Top Manta, a brand created by illegal street vendors in the streets of Barcelona
In Barcelona, undocumented street vendors have created their own clothing brand: Top Manta. From having to work illegally for years without residence permits, they now managed to set up a business, leave the streets and give a legal job to 200 people. This is their story. This is the second video of @streetpress series “Local […]
Students build a community in Catalonia with human towers
At the University of Lleida, in Catalonia, Ivan accompanies VD journalist Sara Del Dot on a journey through the local tradition of human towers and explains why building human towers promotes trust, solidarity, friendships and is fundamental to building a community. This is the fourth video in the @vdnews_ita series on student initiatives in Europe. […]
In France, this truck driver uses social media to break stereotypes
La Cagoule is the alter-ego 24-year-old man from Reims. He started out as an Uber driver, like many young people, then as a delivery van driver, but for three years now he has been driving trucks all over Europe. To show young people that this job is not what many thing it is, he’s taken […]
One man’s war against class stereotypes in Hungary
István Kovács comes from a many-generation family of miners, and his opportunities predestined him to the exact same fate as his ancestors: he worked as a miner, and would most likely have remained one until the end of his working years—if, in the meantime, all deep mining operations in the country hadn’t been shut down. […]
From hate speech to institutional discrimination: what’s it like to be a Muslim in Greece?
Javed Aslam is the president of the Pakistani Community of Greece, a long-time activist and community leader advocating for immigrant rights and integration. Through his work he has become a key voice against xenophobia and Islamophobia in Greece, speaking out on issues ranging from labor exploitation to racist violence. Our partners @Popagandagr talked to him […]
The story of Laura: reimagining motherhood after a hysterectomy
Laura is a radiant 36-year old woman living in the Marche region of Italy. A few years ago, she had to undergo a hysterectomy to remove a cervical tumour. That surgery forever changed her life, making it impossible for her to have children. This experience pushed Laura to rethink the concept of motherhood and what […]
Student poverty: in France, students help each other by distributing food and other products
Being a student is a struggle in itself. Add to that rising rents, unaffordable groceries, sanitary products, isolation, and the situation becomes unbearable. In France, volunteer networks set up during the Covid-19 pandemic are trying to find a solution: distributing food and hygiene products while building social ties. Journalist Samuele Maccolini travelled to Orsay, near […]
In Warsaw, an abortion centre makes history — and gets on the nerves of the far-right
Feminist activists from the Abortion Dream Team have opened the first abortion center in Poland, one of the EU countries where access to abortion is most limited. From merch that can fund abortions to a private room where anyone can take the abortion pill, surrounded by friends and taking their time, the centre offers a […]
In Asturias, Spain, a mining accident raises issues that go beyond workers’ rights
Five workers died and four were seriously injured in an explosion at the Zarréu mine in Asturias in March 2024. The most serious accident in Asturian mining in almost three decades raised the issue of permits system, controls, and public aid for mines undergoing restructuring. From climate crisis to the need for digital transformation, the […]
As climate change drives summer temperatures higher, in Rome, tourists don’t seem to care
Europe is sweltering under relentless heatwaves, with 40°C days turning into a new normal. From Spain to Germany and the UK, record temperatures are shutting down schools, tourist sites, and even forcing workers off fields. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns: “Extreme heat is no longer rare – it’s the new normal. No country is safe.” […]
