On Sunday the 16th of February an International Brigades memorial event was held in Manchester Central Library. The library is home to a plaque dedicated to the memory of volunteers who went to fight Franco’s fascists.
Dozens of attendees including communists from Spain, Italy and Britain gathered along with other anti-fascists to remember those who travelled to Spain to fight the rising fascist tide in the name of international solidarity and the working class. Several speeches were given by the family members of brigadiers from England and Spain about the importance of keeping the anti-fascist spirit of the International Brigades alive.
There was also a moving rendition by the Bolton Clarion Choir of The Internationale, the song sang by many of the International Brigade volunteers that highlights the importance of international solidarity.
More than anything else the event served to highlight and reinforce the need to make sure that the sacrifices of the International Brigades are not forgotten or wasted: the working class must band together and fight on in their memory.