Hands Off Venezuela Brighton launched

About thirty people met at Community Base in Brighton on Wednesday night and decided to set up a local group to campaign in defence of the revolutionary process in Venezuela. After watching the inspirational Irish documentary, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, there was a wide-ranging discussion on what could be done.

Suggestions ranged from monitoring and challenging the media, demanding our local MPs distance themselves from Tony Blair’s recent attacks on Venezuela, intervening in local Mayday events, arranging film shows and discussions around the area, including on the university campuses, to investigating the possibilities of twinning community organisations in both countries and organising our own day-school to develop our familiarity and understanding of the exciting developments in Venezuela.

People agreed to meet again next week to discuss how to prioritise and organise this work.

The meeting came out of an earlier talk on Venezuela given by Espe Espigares of the national HOV campaign to the Brighton Hands Off group, which organises discussions around Iraq and other anti-war issues.

Those present at the launch of Brighton HOVe came from a variety of campaign groups, trade unions, community and political organisations and NGOs, as well as just concerned individuals anxious to learn more and support the efforts of the Venezuelan people to develop their own alternatives to the market fundamentalism that has wreaked such havoc on the peoples of Latin America and many other parts of the world.

The meeting sold £40 worth of videos and Venezuela ABC pamphlets from the national HOV, and raised a further £55 to pay for the room and begin building up a local fund.

It is clear there is a huge appetite for work around Venezuela among important sections of the community here in Brighton. The challenge now is to bring that energy together into a dynamic and useful local campaign.