Paulo Galo
Paulo Galo is a labour militant from Brazil and one of the most prominent figures in the country’s couriers’ movement. In the past six years, Galo has become one of the loudest voices on the radical left, calling for the left to return to its popular grassroots. His political formation began in his adolescence in the favelas of São Paulo, where hip-hop introduced him to Black radical thought. From 2012 onwards, Galo worked as a delivery rider, where his racial awareness transformed into class consciousness on the streets. When the pandemic hit in 2020, and platform companies tightened their grip on riders’ conditions, Galo became a central figure in the national strikes in the delivery sector, Breque dos Apps, and founded the movement Entregadores Antifascistas (Antifascist Couriers). In the following year, Galo led the action that burned down the statue of Borba Gato — a colonial explorer and symbol of Brazilian slavery and colonial violence — giving birth to the Revolução Periférica (Peripheric Revolution) movement. The action led to his arrest and imprisonment, making him a reference point for a generation of militants committed to direct action from the periphery.