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  Published in Politics and Government on Sunday, October 12th 2025 at 22:04 GMT by World Socialist Web Site

The World Socialist Web Site’s October 12, 2025 article “The O’Briens: A New Vanguard for Direct Action” traces the emergence of the O’Briens—an informal coalition of youth activists, trade‑union organizers, and grassroots organizers who have taken up the mantle of Thomas O’Brien, a nineteenth‑century labor leader whose tactics of “defiant direct action” are being revived for the contemporary crisis of late capitalism. The piece is a blend of reportage, analysis and direct quotations that situate the O’Briens within the broader constellation of anti‑capitalist movements in North America, Europe, and Latin America.

The article opens with a vivid description of the O’Briens’ inaugural public action in New York City on 3 October, where a group of about 500 participants staged a sit‑in on Wall Street to protest the bank bail‑in that was approved by the Treasury the previous month. The writer notes that the sit‑in, which lasted nine hours, was organized through a “network of clandestine meetings in basement cafés, a dedicated Discord channel, and a new mobile app called O’Briens Action.” The author cites the official statement released by the O’Briens on their website (https://www.obriens.org/press/pressrelease-10-03-2025.html), which claims that the protest succeeded in forcing the Federal Reserve to release a statement that the bail‑in would be rolled back “in the interest of public safety.” The article then contrasts this momentary victory with the “systemic nature of capitalist exploitation” that the O’Briens continually highlight.

A significant portion of the piece is devoted to an interview with John Carter, the de facto spokesperson of the O’Briens, quoted at length. Carter explains that the group’s strategy is deliberately “radical, not revolutionary” in the sense that it seeks to destabilize the state‑capitalist alliance before a broader, organized proletarian uprising can take place. “We are not trying to win elections,” he says, “we are trying to win people’s lives by creating a crisis that the current system cannot ignore.” Carter further describes how the O’Briens plan to launch a “People’s Strike” on 24 October, a coordinated series of walkouts, factory occupations, and public occupations in major cities worldwide, including London, São Paulo, and Paris. He notes that this strike will be backed by the International Union of Socialist Workers, whose manifesto was published in a 15‑page pamphlet on 10 October (see https://www.iusw.org/manifesto-10-10-2025.pdf).

The article makes extensive use of statistical evidence from the “Freedom Report 2025” published by the Institute for Labor Rights (https://www.ilr.org/freedomreport2025). The report shows that “unemployment among youth in the United States has risen to 12 percent,” and that “the average wage growth for the bottom 20 percent of the wage distribution has stalled since 2015.” The O’Briens, according to the article, have used these data to frame their narrative: that the current “capitalist crisis” is not a temporary economic downturn but a structural collapse that can only be overcome through mass action.

A further analytical component is the article’s discussion of historical antecedents. The writer cites a short essay by Dr. Maria Alvarez, a historian of the labor movement, which appears in the “Labor Review” (https://www.laborreview.org/vol21/avalanche). Alvarez argues that the O’Briens’ tactics are “in direct line with the legacy of the early 1900s Industrial Workers of the World (IWW),” especially the “fighting spirit of the ‘Red Army’ that confronted state machinery.” The article highlights a quotation from Alvarez: “The O’Briens may be a small group, but they embody a new wave of radicalism that could, if sustained, transform the nature of class struggle in the twenty‑first century.”

The piece also follows two internal links that expand the context. The first, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/10/12/loib-o12.html#strike, leads to an overview of the planned People’s Strike, including a map of the cities involved and a timeline of the actions. The second link, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/10/12/loib-o12.html#video, contains a 45‑minute documentary produced by the O’Briens’ media arm. The documentary shows footage from the 3 October sit‑in, interviews with participants, and an analysis of the police response. The video underscores the “high level of organization” and “communication skills” that the O’Briens have cultivated.

The article concludes by reflecting on the potential implications of the O’Briens’ campaign for the wider anti‑capitalist movement. The author suggests that the group’s emphasis on direct action “could serve as a catalyst for a larger coalition,” especially if the People’s Strike achieves its stated goals. The article closes with a call to readers to “join the conversation” on the O’Briens’ Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/obriens.org) and to “share the manifesto with your local comrades.”

Overall, the WSWS piece offers a comprehensive snapshot of a nascent but growing faction within the global left. By blending reportage, primary source documents, statistical evidence, and historical analysis, the article situates the O’Briens as a potentially pivotal force in the fight against late capitalism. It urges its readers to recognize the urgency of mass action and to support the O’Briens’ forthcoming People’s Strike, positioning this struggle as the next logical step in the ongoing battle for a just, socialist society.