From The Periphery Podcast

israa’ and Leila Al Shami host Leila Nashawati, a Madrid-based Spanish-Syrian writer, human rights activist, and professor at Carlos III University, to learn about the housing uprising that has swept Spain since late September.The protests began September 23, 2026, when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from the home she had lived in for seventy years. This eviction was enforced after a long legal battle with the real estate company Urbagestón. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets that day, and within a week an encampment had taken over Puerta del Sol and spread to public squares across the country.In this conversation, israa’, Leila, and Leila explore why the protest erupted and how they connect to the 15-M movement of 2011, what the movement is demanding, what the encampments look like, and how the Spanish government is responding.Further Reading:The Encampment Movement against Evictions and GentrificationY de repente, una sacudida: apuntes al vuelo desde la acampada de SolLos Sindicatos de Inquilinas exigen la aprobación inmediata del Decreto MaricarmenThe movement’s five demands.GuestLeila NashawatiHost:israa' (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,  ⁠⁠IG)⁠⁠Leila ( Bluesky)Subscribe to From the Periphery:BlueSkyInstagram— — —From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you like the work we do, please consider a gift today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the team.

In this episode, israa’ and Leila are joined by two compas from The Peoples Want, Juls and Alaa, to talk about Revolutions of Our Times, an internationalist manifesto written by The Peoples Want.The Peoples Want is an internationalist from below network where israa’, Leila, Juls, and Alaa organize together, and where From the Periphery Media Collective is also a member as a media collective working to elevate voices from the periphery.Our manifesto, Revolutions of Our Times, is now published by Haymarket and available wherever you get your books.In this conversation, israa’, Leila, Alaa, and Juls explore what it means to be an internationalist and build internationalist movements, how exile can be turned into a point of attack, and the role of mutual aid and active solidarity in liberation movements.We invite you to reach out to us to engage more deeply with both the manifesto and The Peoples Want network. We welcome invitations to gatherings, panels, readings, or any other event that deepens our discussion in the manifesto and weaves our struggles together.You can learn more about The Peoples Want and find PDF copies of the manifesto in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic here: https://thepeopleswant.org/You can learn more about the Mujwara campaign here: https://thepeopleswant.org/en/mujawaraYou can purchase the book here:English: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2732-revolutions-of-our-timesFrench: https://www.editionsladecouverte.fr/revolutions_de_notre_temps-9782355222375Spanish: Coming SoonItalian: Coming SoonGerman: Coming SoonHost:israa' (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,  ⁠⁠IG)⁠⁠Leila ( Bluesky)Subscribe to From the Periphery:PatreonYouTubeBlueSkyInstagram— — —From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the team.

In this episode, israa’ reads a dispatch from Iraqi activist Jamal Al-Sayigh. In this important dispatch, Jamal shares an update of the impacts of the escalating violence in Iran and calls for international solidarity in support of:Iraqi civil society and independent activistsFeminist and secular movements under threatTrade unions and grassroots organizersThe right to political dissent without fear of assassinationYou can read the dispatch here:https://antidotezine.com/2026/03/03/dispatch-from-iraq-in-defense-of-civil-society/Additional Resources:https://www.newarab.com/features/yanar-mohammed-remembering-iraqs-advocate-womens-rights?amphttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraqi-oil-production-collapses-with-strait-hormuz-blocked-by-conflict-sources-2026-03-08/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/katyusha-rockets-target-us-embassy-baghdad-security-sources-say-2026-03-07/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/airstrikes-kill-least-two-iraqs-jurf-al-sakhar-pmf-spokesperson-says-2026-02-28/Host:israa' (⁠Bluesky⁠,  ⁠IG)⁠— — —From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Last Saturday, the 28th of February, Israel and the United States launched an unprovoked attack against Iran. Iran responded by attacking both Israel and US bases in the region, as well as against neighbouring Gulf States. The next day Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon, triggering a vicious response by Israel, which greatly expanded the bombing of the country which it never ceased doing despite signing a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in late 2024. This is only a fraction of what is becoming clear as an open regional war.The developments are dizzying. The horrors are on full display. And our hearts are incredibly heavy. In this episode of the From The Periphery Podcast, Elia, Ayman, and israa, sit and compile all the most recent developments (up until March 2), and share their thoughts and feelings. -- -- --Referenced Links: Lebanon Grassroots Aid Network Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon-- -- --Hosts:Ayman Makarem (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠)Elia Ayoub (⁠Bluesky⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Mastadon⁠⁠)israa' (Bluesky,  IG)-- -- --From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠⁠You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Protests have been raging across Iran since December 28, 2025. This is the 5th wave of mass protests in Iran since 2017.In this episode, Ayman reads an extensive essay (a compilation of 3 essays) published by Crimethinc on the protests movement, providing much needed historical, political, social, and economic context.The 3 essays are titled:Report on the Current Wave of Protests in IranContributed by an anarchist based inside IranIran Protests Amid a Siege by Internal and External Enemies: A Report on the Recent Mass UprisingContributed by Roja, an independent, leftist, feminist collective based in Paris.The View from SyriaExcerpted from a statement from anarchist internationalists on the ground in northern Syria.Link to the Full Essay-- -- --Thank you for listening to this episode on our Patreon. If you're already a paid member, thank you so much for your continued support. If you're an unpaid member, please consider becoming a Patron (as little at $5/month) to help support our work.

Join co-hosts Ayman Makarem and Elia Ayoub to discuss the British hunger strikers who are currently at risk of death, as they await trial for alleged activities linked to UK-proscribed group Palestine Action. The discussion covers their plight, the denial of due process related to their case—as well as the indifference of the British media and political establishment. Hosts:Ayman Makarem (⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠)Elia Ayoub (Bluesky⁠,⁠ Mastadon⁠)— —From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today. ⁠⁠You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

To mark one year since the fall of the Assad regime, Ayman Makarem (Politically Depressed), Karena Avidissian, and Leila al-Shami (Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution) sit together to reflect on the fall itself, the Syrian revolution which ultimately led to the fall, and the many many new developments that have occurred since. They discuss the new al-Sharaa administration, the assault and siege on the Sweida province, fear of escalations in the north, the emergence of new identity-based politics, renewed regional and international focus on Syria, and, to top it all off, the memeification of Bashar al-Assad.It's a wide ranging conversation that includes historical, political, and economic aspects. There's of course a lot more to talk about: the fall of a 40 year old regime and the developments of the last year is hard to summarize in one episode.If there is anything you would have wanted to hear more from us, please let us know in the comments.References:Ayman's Video Essay on The Druze (of Sweida)Puppet Show Leila ReferencesBook References by Karena (Ambiguities of Domination)-- -- --From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

In this episode of From the Periphery, we dissect Ilham Aliyev’s latest expansionist remarks and what they signal for the region. We revisit the history of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in 2023, then examine how Aliyev’s rhetoric denies Armenian indigeneity and lays ideological groundwork for claims on Armenia’s territory. A conversation about imperial ambition, historical memory, and the international incentives that enable both.-- -- -- From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.

Large parts of the besieged Sudanese city of Al-Fashir has fallen to the RSF militia. After 18 months of siege, the RSF have entered. Thousands of civilians, who are already starving, are being displaced. The non-Arab populations of are at extreme risk of ethnic killings by the genocidal RSF militia.In this short episode, Ayman reads out a statement released by the Resistance Committee of Al-Fashir, released just a few days ago.For more information on the current war in Sudan check out some of our previous episodes:PolDep S2E19/ Getting People to Care about Sudan /w Sara al-HassanTFTT 188/ Revolutionary Aid in Sudan w/ Eiad HushamFTP Podcast 3/ Khartoum is Free, But The War Rages On - Updates on the War in Sudan

Karena Avedissian interviews Elyse Semerdjian, a social historian of the Ottoman Empire at Clark University. Thediscussion considers the field of Armenian Genocide studies and its response—or lack thereof—to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They also consider the pressures shaping Armenian Genocide studies, and the wider politics of speech, funding, and solidarity in academia. What responsibilities do scholarshave when history repeats itself?-- -- --From The Periphery Podcast is supported by the community around us. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Please consider becoming a member of our Patreon today.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You not only help us make more episodes like this, but you get exclusive access to other content, an invitation to our monthly hangout, and direct contact with the rest of the team.