The latest outbreak of coronavirus has caused the biggest wave of stock market losses since 2008, wiping $5tn off share values worldwide. Markets are worried that the virus will have a serious impact on an already weak world economy. These fears are not unfounded.

Last week, comrades of the Marxist Tendency helped call a public protest in St. Petersburg against the Network Case, in which several left-wing activists have been given lengthy sentences under anti-terror laws after giving confessions obtained through torture. We share this report of the rally, originally published in Russian on 22 February.