with annexations of Ukrainian territory).
The PCdoB is the largest so-called ‘communist’ party in the country, but it has faced a major decline in recent years, losing parliamentarians and political influence. It leads the CTB trade union federation. Its positions are the most militant within the Conference, being directly linked to the Anti-Fascist International promoted by the Venezuelan government and openly defending pro-Putin positions.
In the PSOL, the MES is the largest internally organised tendency in terms of number of members and the second largest in terms of number of affiliates. We have two federal deputies, four state deputies and several councillors in all regions of the country, and we are one of the largest left-wing organisations among young people and in the education trade union movement. In Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian state of which Porto Alegre is the capital, we are the largest force in the PSOL and lead the local PSOL, as well as the metro workers’, health workers’ and public servants’ unions in the city of Porto Alegre. In the national trade union field, we are the majority force in Conlutas, a federation that openly declares itself pro-Ukraine.
The organising committee of the Anti-Fascist Conference decided that the invitation would be open to all organisations and groups that claim to be anti-fascist within a broad spectrum, and that all positions present in this field would have space to intervene and debate, as well as to hold workshops and other activities, thus guaranteeing participation and mutual respect among all comrades present in Porto Alegre.
The alliance for the construction of the Conference stems from the need for anti-imperialist struggle in the face of the new Trump administration, which started the tariff war in 2025 and this year has already kidnapped President Maduro of Venezuela, expanded the blockade of Cuba and in recent days launched unprecedented attacks against Iran. In this context, unity with ‘campist’ sectors becomes necessary, especially in Latin America, but without retreating from our internationalist positions: one of the main tasks is to support the Ukrainian resistance against Putin’s Russia.
This task of building unity—in which we, the MES, are the main driving force—is delicate, because it combines the necessary unity with the campistas with the equally necessary fight against other imperialisms besides the United States, such as Russian imperialism. Unity against US imperialism will be the central theme of the Conference, including the participation of Cuban, Venezuelan and similar representatives, but this unity will not prevent the affirmation of solidarity with other peoples in resistance around the world, such as the Ukrainians, Russian and Chinese dissidents, among other cases. Therefore, the free participation of Ukrainian delegates in any of the plenary sessions is guaranteed.
As it is being organised in this democratic spirit, we see the conference as a great opportunity to raise awareness among the Latin American public about the legitimate Ukrainian resistance, and especially about the current situation of the struggles of the Ukrainian working class. Unfortunately, in Latin America, the pro-Russian sectors are very powerful and have spread many lies and misinformation about Russian aggression, which is why all efforts to inform and debate an internationalist position on Ukraine are crucial.
Therefore, the participation of Ukrainian trade unionists in a self-organised activity on the Ukrainian situation will be very important in spreading this information, especially among Brazilian and Latin American trade unionists who know little about the situation. It is also important to note that the years of war have made the extreme right-wing nature of Putin’s government even more evident, and while the pro-Russian position was much more widespread before, now the campists are more secretive about their open support for Putin and end up defending an ‘abstract peace’ that does not support the Ukrainian resistance, but also does not openly endorse Putin’s policy.
At the Conference, we will also have large delegations in defence of the Ukrainian resistance. The Argentine delegation (the second largest national delegation at the Conference) overwhelmingly supports the Ukrainian resistance, as do significant delegations from countries such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Western European countries. In other words, there will be days of debate between different positions in which the campists will not be in the majority and there will be a significant pole of support for Ukraine.
We already have more than 140 workshop activities registered. Among them, around 30 are international activities and, of these, more than 20 will be organised by sectors outside the camp, such as CADTM, ATTAC, the Ecosocialist Network and sectors of the Venezuelan dissidence. Among these workshops will be the one promoted by ENSU, ‘The Ukrainian people and their working class in the face of Putin’s Russian war of aggression.’ There will also be another separate workshop with Russian left-wing opponents. On the campist side, there will be fewer than 10 workshops, among which only one (from the so-called Antifascist International) will be essentially pro-Putin.
We reaffirm our invitation to our Ukrainian comrades to come to Porto Alegre and support us in the debate and dissemination of more information about the Ukrainian resistance and the organised struggle of the working class in that country. Let’s go to Porto Alegre!
For more information on the MES, see this interview with MES representatives Pedro Fuentes and Mariana Riscali.