The World Festival of Students and Youth - After August, What's Next?

The World Festival of Students and Youth will take place this August 7-15th in Caracas, Venezuela. The theme of this festival is international, anti-imperialist solidarity. That is a very fitting theme for a festival taking place in Caracas.As has been reported on www.handsoffvenezuela.org, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is under the very serious threat of intervention and attack at the hands of U.S. imperialism. That is why we must take the lessons we learn at this festival and use them to generate defense action here at home!        

The Venezuelan revolution must be defended as an example to all of Latin America and to the world. In Venezuela, the people rose. From the grass roots level, the people have founded their own democracy. They have overcome attack from within and from without. They elected their own president, they smashed the short lived U.S.-backed coup, they defeated the recall referendum with overwhelming participation, and they have passed laws on land reform and established worker-controlled factories a number of times. This revolutionary process is a shining example to us all.

Now, the revolution is under heavy pressure from Washington. The Bush regime has expressed its “concern” about the events in Venezuela and would like nothing more than to see a restoration of the old system. The rich Venezuelan oligarchy are snuggled nicely in the U.S. ruling class’ back pocket (right next to their wallet). With enemies like these, the revolution needs all the help it can get. We saw that in Nicaragua and Granada.        

Because the Venezuelan revolutionary process is at a decisive stage, where the people will see it through to the socialist end or the oligarchy and the foreign capitalist puppetmasters will destroy it, an international defense network is needed. There must be an organized network, fighting for the right to self determination without foreign interference of semi-colonial countries such as Venezuela. How do we help?        

The Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, founded in December 2002, has been at the forefront of this defense through its various public events, appeals and petitions, fundraisers, and educational analysis. Now that campaign is expanding.The campaign is launching HOV coalitions across the U.S. and the world to educate and rally people at the local level.

Also, it isn’t too late to sign the Hands Off Venezuela appeal! The more signatures we can get, the more we can show the people of Venezuela and the gangsters in Washington that we support the Venezuelan workers and poor and we will all see it through to the end. The aims of the U.S. HOV campaign are clear:         

The U.S. Hands Off Venezuela Campaign opposes all forms of intervention by the U.S. government and its agencies in Venezuela and works to:

• Educate and raise awareness about events in Venezuela in order to counter the bias of the mainstream media.

• Build solidarity between American and Venezuelan trade unionists and working people in general.