Chicago, IL – Last week, President Barack Obama issued a new Executive Order declaring a national emergency in response to the “extraordinary threat to the national security” posed to the U.S. by Venezuela. What did Venezuela do? They stopped a U.S.-backed plot to overthrow their government.

Progressive forces across the U.S. and around the world have come out to condemn the move by the White House.

The Consulate of Venezuela in Chicago has had a number of visitors since Obama’s announcement. Today, March 18, activists from the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and Freedom Road Socialist Organization met with Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza, the Consul General.

Rodríguez-Espinoza spoke of the danger that the U.S. would escalate to military action. He noted that a meeting of UNASUR [Union of South American Nations] sharply criticized the U.S. government for its actions. Their statement turned the tables on the U.S., accusing Washington of threatening the sovereignty of Venezuela.

Kait McIntyre, a well-known activist with the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, said, “The U.S. has no right to accuse Venezuela of violating human rights. It was the government of the U.S. that armed Israel to carry out the massacre of 2500 people this summer in Gaza. If President Obama cared about human rights, he would have imposed a weapons embargo on Israel, instead of sanctions against Venezuela.”

Frank Chapman, field organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, asked, “What is Barack Obama going to do about the criminalization of dissent in Ferguson and the criminalization of Black people and other oppressed people of color in our country? Why isn’t he imposing sanctions against the DOJ declared lawless regime in Ferguson? Enough already with this hypocrisy!”

Finally, from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Joe Iosbaker pledged to the Consul General to continue to, “support the Bolivarian revolution, the workers, farmers and all patriots in Venezuela.” He continued, “Those who collaborate with the U.S. in coup attempts against the government in Caracas are sellouts. They’re from the wealthy class that wants to keep things they way they were before the revolution, when half of the people lived below the poverty line.”

The visitors added their names to the growing list of those who are taking a stand against U.S. intervention in any form, whether by coup, assassination, or a ‘color revolution’ bought and paid for by Washington.

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