International Days of Action in solidarity with Venezuela.
- 20 September 2010
Around the world Hands Off Venezuela activists expressed their solidarity with the revolution in Venezuela. In 18 countries hundreds of workers and youth gathered in meetings and other activities to discuss the upcoming elections and spread information about the revolution. Here are a reports from Greece, Belgium, USA and El Salvador with pictures.
Greece | Belgium | USA | El Salvador | Picture gallery
Big success of the HOV Campaign in Greece
Yesterday a delegation of the Greek Ηands Off Venezuela Campaign visited the Venezuelan Embassy in Athens to hand over the Statement in support of the Bolivarian revolution in the forthcoming elections in Venezuela. This Statement was signed by some very well-known and important political leaders of the Greek Left. Among them are the President of SYNASPISMOS, Alexis Tsipras, the left PASOK MP, Sofia Sakorafa, the ex-President of SYNASPISMOS Alekos Alavanos, the candidate for the Presidency of the Athens Region for the forthcoming Regional Elections, Alexis Mitropoulos, the well-known left poet Nadia Valavani and many others.
The Ambassador of Venezuela in Greece, Rodrigo Chavez thanked the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, and spoke enthusiastically about its activities in defence of the Bolivarian Revolution, mentioning in particular the leading figure of the campaign comrade Alan Woods. He promised the delegation any kind of help it may need for the public activities of HOV in Greece.
The statement of HOV in support of the Bolivarian Revolution has also become very well-known inside the Greek Left in general and has been republished on many Left websites. Through this action, once again HOV has demonstrated that is the most active campaign in Greece in defence of the Bolivarian and Latin American revolution in general. The Greek HOV Campaign is planning for the next period a series of activities, starting with a presence in the Synaspismos Youth Festival in the early days of October.
LONG LIVE THE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!
LONG LIVE THE BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTION!
Greece | Belgium | USA | El Salvador | Picture gallery
Belgium – United action in support of the Bolivarian revolution
Some 30 belgian and latinoamerican activists met in solidarity with the revolution in Venezuela. They represented organisations like Hands Off Venezuela, the Colectivo Rodrigista, the Comabe and the Collectif Venezuela 13 avril. Also present were some youth who visited the revolution as part of the first Solidarity Youth Brigade this summer. We distributed leaflets to passers-by in the centre of the city. Not accidentally we met in front of the symbol of capitalism, the Brussels Stock-Exchange. In the leaflet we gave the reasons we supported the revolution. The press department of the Venezuelan embassy filmed our activity and made some interviews. Next week we will make a last effort within the workers and left movement to explain the need for solidarity.
Viva la Revolucion ! Ni un paso atras !
Greece | Belgium | USA | El Salvador | Picture gallery
USA: Minneapolis in Solidarity with the Venezuelan Revolution
On Friday, September 17th, Twin Cities Hands Off Venezuela hosted a discussion on the Venezuelan Revolution at Mayday Books in Minneapolis, with a focus on the upcoming parliamentary elections. John Peterson, National Secretary of US HOV, introduced the discussion by giving an overview of the history of the revolution since the 1989 caracazo, highlighting the different stages and successes of the revolution, and its importance as an inspiring example of ordinary people taking their destinies into their own hands, not only for the Latin America, but for the world. A map was used to illustrate the manner in which US imperialism has been surrounding the country with military bases, in a clear attempt to isolate it and eventually justify an invasion or proxy war, most likely through Colombia.
He also pointed out the problems facing the revolution and the contradictions that remain, namely, the continued existence of capitalism and a state apparatus and bureaucracy designed to defend private property of the means of production. He explained that you cannot make half a revolution. Either the revolution is completed on a socialist basis, meaning that direct, participatory democracy is introduced, as opposed to the existing parliamentary form of government; and also on the economic plane, the key factories, banks, and land must be nationalized and put under the democratic control of the workers and peasants, or the counter-revolution will succeed in rolling back all the gains of the revolution in a vicious manner. In addition to this, he explained the need for the revolution to spread internationally, as there is no solution to the contradictions of capitalism within the limits of any one state.
The September 26th elections and their aftermath are set to be another key point of inflection in the revolutionary process, as the forces of revolution and counter-revolution confront each other once again on the political plane -- and on the streets, in the factories, the universities, and the barracks. There was a lively discussion, including one student who had lived in Venezuela sharing her thoughts on her experiences of the contradictions and polarization in the country. The balance sheet of the discussion was that while there are indeed many problems that remain, such as inflation, dependence on food imports, crime and corruption, there is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater: the revolution must go forward and be completed on the lines outlined above. We will follow up this meeting with an election night fundraiser to monitor the elections and discuss informally, on the evening of September 26th in NE Minneapolis. For details, contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Greece | Belgium | USA | El Salvador | Picture gallery
Hands Off Venezuela - El Salvador at Venezuelan Embassy
Friday, September 17. A delegation from the Popular Youth Block (BPJ) visited the Venezuelan Embassy to show support for Venezuela’s United Socialist Party (PSUV), which is standing in the September 26 elections. In this meeting, we emphasized the need to keep going moving forward and deepen the actual revolutionary process. We talked about the experiences of workers’ control and the lessons we must draw from the bourgeoisie’s economic sabotage against the Venezuelan Government.
This delegation was well received by the Embassy, because they know of the efforts of HoV in several countries, trying to unmask the ambitions of the bourgeoisie and its intervention in the mass media, where they impose their point of view about a process, which is lived and fought for in the streets by the Bolivarian people.
Among the revolution’s achievements, we can list the international missions. Wladimir Ruiz Tirado, the Business Council in El Salvador, told us that in this country there is the Milagro Mission, which covers another 33 countries. From El Salvador alone, there have been already 52 trips to Venezuela by poor people to have their eyes operated on. There are 4000 surgeries in El Salvador, plus another 4,000 run by Cuba, all of them, sponsored by the same Mission. Every six weeks there is a medical delegation that goes to Venezuela to attend and help Venezuelan people free of charge, and the same Mission also provides drugs. Also there are 160 scholarship students who study Engineering, Medicine, Sports, and other subjects. Cultura Mission supports artistic projects, and also cultural heritage recovery.
Finally, there’s the most successful project, known as ALBA-petróleos. This project, aims to get 450,000 barrels of oil, turbogas and propane gas, which is going to be distributed at a cheap price and will be relief for working class families in El Salvador. This project is going to fund loans at a 1% interest rate to projects (some of them have already begun). The BPJ, the El Salvadorian section of the IMT, and member of the HoV Campaign, supports all these projects which are the result of nationalised oil production. They also show us the potential of the whole economy if it were run under democratic workers’ management.
It is because of this, that we support the PSUV candidates to the National Assembly and we are expecting these results to give a bold example of how a revolution can be carried out, by keeping this process alive and expropriating the bourgeoisie and moving forward to Socialism. Forward!
Greece | Belgium | USA | El Salvador | Picture gallery
Picture gallery
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