No sanctions, no coup, no military intervention: HANDS OFF VENEZUELA!

This motion against imperialist aggression on Venezuela was unanimously passed by trade union, Labour Party and solidarity activists who participated in the Hands off Venezuela national conference in London on December 8. 

For the last twenty years there has been a constant campaign of imperialist aggression (including the US and Spain backed coup in April 2002), diplomatic pressure, sanctions, baseless allegations of backing terrorism, etc.

In the recent period we have seen a string of statements and sanctions by the European Union and Switzerland, renewed economic sanctions by the US and even threats of military action on the part of Trump.

These actions have a real negative impact on the Venezuelan economy which is already suffering a deep crisis. Threats by Washington should not be dismissed. It has recently come to light that president Trump pushed his advisors to plan a military intervention in Venezuela to remove president Maduro. The US administration was also in direct discussions with coup plotting Venezuelan army officers. Washington has repeatedly encouraged the removal of the Venezuelan government by an Army coup.

There are now a series of right wing Latin American governments which have escalated aggressive rhetoric against Venezuela, notably Macri in Argentina, Duque in Colombia, Piñera in Chile to which now we can add far right demagogue Bolsonaro in Brazil. There is a concerted attempt to use the issue of Venezuelan migrants to justify an imperialist intervention.

The Hands Off Venezuela conference rejects all of these attempts to interfere in the affairs of Venezuela. None of these governments have the interests of Venezuelan people at heart. Economic sanctions do not help Venezuela, on the contrary, they are designed to inflict pain in the hope that it will lead to the overthrow of the government.

The latest scandalous act of imperialist aggression is the refusal of the UK to return the Venezuelan gold reserves kept in the Bank of England. This is nothing less than an act of buccaneering. We demand that the UK immediately returns to Venezuela what is rightfully hers. We also condemn the actions of the financial giant Euroclear which is withholding $1.2 billion of Venezuelan money which was to be used to pay for the purchase of food and medicines. We demand this money be immediately released.

We commit ourselves to campaign against imperialist aggression and interference in Venezuela on the part of Washington, Brussels, London or the right wing Latin American governments.

No sanctions, no coup, no military intervention: Hands off Venezuela!