ROSA, also known as ROSA International Socialist Feminist Movement, is a communist feminist organisation based in Ireland that was founded on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

, 8 March 2013. It was established by members of the Trotskyist

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

such as

Ruth Coppinger Ruth Coppinger (born 18 April 1967) is an Irish politician and member of the Socialist Party, and Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency. She was first elected in 2014, was re-elected in 2016 general election, as a candidate for ...

with the aim of campaigning for

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to human reproduction, reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights: Reproductive rights ...

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

, and broader social and economic justice. The organisation is named in honour of

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...

and

Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...

, although it sometimes uses the

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

"Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism and Austerity". ROSA is a member of the

International Socialist Alternative International Socialist Alternative (ISA) is an international association of Trotskyist political parties. ISA was founded by sections on one side of a split in the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). History In 2018 and 2019, a di ...

, an international association of

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

parties and organisations. In 2018 the Socialist Party denied accusations that ROSA is a Trotskyist front designed to allow the Socialist party to control the feminist movement in Ireland. ROSA gained attention in Ireland through

direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...

campaigns, such as the "abortion pill bus" tours and public demonstrations calling for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, which restricted access to abortion in Ireland. ROSA played a role in the broader pro-choice movement leading up to the 2018 referendum that legalised abortion. ROSA has also campaigned in Northern Ireland, where in May 2018, they staged a direct action outside Laganside Courts in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. During the protest, three ROSA activists publicly took abortion pills in defiance of Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws. The event was held to draw attention to the lack of abortion access in the region and to call for legislative reform. Beyond reproductive rights, ROSA has campaigned on issues including gender-based violence, workplace inequality,

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

, and housing. In June 2024, ROSA protested in support of Natasha O'Brien and her case against a Defence Forces soldier who assaulted her. ROSA criticised what it described as a misogynistic judicial system after her attacker received a suspended sentence. The group organised a demonstration outside Limerick Courthouse during Judge Tom O'Donnell's final court sitting before retirement, and joined wider protests taking place across multiple Irish cities. In late November 2024, ROSA organised a protest in Dublin to express solidarity with Nikita Hand, who had recently won a civil case against MMA fighter Conor McGregor. The demonstration, which coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, aimed to highlight systemic issues in how gender-based violence is addressed in Ireland and to support survivors of sexual assault. Participants marched through the city, chanting slogans and carrying banners denouncing victim blaming and calling for justice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ROSA 2013 establishments in Ireland Feminist organisations in Ireland Communist organisations in Ireland International Socialist Alternative Socialist Party (Ireland)