The Surge: A Global Cry to Unite Forces Against the Violence of a Predatory System

When a piece of land is constantly subjected to great oppression, there comes a moment when it gives way and a crack opens up. With this vivid metaphor, The Surge—l'Embranzida in Catalan—introduces itself as an international movement calling for a break with the structural violence and oppression of a model that prioritizes capital over life.

Born from the convergence and joint reflection of environmental, antifascist, and pro-Palestinian collectives in response to a global context marked by wars, emergencies, and the advance of the far right, The Surge has begun to raise its voice with mobilizations in about thirty cities worldwide—including Barcelona—on January 18 and 19, coinciding with the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

"The reason behind The Surge is to make visible a frontal and global rejection of this scenario of far-right rise, ecological devastation, and situations of violence such as the genocide being committed in Palestine," explains Virgínia Soler, a member of End Fossil, an entity affiliated with the movement and a co-organizer of The Surge, to Xarxanet.

The alliance is structured around the idea that a joint, forceful, and urgent response is necessary to address crises that impact the well-being of people and the planet. "These are forms of violence that feed off each other, which is why it is necessary to connect struggles and unite forces," adds Uri, an activist from Boicot ICL, one of the collectives that has joined the alliance and a co-organizer of The Surge.

An Alliance Born from Environmental Collectives Calling for Global Mobilization

In Catalonia, The Surge began to take shape around November within various environmental movements that embraced the proposal for global mobilization and the confederalism of struggles brought by fellow activists more involved in international causes. They sought to organize a collective response to Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections, the genocide in Palestine, and the inaction in the face of the climate emergency.

"At first, there were very few of us, and we debated whether it made sense to push this forward here and organize a proposal within this wave of mobilization," says Soler, who, along with other members of End Fossil and individuals from collectives such as Extinction Rebellion and Ecologistes en Acció, worked to assess whether the proposal could move forward.

From there, a network was woven with other collectives, such as those in the solidarity movement with Palestine—including discussions with the Coalició Prou Complicitat amb Israel and Rescop, among others—who agreed to change their mobilization date to unify the protest on January 18.

The demonstrations that filled the streets of more than thirty European cities made the call visible and represent a starting point for a movement designed with a long-term perspective and a commitment to continuity. In Barcelona, around five thousand people gathered, according to the organizers (eight hundred according to the local police), chanting slogans in favor of a free Palestine and against the ecocide perpetrated by predatory capitalism.

"We are satisfied and want to highlight the process that has led us to this starting point, which the mobilization represents. For us, it has more value than numbers or results," says Uri. From here, a group has been formed that now aims to think together, debate, and evaluate the next steps.

Different Faces of the Same Crisis

Thus, the diagnosis of the situation outlined by The Surge is clear: in the face of the failure of capitalist promises—which has generated reactionary responses linked to hatred, rejection of difference, walls, and racism—the movement advocates for a "confederalism of struggles" that puts an end to "policies that justify the hoarding of limited resources by a few to sustain the privileges of wealthy countries and their elites, at the cost of environmental devastation and the genocide of entire peoples," explains Soler.

Similarly, Sara Santana, from End Fossil, insists that "we cannot close our eyes to situations like the genocide in Palestine, which is enabled and promoted by the same capitalist structures responsible for the climate crisis and environmental degradation, and which are also directly linked to far-right movements." Therefore, the alliance calls for not dividing struggles but rather uniting forces against what they consider to be "different facets of the same crisis of global capitalism."

One does not have to look far to find evidence of the connections between rampant capitalism, climate devastation, and the violence inflicted with impunity on peoples like the Palestinians. A clear example of this, according to The Surge, is the Israeli company Israel Chemicals Limited (ICL), which controls several mines and potash and salt production plants in the Bages region.

Through its activities, this multinational contributes to sustaining a polluting, ecocidal, and resource-hoarding production model while also commercializing white phosphorus used to manufacture bombs that bleed the Palestinian population and supporting Israeli occupation forces through so-called philanthropic programs like 'Adopt a Soldier.' "It is an example of green capitalism that is extractivist and anti-ecological," states Uri, a member of Boicot ICL.

Networking and Debating with a Long-Term Vision

Despite everything, The Surge wants to make it clear that it does not intend to "invent anything new" but rather "help in the best possible way to continue with existing and historical struggles, being proactive and taking the initiative to do so together," says Uri.

Thus, the idea is to complement other initiatives with which they share a diagnosis and objectives, such as the Catalan Assemblea Catalana per la Transició Ecosocial, among others. "Perhaps the difference is that The Surge arises from a more grassroots-based proposal and articulation, whereas acTe has a more political and institutional advocacy profile," explains Virgínia Soler, who is part of both collectives and values the attempt to "find different ways to reach people."

However, in the immediate future, The Surge focuses on conducting an internal process and working to maintain the articulation of struggles that took place during the mobilizations on January 18 and 19. "We do not want this to be a one-time event; our goal is to continue creating meeting spaces and building coordinated strategies," Soler asserts.

In this process, one of The Surge’s goals is to network with local collectives and initiatives to join forces. So far, the movement is very pleased with the response from individuals, entities, and collectives that have joined the wave and supported the manifesto. At present, nearly a hundred have done so, and more are joining every day.

The Surge was born as a collective response to the multiple crises afflicting the world, aiming to generate a global movement that connects struggles and sows the seeds for a better future. With the January mobilizations as a starting point, the challenge now is to maintain momentum and consolidate a network that, from the grassroots, helps to dismantle a system that preys on people, territories, and the planet.