Sunday 28 June 2026 at 11:00
Welsh International Brigaders National Memorial
Alexandra Gardens (behind Cardiff City Hall)
IB Cymru, an affiliate of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, is organising the annual commemoration of the Welsh International Brigaders for 2026.
This year marks 90 years since the start of the Spanish Civil War which took place between 1936 and 1939.
The war began as a failed military coup against the left Popular Front government in Spain. In a Europe where the rise of fascism was evident, the Spanish Civil War quickly became a war between progressive forces and right-wing fascists and was a pre-cursor to the Second World War. As such, it attracted international volunteers who joined the war to support the democratically elected Republican government. The aerial bombardment and destruction of the Basque town of Guernica by Nazi German and fascist Italian forces in 1937 inspired the powerful anti-war painting of the same name by Pablo Picasso.
Many communists from all over the world heeded the call and volunteered to travel to Spain and join the fight against fascism. Welsh Brigaders were primarily members of the Communist Party.
Apart from the significant 90-year anniversary, this year is particularly significant given the evident rise of the far-right not only in Britain but in the whole of Europe and the world. Fascism is the backup plan of capitalism for stopping people protests when social-democratic governments fail to do so. Capitalism from 2008 onwards is in crisis, with stagnant growth and minimal return to investment. This is very similar to the economic situation in the 1920s and 30s, and, like then, the promotion of far-right and fascist ideas is used to enable militarism and eventually war, to reset the balance of capitalist powers and produce growth for the winners.
As such, the commemoration this year is an essential activity for comrades to understand the past and raise a strong voice against fascism and the persistent attempts by the British government for further militarisation and war.
Schedule
The schedule of the event will be confirmed soon.
