Build Solidarity with the Venezuelan Revolution! Build the HoV Campaign!

The Hands off Venezuela Campaign held an excellent meeting at the University of London Union last night. More than 100 people attended the meeting to hear Ruth Winters (President of the FBU), Jorge Martin (International Secretary HoV), John McDonnell MP, Anastacio Rodriguez (teacher and UNT leader), and Jeremy Dear (General Secretary NUJ) who chaired the meeting, speak on the Venezuelan revolution and the need to continue building international solidarity.

Ruth Winters, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) President, started off by explaining the FBU’s long tradition of international solidarity, which includes solidarity campaigns for Cuba, Colombia, Iraq and Palestine. She compared the Colombian government to the one government in the region that actually governs in favour of working people – Cuba. To this we can now add Venezuela.

The FBU president explained that opposition was growing all across the world to the imperialist policies of the IMF and the World Bank, and that Chavez, like Castro, is not afraid to lead this opposition and criticise these policies. We must never forget that there are powerful vested interests in defeating the progressive movement in Venezuela. She urged all trade unions to keep these issues at the forefront, and to fight for truth, especially in the media. She ended by saying that the National Executive of the FBU had just ratified its affiliation to the Hands off Venezuela campaign, and that it was necessary to educate union members about the significance and meaning of what was happening in Venezuela. She expressed her pride in the FBU’s role in the Hands off Venezuela Campaign and that the FBU was proud to assist in building the campaign.

Jorge Martin, International Secretary of the Hands off Venezuela Campaign, having visited Venezuela several times over the last few years, was able to give a concrete picture to the revolution unfolding there. He began by explaining why the Hands off Venezuela Camapign believes that a revolution is taking place in Venezuela. The definition of revolution is when ordinary working people take their future into their own hands. This could clearly be seen in the Recall Referendum in August of last year, when 100,000 Electoral Platoons, each with 10 members, were organized to mobilise the population and to campaign in the referendum. This was an example of the revolutionary enthusiasm of the Venezuelan people, where 1 million people in a country of 25 million were organized to mobilise support in elections.

Jorge also explained the massive influence of the Venezuelan revolution throughout Latin America. A new wave of hope has spread across Latin America as a result of the Venezuelan revolution. In the past, many left-wing leaders and governments were elected in Latin America, but if they ever actually tried to do anything meaningful, they would face a coup, as was the case in Chile in the 1970s. Something similar happened in Venezuela in 2002, except that the masses came out to the streets and defeated the coup. This is an enormous inspiration to people all across Latin America, and shows that it is possible to fight, and to win.

Jorge ended by explaining the importance of Chavez raising the debate on socialism. For the first time in a long time, since the fall of the Berlin Wall 15 years ago, the question of socialism has been raised – and not by some small group, but by the president of a country and the leader of a mass movement. Everywhere across Venezuela, workers and peasants are debating and discussing how to build socialism in Venezuela.

Jeremy Dear, NUJ General Secretary and chairman of the meeting, explained that because of the militant, democratic traditions and methods of the UNT, that the UNT had now become the largest trade union federation in Venezuela. He also informed the audience that Orlando Chirino, a UNT leader and the scheduled speaker for the meeting, could not be there due to a death in his family during the ILO Conference in Geneva. Anastacio Rodriguez, a leader of the Teacher’s Federation and UNT coordinator, and UNT representative at the ILO Conference in Geneva, came to speak in his stead.

Anastacio explained that before Chavez, Venezuela was in a mess. Millions of people had no chance of ever going to school and getting an education. When the Venezuelans looked for a model and an example in order to change their system, they only saw one system capable of creating a mass education system – the Cuban system. The education and health care misiones in Venezuela have been a success. 1 million people have participated in literacy programmes, and 1.6 million people have been able to continue their education and complete high school. With the introduction of the misiones, 52% of the population are in school. That is a revolution. The mision barrio adentro (inside the neighbourhood), the most extensive of Venezuela’s health missions, has provided some 56 million consultations, providing free healthcare and medicine to millions of people. That is a revolution.

He ended by explaining the importance of the UNT. For 50 years, nobody, not even the government could see the accounts of the old trade union federation, the CTV. Then the CTV assisted in the coup. He explained that the workers had broken the control of the bureaucracy, and that they now controlled their own union.

Many different people attended the meeting, who after the main speeches participated in a lively discussion. There were members of UNISON, the RMT, AMICUS, the FBU, the NUJ, and several other unions as well as members of many different solidarity campaigns.

Andy Higginbottom of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign (CSC) spoke about some of the developments in Colombia, and the importance of the Venezuelan revolution to the Colombia people. He explained the importance of building the boycott Coca-Cola campaign, and the BP (British Petroleum) campaign for all of Latin America. He ended by saying that if Gordon Brown and Bob Geldof were serious about solving the Third World debt crisis they had to do something serious about UK corporations who operate in these countries, rather than simply shed crocodile tears.

Amancay Colque of the Bolivia Solidarity Campaign explained that Bolivia was the poorest country in Latin America. George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice have blamed Chavez and the Venezuelan government for recent events in Bolivia. This is simply not true, and the events have nothing to do with Venezuela, but everything to do with BP, Esso, and Exxon. She pointed out that the struggle in Bolivia is the same struggle that is being fought here. She asked the audience to imagine the struggle for the nationalisation of the railways. The trade unionists present at the meeting were asked to sign a petition of support for the Bolivian workers and peasants. Lula and Kirchner have sent advisors to Bolivia to support the Bolivian bourgeoisie, hence it is extremely important that trade unionists and workers from around the world support trade unionists and workers in Bolivia, who are fighting for their rights and their future.

RMT President Tony Donaghey, expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution and his pride in the RMT’s affiliation to the campaign. The Venezuelan revolution stands as an example to all people struggling for social reforms and their rights, including here in the UK. The UK is supposed to be the fourth richest country in earth, yet what do we see here? More cuts, privatisation, and poverty. The reforms in Venezuela, are an example of what many people need here in the UK. Many people were pleased at the achievements of the UNT, its independence and its accountability, adding that they wished something similar could be established here. Others explained that the best way to build solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution was to build the class struggle here in the UK, because the more we attack and weaken the ruling class here, the less able they will be to attack Venezuela.

John McDonnell, honorary president of the HoV campaign, explained that the Venezuelan revolution, and the drive to create a truly democratic society, was an inspiration to the entire world.

He explained that we have the straightforward task of building the campaign in a broad, non-sectarian way. Solidarity campaigns have always been infiltrated in the past, in order that these campaigns and movements can be split and derailed.

It is necessary to bring different groups together, because in the past, as Jeremy Corbyn MP pointed out at a previous meeting, for example around the events in Chile, we always mobilised after the events, after a coup for example. Now we have the opportunity to campaign beforehand, to protect the revolution, and to mobilise against the counter-revolution. He explained that although we all come from different political backgrounds and organisations, that the HoV campaign is an excellent way to come together and build solidarity. It is necessary to transmit the success of the campaign down to individual unions, branches, and political organisations and get them to affiliate to the campaign. It will also be necessary to transmit this success upwards, and get the TUC to commit to solidarity and to affiliate to the campaign.

He mentioned the importance of putting pressure on the Labour government. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (or as McDonnell described it, the Outreach Centre for the CIA) has made no comment on Venezuela in anyway. It is obvious that all ministers in the FCO have been warned off from saying anything on Venezuela. It is necessary to press the government and all ministers for their opinion on Venezuela, and to explain to them the democratic system there and the significance of events.

He ended by saying that new words, such as “globalisation” etc. have disappeared, and that people have reverted to using “imperialism” and “exploitation”. Our analysis has won, and we must explain and go back to these straightforward categories. We must sustain the revolution against imperialist aggression. We must build solidarity, and build the campaign. McDonnell then thanked the campaign for providing the ideas and the organization, and for pushing the movement forward.

A £180 collection was raised for the Hands off Venezuela campaign. At the end of the meeting, many of the participants went to the campus pub to continue to discussions informally. Everyone left the meeting enthused and determined to build the campaign, and to build solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution.

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Protest Outside the US Embassy (Grosvenor Sq, London) Monday 13th June 4-7pm

BUSH - GIVE UP THE TERRORISTS!

"America has a message for the nations of the world: If you harbor terrorists, you are terrorists. If you train or arm a terrorist, you are a terrorist. If you feed a terrorist or fund a terrorist, you're a terrorist, and you will be held accountable." George W. Bush, 21st November 2001

Cuban-Venezuelan Luis Posada is wanted for blowing up an airliner in 1976, killing 73 people. He was arrested last month in the US, which is refusing to hand him over to Venezuela, where he escaped from jail. His partner in crime, Orlando Bosch, was given a presidential pardon by Bush the Elder and now lives in Miami, where they have named a street after him.

In Colombia this year a total of seven US soldiers (including a colonel) have been arrested for, between them, selling ammunition to right-wing paramilitaries and attempting to smuggle cocaine into the US. Before the Colombian judiciary could blink, they were whisked out of the country to prevent further embarrassment and have not yet been charged with any crime.

Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada used to be President of Bolivia, before he ordered the massacre of peaceful protesters in 2003 and fled to Miami to escape the furious backlash. Bolivians want him tried for crimes against humanity, but that doesn't seem likely while he's protected by the US government, who immediately granted him political asylum.

Notice a pattern?

The problem for Bush is that these cases all reveal the ugly underside of US foreign policy in Latin America. Declassified FBI documents prove Posada was a CIA agent (specialising in explosives) while also freelancing for the Las Vegas mafia. After escaping Venezuelan jail in 1985 he worked for Oliver North supplying arms to the US-backed Contras in their war against the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua. His terrorist career continues in Cuba (where he had been a policeman under the Batista dictatorship) with a string of hotel bombings during an international youth festival in 1997, resulting in several injuries and the death of an Italian tourist. In an interview with the New York Times the following year Posada practically boasted about this terrorism. He was part of the infamous Operation Condor, which co-ordinated right-wing military dicatorships in the region for the US government, and has tried to assassinate Castro at least twice: once in Caracas in 1971 (while head of DISIP, the Venezuelan political police) and again in 2000 in Panama, where he served four years in jail before being pardoned by the outgoing president (who now lives in Florida).

On Monday 13th June, there will be an immigration hearing in El Paso, Texas, to decide Posada's fate. The case has become a major headache for George Bush, as Posada is hailed as a hero amongst the rich right-wing Castro-hating Miami Cubans who form a key component of his (and especially his brother's) base of support. However, refusal to extradite Posada will clearly make a mockery of the whole "War on Terror". Posada is a 77-year-old man who has lead a lifetime of terrorism directed against progressive movements in Latin America. The embarrassing fact that this terror was in line with US foreign policy and supported by the US government doesn't make harbouring him any less hypocritical. Join the international outrage over these double-standards and protest outside the US embassy in London on this day from 4pm to 7pm. Music, food and an open-mic, with speakers from Hands Off Venezuela, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, Colombia Solidarity Campaign and others. Pass it on!

www.handsoffvenezuela.org
www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk
www.boliviasc.org.uk

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On his way back from the International Labour Organisation Conference, Orlando Chirino, National Coordinator of Venezuela's National Workers Union (UNT) will be speaking at a meeting in London.

The UNT was founded in August 2003 as the response of democratic trade unionists in Venezuela to the fact that the unelected and illegitimate leadership of the CTV had supported and participated in the military coup in April 2002 and the bosses lock out in December 2002.

The UNT has now became the main trade union organisation in Venezuela and is actively participating in the struggle for workers' control and co-management that is taking place in state owned companies like Alcasa and Cadafe and recently nationalised ones like Venepal and CNV.

With decades of experience in the trade union movement, especially in the hard struggles of the textile workers, Chirino became one of the main trade union leaders in the industrial state of Carabobo, participated in the formation of more than 80 different unions and was a member of the regional trade union centre Fetracarabobo. He played a key role in the struggle against the coup in April 2002, and the bosses lock out of December 2002. He lead the foundation of the UNT in his capacity as a leader of the Bolivarian Workers' Force.

Other speakers at the meeting will be:

- Ruth Winters (President, FBU)
- John McDonnel, MP
- Jeremy Dear (General Secretary, NUJ)
- Bob Crow (General Secretary, RMT - invited)

With growing interest in the British trade union movement about the situation of the trade unions in Venezuela this is a unique chance to come and discuss.

June 15th
7pm
University of London Union
Malet Street
London WC1E 7HY
(nearest tube stations: Russel Sq, Goodge St, Warren St)
see map

Sponsored by: NUJ Central London, Colombia Solidarity Campaign, John McDonnel MP, Jeremy Dear (Gen. Sec NUJ), Latin American Bureau, Ealing Trades Council, Paul Mackney (Gen. Sec. NATFHE), Labour Left Briefing, and others. 

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San Francisco Bay Hands Off Venezuela held its first meeting in the Bay Area on May 19 at the New College of California. Twenty-seven activists from around the Bay discussed the need to mobilize against the U.S. government's attempts to destabilize and topple the popular democratic government in Venezuela. This meeting was organized as a broad-based, democratically structured, united front coalition on the basis of defending Venezuela's right to self-determination. However, in the process of mobilizing people around this principle, we want to take every opportunity to educate the American public about the revolutionary process unfolding in Venezuela. Those attending this meeting were individuals who came from a wide range of socialist groups in the Bay Area, including Socialist Action, International Socialist Organization, the Workers International League, Socialist Viewpoint, Socialist Organizer, Labor's Militant Voice, and Workers Action, as well as individuals who were not affiliated with any organization. John Peterson from the National HOV campaign was also present. We hope to reach out to many more groups and independents for our future meetings.

One of the more significant recent developments in Venezuela has been the creation of a massive new labor movement, the National Workers Union (UNT), that has replaced the former U.S. funded, pro-employer union federation. The initial project of SF Bay HOV, unanimously adopted at this meeting, will be to bring a prominent leader of the UNT to the San Francisco Bay Area so that people here can begin to learn about the exciting developments in Venezuela. This will mark a tremendous step forward for the U.S. HOV campaign as a whole. We'll have more details on this important visit soon. We also discussed organizing  other events such as video showings and lectures that would serve to lead up to the tour of the UNT representative.

The next general meeting of SF Bay HOV will be 7:00 PM, Thursday, June 9, in the Centro del Pueblo auditorium, 474 Valencia Street (at 16th Street). For more information call Adam Richmond, 415-864-3537 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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At this year's International Encuentro (gathering) in Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution, Canada's delegation was one of the largest, second only to the delegation from neighbouring Colombia. The Vancouver Internationalist Bolivarian Circle "Bob Everton" teamed up with the Vancouver and District Labour Council (VDLC) to send a particularly large delegation from British Columbia. On May 26th, Vancouver supporters of the revolution were invited out to hear a report back from the some of the BC delegates. The panel included speakers from the Bolivarian Circle, from the encuentro's organizing committee, and from the Vancouver trade union movement. They showed slides and reported on the workshops that they had attended in different parts of the country. The discussion dealt with participatory democracy, alternative media, the incredible advances that have given millions of people access to education and healthcare, and the inspiring nationalization under workers' control of Venepal and CNV. The call was made for the BC labour movement to recognize and support Venezuela's growing democratic trade union federation, the UNT (National Union of Workers).

Interest in the Bolivarian Revolution is growing in Vancouver, and despite the first beach hot weather of the year, sixty people came out to learn more about the events and discussions taking place in Venezuela. Along with the Bolivarian Circle and Hands Off Venezuela, representatives were present from the preparatory committee for the World Festival of Students and Youth, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba, and Korean Students Against War. With several educational and solidarity events planned for June, we can expect to reach new layers of Vancouver workers, youth and immigrant communities.

For more information on these and other events, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Two years ago, the United States government organized an unsuccessful military coup against the democratically elected government of Venezuela, headed by President Hugo Chavez. Many US representatives, first and foremost Condoleezza Rice, has called Chavez a "negative force" in the region. Since the attempted coup, the US government has been beating the war drums while making preparations for war against Venezuela.

The underlying motivation of the US government is clear: the Chavez government has been shifting the benefits from the country's oil wealth from the rich giant corporations to the vast majority of the population by providing food, housing, health care and education. Moreover, Hugo Chavez has recently spoken out against US "free market" policies that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy few. He has nationalized some industries and has declared Venezuela's right to institute democratic socialism to further this development. He also opposes the U.S. war in Iraq. The stakes are high. Therefore, we believe it is vitally necessary for all those in the US and around the world to affirm Venezuela's right to determine its own destiny by joining forces to forge a resistance to the US government's aggressive aims. 

The Hands Off Venezuela Campaign has started meeting in San Francisco to try and raise awareness about the inspiring events in Venezuela and to organize against the threats against them from the US government. A report on recent developments by Sonia Zerpa , a resident of Caracas, Venezuela will be presented at the meeting.

NEXT MEETING: 7pm on Thursday, June 9, at Centro del Pueblo in the auditorium, 474 Valencia St. SF. Call Adam Richmond at 415 864 3537 for more info or to arrange a speaker to talk about the inspiring events in Venezuela and the need to protect it from US attack.

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HOV supporters in Germany have stepped up their activities in recent weeks. The recent appeal to American trade unionists has been translated and distributed at May Day rallies and other events, with many activists signing.

In April, Venezuelan foreign minister Ali Rodriguez met representatives of solidarity groups in Berlin to discuss their work. Local HOV supporter Alex Dirmeier grasped the opportunity by handing over a petition to Ali Rodriguez calling for the nationalisation of the CNV valve factory. The minister gave a friendly and sympathetic response, explaining that the government was considering nationalisation (as it happened a few days later).

In German HOV meetings we attach a lot of importance to the fact that with the case of CNV another important and significant nationalisation has taken place in Venezuela. Whereas in Germany and elsewhere in the world trade unionists are engaged in bitter struggles against many cases of privatisation and have lost most of these struggles, Venezuela shows that a different direction of events is possible. This serves as source of inspiration and encouragement.

In Cologne, where the local HOV group holds regular public meetings, a Venezuelan student involved in the local solidarity work gave an impressive report of her recent stay in Venezuela which included visits to the nationalised Venepal (now: Invepal) factory, a meeting with president Chávez and other important events and interventions by the comrades there.

In recent weeks, important sections of ['solid], the socialist youth organisation close to the PDS, have affiliated to the HOV campaign. This includes above all the federation in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's biggest state, where the regional assembly voted unanimously on the resolution moved by the Cologne branch which had already become an active part of the campaign earlier on.

The resolution confirms that HOV is the most profound and internationally based solidarity campaign defending the process of the Bolivarian Revolution. ['solid] will try to organize various events to campaign in favour of the Venezuelan comrades. ['solid] truly believes that the Hands Off Venezuela campaign offers a specific socialist perspective and is a viable perspective for defending the revolutionary process, reports Timothi Maywood from Cologne who is a spokesman of ['solid] in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Of course, ['solid] will work closely together with comrades from other Hands Off Venezuela comitees as well as with the official comitees preparing for the "16th World Festival of Youth and Students". ['solid]-North Rhine-Westphalia promised to donate 150 Euro for the international solidarity fund in order to help comrades from Namibia to take part in the Festival. Several comrades of us will also take part this August and prepare discussions on the "possibilities and perspectives of nationalization" and on "youth resistance against the nazis".

['solid] will now focus on creating HoV-comitees in different areas all over North Rhine-Westphalia with the help of its local branches and try to establish relations to the trade union and labour movement. We believe that the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign can be the making for socialist ideas among workers and youth and can serve a strong internationalist class position within the German labour movement.

On May 19, Hans-Gerd Öfinger was invited to the town of Celle (Lower Saxony) to speak on the development in Venezuela and the HOV campaign in Germany. Over 40 persons, local left wing activists from different backgrounds and youth, attended the meeting and - according to the comrade who had initiated the event - were impressed with the revolutionary process as well as the analysis and non-sectarian approach to the Bolivarian movement put forward in the lead-off.
Hans-Gerd emphasised the need for the German trade unions organised in the DGB to break all links with the Venezuelan CTV (which is still a section of the ICFTU) and accept the UNT as the only legitimate workers' union federation in the country. DGB chairman Michael Sommer (who is a leading figure in the ICFTU) had recently made a tour to Latin America and reported on his political talks in the DGB website. However, there is silence about what Michael Sommer did in Caracas and whom he met there. "I have tried to get an answer to my question for a week, but unfortunately nobody in the DGB headquarters has been able to tell me what Michael Sommer did in Caracas", Hans-Gerd criticised.

With the election campaign starting in Germany, HOV will also explain the scandalous role played by German politicians in relation to Venezuela. Whereas the Social Democrats keep fiddling around with the Venezuelan opposition party AD, a liberal MP named Karl Addicks recently denounced President Chávez as a "dangerous agitator" who was about to lead the country into chaos and civil war. The world had to prepare for a big bushfire in Latin America, Addicks warned. This shows the frame of mind of leading bourgeois politicians in Germany who might take over government in the country if the social democrats lose in the forthcoming elections.

So whatever happens there will be a lot to do for HOV in Germany. We are planning interventions in open air events and a continuation of our discussion meetings and film shows.

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