English

What is Grenzeloos?

Grenzeloos (Borderless) is an undogmatic radical left-wing website that stands for ecosocialism, feminism and democracy. The site is maintained by Socialist Alternative Politics (SAP), a group of Dutch socialists who are active in trade unions, the anti-war movement, Palestine solidarity work, feminist and queer activism and the fight for a different Europe. Many of us also participate in the Socialist Party, as a way of helping to build a broad, militant left-wing movement for genuine change.

The SAP belongs to the Fourth International, a network of socialist parties and groups working for a global socialist alternative. The socialism we are fighting for would put an end (in the words of Karl Marx) to ‘all those conditions in which humans are abased, enslaved, abandoned, contemptible beings’. It would put an end to poverty and exploitation, environmental degradation, malnutrition, social exclusion and marginality, war and oppression, throughout the world.

The means to create this socialism exist. A different world is possible, if we dare to make a radical break with capitalism: this economic system in which profit counts for more than people and the environment. Because capitalism has failed in ecological as well as human terms, we are ecosocialists. Now we need radical alternatives. While we may not have a blueprint, we have the will to understand and change the world, and a number of starting points as a foundation on which to build a different, more democratic, social and ecologically sustainable world.

For us in the SAP, ecosocialism is inextricably linked to radical democracy and self-management. We are fighting for a world in which all people enjoy the greatest possible range of democratic rights in every area of life. A world in which people make decisions for themselves, even and especially at work, rather than accepting the dictates of their bosses, a political elite or the ‘laws of the market’.

The SAP is a feminist organization. This means that we not only demand equal rights for women and men, but also resist the dominant, paternalistic gender roles that rob human beings of their freedom. Rejecting all forms of discrimination, we consistently defend the rights and liberation of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, queers and everyone who does not feel at home within the heterosexual norm. The SAP also stands for a society in which diversity is treasured, and therefore fights against racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Immigrants have the right to full equality in society, including all democratic and social rights. They deserve our solidarity in the face of attacks by racists and right-wing populists.

A better world will not come into existence automatically; it must be struggled for. We need to build resistance movements, take to the streets, and engage in serious reflection and discussion about progressive alternatives. Grenzeloos seeks to make a contribution to these efforts. If you would like to make your own contribution, we invite you to visit our site, discuss with us, and submit articles. We also publish an English-language paper, Borderless.

Grenzeloos has an editorial board, whose members are Lot van Baaren, Willem Bos, Marijke Colle, Peter Drucker, Alex de Jong, Patrick van Klink, Rob Lubbersen, Rob Marijnissen and Wiliam van den Heuvel.

The Grenzeloos site is maintained by unpaid volunteers; the only financial support we receive is from our members and sympathizers. If you would like to support our work, please transfer your contribution to our bank account, IBAN NL25INGB0005571638, under the name Grenzeloos, Haarlem.

To suggest a topic for an article, submit an article yourself, join the SAP or ask for more information about becoming a member, please get in touch by emailing us at redactie@grenzeloos.org. If you prefer to contact us by post, please write to us at Grenzeloos, Lombokstraat 40, 1094 AL Amsterdam.

Below is a list of articles in English written by Grenzeloos editorial board members.

Alex de Jong - A Commune in Rojava? Winter 2016

Alex de Jong - Interview: Kurdish autonomy between dream and reality, June 4, 2015

Alex de Jong - Indonesia 1965: The Forgotten Massacres, June 2, 2015

Alex de Jong - Stalinist caterpillar into libertarian butterfly? - The evolving ideology of the PKK, 11 March 2015.

Peter Drucker - Science and Sex: Hirschfeld’s Legacy winter 2015

Alex de Jong - Pro-gay and anti-Islam: rise of the Dutch far-Right 8 february 2015

Peter Drucker - Decolonizing Our Bodies, Decolonizing Our World: Fighting Heteronormativity, Homonormativity and Homonationalism 31 October 2014

Alex de Jong - From Sect to Mass Party, The Dutch Socialist Party went from fringe force to national contender. But lost its soul along the way.

Peter Drucker- TUNISIA "Bitter victories, but real ones" CONVERSATION WITH AHLEM BELHADJ Sunday 6 April 2014

Maral Jefroudi - The “New Turkey” Wednesday 2 April 2014.

Alex de Jong, Wolfgang Alles, Zely Ariane, Social struggles in Indonesia, women workers and the Left Tuesday 1 April 2014.