Caracas, Venezuela – Over the last few months United States President Donald Trump has been heightening the pressure on Venezuela with bombings, military installations and abuse of Venezuelan immigrants. Most recently, on November 29, Trump declared a no-fly zone over Venezuela.

The Trump administration wants access to Venezuelan oil and resources.

In response, the Simón Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples has convened the International Peoples' Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace to gather organizers from across the world for peace. The assembly is meant to bring people together from across the globe to build relationships of solidarity and strengthen the fight against war in Venezuela.

Hundreds of organizers from across the U.S. were invited to the Peoples’ Assembly, but due to Trump's war posturing only a fraction of these organizers were able to arrive in Venezuela. Flights to and from Venezuela were canceled, making it difficult to physically attend the conference. Despite these obstacles, many organizers from the U.S. arrived in Venezuela on December 9 to participate in the conference.

Solidarity activists were unfazed by these obstacles. If anything, the difficulty has made them more excited to participate.

“Flying to Venezuela is just the first of many acts of solidarity we will participate in this week to show that we are proud to stand with the Bolivarian government of Nicolás Maduro,” says Jessica Plichta of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Ebtesham Ahmed of Students for a Democratic Society emphasized that the fight for a free Palestine has only strengthened their resolve to fight against war with Venezuela, stating, “During the Palestine encampments, students learned how to be bold for the anti-war movement. We are not afraid to be bold now and break the no-fly zone!”

Organizers will remain in Caracas for several days to take part in the assembly, where they will focus on building solidarity and learning from people from across the world. Reporters from Fight Back! will cover the event extensively.

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