Solidarity
- 19 May 2005
As part of this campaigning work the Hands Off Venezuela supporters in the union organised a fringe meeting on Saturday evening to highlight the revolutionary process in this Latin American country and to rally support for Venezuela against the threat of imperialist intervention on the part of the USA. There was a thorough debate at the meeting with those taking part asking a lot of questions about what is happening in Venezuela.
On Sunday May 15, a delegate for General Industries, and also a Hands Off Venezuela supporter, Espe Espigares presented a resolution that appealed to the conference and the union as a whole to pledge support for “the revolutionary movement of the Venezuelan people in their struggle for socialist equality and justice” and also for the Hands Off Venezuela campaign.
She explained how the USA is pointing the finger at Venezuela as rogue state, but she answered this by giving facts and figures about what the Bolivarian revolution is actually achieving for the poor masses, including the literacy campaign, healthcare etc. And she added that these are the kinds of policies we would like to see here in Britain, and therefore it is the duty of the labour movement in Britain and throughout the world to support the Venezuelan revolution.
This resolution was passed with a massive 521 votes in favour. This represents 97% of the conference delegates. On the basis of this resolution the Hands Off Venezuela campaign can now officially circulate its message of solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution among the members of one of the biggest trade unions in Europe with 1.2 million members. The Chair of the conference explained that the Venezuelan question was a very important issue and it is important that the union is now taking it on board.
During the 5-day conference delegates and some Brighton based supporters of the campaign collected hundreds of signatures for the “Open letter to US trade unions”. Importantly, among the signatories were Derek Simpson, the General Secretary of the union, as well as several members of the NEC, including Bill Spiers, Meurig Thomas, John Oliver, Steve Davison (Chair of Amicus), Dave Hutchinson, Jane Stewart, Colin Walker, Dean Taylor, Eddie Grimes and Howard Turner. Among the international visitors C.H. Venkatachalam, the General Secretary of the All India Bank Employees’ association also signed up.
This decision of Amicus comes after a number of other important unions in Britain have already pledged support for the Bolivarian revolution and for the Hands Off Venezuela campaign. Amongst those is the railway workers union RMT, the firefighters FBU, the transport union TGWU, the journalists union NUJ and the college lecturers union NATFHE.
Now we need to build on this successful intervention at Amicus conference and reach out to more trade unions with the message of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign.
Here we publish the text of the resolution that was passed.
Resolution 97 for the Amicus Policy Conference 2005
Venezuela
This Conference deplores the intents of the United States to intervene in the internal life of Venezuela. Two attempts have been made to overthrow the democratically elected Government of Hugo Chavez and behind these attempts has been the hand of the CIA. Conference pledges its support to the revolutionary movement of the Venezuelan people in their struggle for socialist equality and justice. Furthermore Conference pledges support to the “Hands Off Venezuela Campaign” which seeks to promote awareness of what is happening in Venezuela.
- 01 June 2005
The Hands Off Venezuela Campaign (London) is organising an event to support a delegation to the 16th World Festival of Students and Youth, in August in Caracas, Venezuela. It will include an auction, raffle, day school (of talks and salsa classes), music and a party.
If you would like to help, we are looking for auction/raffle donations and bids. The donated items don't necessarily have to have a link to Venezuela and they can be an offer of time rather than an item. Our donated items include:
Spanish lessons
coffee from Columbia and Cuba
rum from Venezuela
DVDs/videos/books
professional massage session
day of chauffeuring services
two sessions of Chinese healing art Qigong
The donated items don't necessarily have to have a link
to Venezuela. You can offer your time instead of a specific
item.
The auction items will be listed on our website www.handsoffvenezuela.org and can be downloaded as a PDF file. You can send donation offers and advance bids to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The auction will be held on Saturday June 25th at the rampART centre, London as part of a Hands Off Venezuela dayschool/party.
Download this announcement as a PDF file and distribute it!
Thanks to our sponsors!
Latin Quarter www.latinquarteruk.com
Keoti www.keoti.com
The Hands Off Venezuela Campaign is a broad-based campaign, established to raise awareness about Venezuela. The campaign provides information about the situation in the country, including the positive social changes currently taking place and promotes links with groups in other countries.
www.handsoffvenezuela.org
The rampART Creative Centre and Social Space hosts a variety of cultural and political events. It is located at 15-17 Rampart Street (off Commerical Road), London E1 2LA. rampart.omxtra.net/modules/news/
- 12 May 2005
On May 7, the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign made a presentation at the 1st annual Winnipeg Social Forum, held at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba. Joining some 60 people who had participated in a full day of presentations, workshops, discussions, musicians, food, and street theatre, the supporters of Hands Off Venezuela and Fightback participated in a lively discussion on the important issue of Venezuela. Cy Gonick of SMAC facilitated the session.
John Peterson, from the U.S. HOV campaign, briefly introduced the film "Venezuela Bolivariana", an overview of events in Venezuela from the 1989 "Caracazo" uprising to the aftermath of the 2002 coup against democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the film was cut short. Peterson picked up where the film left off, bringing the audience up to the present situation in Venezuela. Many questions were asked after his introduction, and many in the enthusiastic and attentive audience expressed an interest in forming a Winnipeg HOV committee. Peterson also informed the audience of the World Festival of Students and Youth taking place this summer in Caracas, Venezuela, and issued an appeal for trade unionists in Canada to support the latest petition of the campaign (see Open Letter to U.S. Trade Unionists).
After the event, many of those present visited the HOV / Fightback table to
sign the HOV petition, pick up leaflets and other materials, ask further
questions, etc. There was broad interest in the revolutionary events taking
place in Venezuela, with eagerness to build solidarity and raise awareness
through film showings, visits by trade unionists from Venezuela, visits to
Venezuela to learn from the grassroots movement, etc.
"Winnipeg, with its history of class struggle and workers' movements is a great place to build upon the Hands Off Venezuela campaign, which I believe will play a huge role in the fight to allow the Venezuelan people self-determination free from U.S. intervention. Educating the people of the world about working, evolving alternatives to capitalism and imperialist governments is key in the struggle for a world wide workers' revolution," said Aly Malabar, an HOV supporter in Winnipeg.
A meeting to formally launch the Winnipeg HOV committee will be announced soon. We invite you to join us in this important campaign. The effects of the Venezuelan Revolution will be far-reaching, and will shape the politics of the entire hemisphere in the coming years. Please write us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get involved or for more information.
- 12 May 2005
On the eve of May Day, forty people gathered at the Unitarian Church to launch the Hands off Venezuela campaign in Vancouver. Four speakers briefly addressed the meeting before the floor was opened up for discussion – both political and tactical.
Well-known Vancouver City Councilor Tim Louis (from the Coalition of Progressive Electors) linked the Bolivarian revolution to the struggle for socialism in Canada. Political Science professor Peter Prontzos discussed US imperialism in Latin America past and present, and Jay Hartling reported on the recent trip of the Bolivarian Circle of Vancouver (Bob Everton) to Venezuela. Miriam Martin from Fightback and the International Hands off Venezuela campaign reviewed the gains of the revolution so far and emphasized the need for the revolution to be carried to its logical conclusion - socialism. An organizing committee was struck, and it was agreed that public events should continue monthly—including pickets, film screenings, parties with food and music, and a book launch for Alan Woods’ new book The Venezuelan Revolution - A Marxist Perspective. $100 was collected to be shared with some youth from the church’s Social Justice Committee, who will be attending the World Festival of Students and Youth this summer in Caracas. The collection also contained 35,000 Bolivars!
The launch was filmed and will be aired on Global Justice television on Shaw cable 4.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Hands off Venezuela campaign in Vancouver, please contact vancouver[at] handsoffvenezuela.org.
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