Arlington, TX – On November 9, Dozthor Zurlent, a former adviser to Hugo Chavez, came to the University of Texas at Arlington to give a lecture to over 30 attendees on the status of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Dozthor Zurlent recounted how, despite Venezuela being termed as “rich” prior to the tenure of Hugo Chavez, the actual living conditions of the ordinary people did not reflect this. Housing was always cramped, nearly slums. The housing issue was a priority for Hugo Chavez, as it is with current President Nicholas Maduro.

Dozthor also explained how the economic war on Venezuela, the sanctions on the Bolivarian Republic, ravished the economy by making it incredibly difficult to continue to sustain the needs of the people.

Alex Saab, a business leader from the food producing industry, offered to assist in this regard and was given diplomatic status by the Venezuelan government – and despite this the United States illegally detained him in Cape Verde and now in Miami. Several students had questions about how they can help with easing the crisis in Venezuela and how international events, such as Gustav Petro’s victory in Colombia, will effect Venezuela.

Zurlent said that many of the great things that are happening now – such the elections of progressives in Colombia and in Brazil – could not have been possible without the Bolivarian Revolution.

Members of the Progressive Student Union, the Dallas Anti War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Democratic Socialists of America attended the event.

All the participants gathered for a photo and later video to call for the release of Alex Saab.

#ArlingtonTX #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution #AlexSaab #Americas

Paez, Venezuela – Groups of mainly women stand with pride in front of Manuelita Saenz Bolivarian School and Community Center. The new center and school provide classes on music, culture, politics, feminism, sports, etc. Children and adults from all over the neighborhood attend to open their minds and improve their education.

“We are a vanguard. We started workshops on politics, religion, feminism, cooking and much more,” says Adelheidh Salcedo, teacher at the Manuelita Saenz Bolivarian School and Center.

In Venezuela, the communes – community organizations – have the power to choose what projects need to be funded for their communities. Over 47,000 commune councils are registered with the Venezuelan government. They write proposals to the Maduro-led government, then the government provides resources and guidance to support them. These projects are seen all over Venezuela, with communes choosing to build new housing, such as the 93 apartment building built in the community of Antimano, Caracas. Others chose to construct community food gardens, schools, playgrounds, or to meet other needs.

The community members of Paez contacted the government about an abandoned building that they wanted to use to start a new school and community center. The government approved the project, and the group, led by over 75% women, hit the ground running to build the Manuelita Saenz Bolivarian School and Center.

“The Paez community organized everything, with rehabbing the building, finding teachers and planning extensive curriculum. The governor also helped us with supplies, painting and rehabilitation. There is a lot of participation from everyone. Women are critical for our revolution here in Venezuela,” says Karla Mogollon Lucena, Paez community organizer.

In the rural mountains of Monte Carmelo, the community chose to develop a center that includes all women’s food production, workshops and community meetings. The food production collective used local farming to make pasta sauce and sweets. All the ingredients were locally harvested by the local garden and sold to nearby regions. They proudly display their jars that contain a symbol of a woman with flowing hair.

“Not only, do we garden and make our own food, but we hold feminist workshops. We invite women from all over to share their expertise and experiences with us. Some are feminist experts at giving women a voice, others share with us how to do mechanic and fix cars, others tell us ways to improving vegetable gardening. We learn a lot from women from all over Venezuela. Women are most of the ones who lead these workshops. Women are warriors and leaders in the revolution,” said Gaudy Garcia, a leader of the Family and Gender Equity Committee of the Monte Carmelo Commune.

The Systemic Commune Laws, which started under the President Chavez’ government, include 77 articles on how the commune councils are elected, how they make decisions, their popular participation in the economics and production in their communities, their function and duties of serving their community, ideas of possible projects, how to promote justice and equal rights for all genders and members, respect social traditions and cultures, and provide workshops on social justice.

“There is a lot of machismo and sexist culture in Latin America. From our feminist classes, I learned how to stand up for myself and tell my husband that he needs to do half the cooking and cleaning. It shouldn’t all fall on the woman. In most of Latin America, women do all of the cooking and cleaning,” said Maria Rodriguez, a community member of the Family and Gender Equity Committee of the Monte Carmelo Commune.

When starting the Systemic Commune Law, Chavez said, “Commune or nothing.”

These communes have been key to political education, building up the communities, increasing the resources and supporting local production. Communes are seen in every part of the country, from the rural areas, small towns to large cities.

“We make a lot of our own materials for our school and use recycled materials too. We work hard and are passionate about improving our community. We are a rural area, but we make sure the kids are educated well. We also teach about sexism in the language and how often society uses male dominant language, we want to change that. Us women are the political leaders here. We celebrate women because we are feminists,” says Maribel, community leader of Monte Carmelo.

The communes have been an effective way to build local leadership, promote collaboration among workers, and improve the economy. Every commune our staff visited tells us about how their commune is helping lead the revolution to improve the lives of the people and promote the people’s democracy.

“We have won national and international awards for our innovation and achievements,” says Gaudy Garcia.

#PaezVenezuela #Paez #Venezuela #WomensMovement #PeoplesStruggles #WomensLiberation #BolivarianRevolution #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – Images of men sitting in prison, looking down at their shoes, awaiting court for violating and committing acts of violence against women appear on the TV screen. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen are the words, “The most people in prison in Venezuela are men who have committed gender violence.”

Venezuela has one of the strongest gender laws of any country in the world. The laws strongly protect women, so men are held accountable and cannot hurt them again.

“We made laws in Venezuela so we will be a country without violence against women. These laws don’t just protect us from being physical violence, but all forms of abuse,” says Maribel Santos, director of the Manuelita Saenz Bolivarian School.

In 2007, when Chavez was president, he and his party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), helped to passed the Law for the Right of Women to a Life Free of Violence. The law protects women from physical, emotional and sexual violence, among other types of violence.

“If you go to the police, and say that a man violated or hurt you, he will be immediately put in jail. Why? If a man is not put in jail, if he finds out the woman went to the police, he will probably hurt her more or kill her,” said Tulio Virguez, International Relations Secretary of the Federation of Public Service Workers.

This is unlike the U.S., where only 5.7% of rapes reported to the police are arrested, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

“In Venezuela, if I go to the police for an assault, they will immediately do forensics [a rape kit], to collect evidence about the incident. After an assault, some women take a shower, before going to the police, because they feel violated. Even in these cases, the men will be put in jail, to wait for court. Neighbors, community council members, parents etc. can also be witnesses to tell police that the men were hurting the women,” says Karla Mogollon Lucena, community organizer of the municipality of Paez.

Rape kits are also processed far faster in Venezuela than in the U.S. Many women in the U.S. find the whole process does not protect women fast enough since rape kits are processed slowly.

A U.S. woman who asked to be remain anonymous for safety reasons spoke of her U.S. experience: “I was assaulted in my own home by a neighbor in my building. I immediately drove to the ER after it happened to receive an extensive rape kit, that took hours. I already felt horrible, from the whole incident, but it was made even worse when I was told by the hospital social worker that the rape kit would take two to three years to process. Imagine, knowing your rapist lives within feet of you and the rape kit and court would take years.”

In contrast, “My friend was raped and went to the hospital for the rape kit. She had her results within weeks and went to court within 40 days. During this whole period, the men who raped her were locked up, so she was protected. According to the law, after the report is made, the police have to act within the first 12 hours,” says Tulio Virguez.

The failure of laws and court systems lead to mass amounts of death among women in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an average of three women every day are killed by an intimate partner.

“In Venezuela there are more men in prison for gender violence than for drugs,” says Maribel Santos.

This is a far contrast from the USA, where only 0.7% of reported rapes receive felony convictions, according to RAINN.

Charging men for abuse is an important part of the law, but also information sessions and trainings have helped reduce rates of gender violence. The PSUV Chavez/Maduro government started the structure of communes, which are community organizations with local political representation. There are currently around 3200 communes in Venezuela. According to the Law for the Right of Women to a Life Free of Violence, each of these communes is supposed to have a Family and Gender Equity committee to support these trainings.

Gaudy Garcia, a leader of the Family and Gender Equity Committee of the Monte Carmelo Commune says, “We are a feminist organization, so we hold feminist workshops. On average, 25 women attend our classes. We share our experiences and provide trainings on sexism. We are warriors.”

“There are orientations for women on the law and their rights. There are also information sessions for the community as a whole, so men know the repercussions if they hurt a woman,” says Karla Mogollón Lucena.

The U.S. should learn from Venezuela’s gender laws, which are quick and effective. Clearly, the U.S.’s laws are not protecting women, since less than 1% of rapists in the USA are in prison.

“Here in Venezuela, we believe and protect the women. We have a saying here that the revolution has the shape of a woman. There is also a big push to add LGBT+ language to the law,” says Tulio Virguez.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #WomensMovement #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution

Caracas, Venezuela – Groups of women, wearing blue hardhats, stand proudly in front of a five-floor building, surrounded by lush mountains. The community members are building 93 apartments for families in the area. 80% of the workers are women.

“We carry all the materials up on our backs, we are self-sufficient. We work together as a community,” said Melida Riva.

They came together and decided they wanted more housing to accommodate their growing community. They reached out to Misión Vivienda, a program started in 2011 to build millions of homes around Venezuela. Once approved, the government sent them the supplies, provided them training and helped supervise the project.

Riva relates, “A tourist said to me here, ‘I saw a couple homeless people here in Venezuela.’ I responded, ‘Nowhere near the number of homeless people you see in the USA. You will rarely see homeless people here because in the last ten years, through Misión Vivienda, our government has built over 3 million homes, and this is with the horrible blockade and economic warfare against us by the USA. You are the richest country in the world and you have homeless people all over your streets. And your homelessness is only increasing.’”

“Your government wants to help the rich people; our government fights to help the poor and working people,” Riva added.

The Misión Vivienda program, which the late-President Chavez started, and President Maduro expanded, has built 3.6 million houses for communities all over Venezuela. You can see many of these buildings all around Caracas because they have Chavez’s signature on them.

Even during the pandemic, the Venezuelan government continued to build housing through Misión Vivienda. Whereas in major cities in the U.S., there is rampant homelessness and housing prices are dramatically increasing. 20 to 30% of those in living in large U.S. cities were at risk of homelessness during the pandemic. Los Angeles has Skid Row, an entire homeless neighborhood, and 41,290 homeless people, according to the homelessness count in 2020.

“We are able to build this grand building thanks to the collaboration of the government and Commander Chavez and Nicolas Maduro, who started these programs to give accommodations and resources to those in need. The Gran Misión Vivienda, which started ten years ago, gives us rights and resources to make new housing a reality. We are building 93 apartments with two to three bedrooms. 80% of us constructing this building are women. It is not easy, but sí, se puede,” said Blanca Villegas, a community member.

Communities, often the commune councils, vote on these community-led projects. The projects are then carried out with the resources and/or funds from the government. Some communities choose to build playgrounds, community gardens, shops, factories, etc. Many of these communities have strong women leads, who advocate for the resources their pueblo needs.

Seeing these women, beaming with pride and unity, one feels the sense of community emanate from them. They are proud to have a voice and build the services their community needs.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #WomensMovement #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution

Caracas, Venezuela – A Freedom Road Socialist Organization labor delegation toured the Canaima laptops and tablets factory in Caracas, Venezuela on March 12. The Canaima plant is located within walking distance of the bridge where U.S. puppet Juan Guaido launched a failed coup d’état April 30, 2019. Upon arrival, leading representatives of the Canaima assembly plant greeted the American Teamsters with genuine smiles and warm handshakes.

A Venezuelan educator and Canaima spokesperson, Oscar Martinez, explained the assembly plant’s purpose, “Our goal is to produce a laptop or tablet for every school-aged child in Venezuela, over 6 million. We have delivered millions. Children are allowed to keep the laptops and bring them home. They are made of heavier casing material so they do not break easily if dropped on the ground.”

Martinez continued, “We are currently producing our fifth version, and we are hoping to launch a sixth one soon. Unfortunately, U.S. economic sanctions are making it difficult to obtain necessary parts, so production is slowed for now.”

The spokesperson then introduced workers in the plant who prepare and test different components. At the first station, he pointed out two women testing hard drives. They unpackaged them and plugged them in. A green light indicates correct functioning, ready for assembly. A red light requires further testing for repair.

Next, the American trade union delegation proceeded down the fast-moving line to where the components were assembled into laptops. This required soldering and precision attachment with tiny screws. The workers were intently focused on their tasks, but paused to smile and share their role in production. They clearly took pride in their work.

Quality control was next with three steps, including for software and hardware, with the occasional laptop being sent back. At the end of quality control, a worker placed each laptop in a protective sleeve, another worker would put the sleeves into padded boxes, and another would weigh each box to make sure that none of them were missing any components. All of the boxed laptops and tablets were then put into larger boxes, which were put on pallets ready to be shipped out and distributed to Venezuelan students free of charge.

After seeing the whole process and taking photos with some of the factory workers, the labor delegation toured another part of the plant. They were shown large windows that wrapped around a tree. Martinez explained that if you see the building from a bird’s eye view it is a strange shape because an architect designed the structure around the existing trees to minimize the impact on the landscape. The design gives the building a pleasant feel and some natural sunlight.

Spokesperson Martinez then pointed to a wall with striking images of two of Venezuela’s greatest heroes, Simon Bolivar and Hugo Chavez. The worker who created these images framed them using reused packaging materials from the factory. The worker-artist then presented autographed versions, including two of Venezuelan President Maduro, as gifts to the American trade unionists. He was proud to the point of tears, thanking the FRSO labor delegation for their support, especially coming from U.S. workers.

The tour was not over yet though. The Canaima representatives led the American Teamsters back to the front entrance and they were asked to sit down. Canaima workers, professionals and staff packed into the entranceway, shoulder-to-shoulder, beaming with excitement. Martinez and the others then brought out five boxes with brand new tablets inside, handing one to each delegate.

The American trade unionists stood up, amazed by the generosity of the gifts, profusely thanking everyone within reach. The Venezuelans were grinning from ear to ear, proud of their work.

Gabriella Killpack spoke for the delegation: “We are overwhelmed by your generosity today. This is totally unexpected! We came here to show our solidarity with our fellow workers in Venezuela and to understand the gains being made with the Bolivarian Revolution. We thank you so much!”

The Canaima tour guide Martinez spoke with passion, as tears welled up in his eyes, “Speaking from the heart, solidarity with workers in the U.S. is so important for us. We cannot believe you have come all the way here to stand with us! We recognize that the sanctions are imposed by the U.S. government and not the American people. We do not hold any resentment or anger towards workers in your country, but rather share a sense of solidarity that we face similar struggles against the same people in power in the U.S.”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump

Caracas, Venezuela – On the final day of the World Anti Imperialist Congress, January 24, Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro spoke to the hundreds of international delegates from over fifty countries. A delegation from Freedom Road Socialist Organization is participating in the Congress.

With a Syrian professor and member of Ba’ath Party at his side, Maduro began with a story of a visit he had alongside Hugo Chavez to Syria when thousands of Syrians surrounded his vehicle in Damascus and lifted the car in celebration of a brave anti-imperialist leader. Maduro followed this with a declaration of solidarity to the Syrians for surviving an imperialist intervention.

After a brief comment on the vicious brutality of the capitalist system, Maduro stated: “It is here that we are the vanguard of a model of socialism, of anti-imperialism that will transform the world for humanity.” He followed with a quote in reference to the decline of U.S. Imperialism: “Mao Zedong called US Imperialism a paper tiger.” And that “we will build the new world that is coming.”

Mentioning the recent massive demonstration of millions of Iraqis in the streets of Baghdad, Maduro shamed the human rights organizations of the world for not caring about the lives of Iraqis for the last seventeen years of US Imperialist murder, terrorism and bombings. “All of my support to Iraq, all of our support to Iraq! All of Venezuela stands with Iraq!” he added.

Maduro, a former union bus driver, shared that the Washington Post recently asked him what the key was to surviving the Juan Guaidó coup attempt. He responded: “Don’t ask me, ask the people who went in the streets to defend their revolution.” He said the U.S. has spent tens of millions of dollars but could not break the spirit of the Venezuelan people in a revolutionary process.

“I know the US well. I used to drive a bus from Boston to New York, to Philadelphia, to Washington DC. I am not anti-American. I am anti-imperialist. We are anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, anti-racist,” Maduro expressed in a statement of solidarity to the working people of the US.

The meeting finished with a surprise presentation from the Communist Party of Russia who presented the Order of Lenin to President Maduro. “We all have Lenin in our hearts. This is a commitment. A revolutionary commitment to build socialism in the 21st century” said as they shook hands.

At the conclusion of the Congress, the working groups of delegates presented their resolutions containing many statements of solidarity and their plans of international collaboration against imperialism.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #International #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump #WorldAntiImperialistCongress

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 23, thousands marched in Caracas and listened to a fiery speech from President Maduro to mark two important historic events. In 1958, mass movements joined with patriotic forces in the military to bring down the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jímenez. This was the model of civic-military unity that President Hugo Chávez used in his vision of a Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. Unfortunately for Venezuelans, the fall of the Jímenez dictatorship was a short-lived victory. The betrayal of this victory ushered in 40 years of violent repression of communists and other dissidents and disastrous economic policies like import substitution and neoliberal privatizations of important public services. By 1989, the massive poverty created by neoliberal policies led to an urban rebellion of workers and the poor, which led to a vicious police crackdown that killed over 3000 people. Three years later, paratrooper commander Hugo Chávez led a military uprising that ultimately failed but created a lasting popularity in the minds of millions of Venezuelans.

Also, On January 23 one year ago, the largely unknown National Assembly member Juan Guaidó, with full support and coordination from billionaire President Trump and the U.S. government, declared himself the new president of Venezuela. Like the U.S.-sponsored coup attempt against Hugo Chávez in 2002, it was the masses of working people and campesinos who rescued their leader and saved their revolution from the oligarchs in the opposition.

From the historic balcony of the Miraflores Presidential Palace, former union bus driver President Nicólas Maduro recounted the past year of coup attempts and mocked the political circus of the opposition to the crowd of supporters of the Bolivarian Revolution. “Did they win?” he asked the crowd. “No!” they roared. “Did their actions serve the people?” “No!” “Are they more divided?” “Si!” “Are they powerless?” “Si!” went the exchange between Maduro and the crowd of the various sectors of social movements.

Maduro continued with his plan to create dialogue between the government and the right-wing opposition by inviting international partners like UN General Secretary Antonio Gutierrez to observe this year’s National Assembly election. “We want everybody to participate in this coming National Assembly election so that we can crush the opposition and leave no doubt!” boomed Maduro to a thunderous approval.

At many points during his speech Maduro addressed the hundreds of international delegates from the World Anti-Imperialist Congress in attendance as he declared the firm position of anti-imperialism of the Bolivarian Revolution.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump #JuanGuaidó

Chicago, IL – On Monday September 16, the leaders of several opposition parties arrived at the Foreign Ministry in downtown Caracas to participate in the Roundtable of National Dialogue organized by the elected government of Nicolás Maduro. The Roundtable was established in the aftermath of the fascist violence in 2017, which was a response to the Supreme Court's decision to strip the National Assembly of its powers after its refusal to adhere to the country's constitution.

On the first day of the meeting, representatives from the government and the opposition parties announced six agreements that had been reached as prerequisites to the coming discussions. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allied parties will have their delegates retake their seats in the National Assembly, a prerequisite to the body returning to its legislative duties. The opposition parties also agreed to work to end U.S. sanctions, to support the exchange of Venezuelan oil for food and medicine, and to support Venezuelan sovereignty over the Esequiba region currently in dispute with Guyana. In return, the government agreed to the selection of new leaders for the National Electoral Council (CNE) and to permit the opening of release trials for imprisoned opposition figures.

This is a significant development. Since the end of the fascist violence over two years ago, the opposition had embraced the leadership of far-right parties such as Popular Will, whose leaders Leopoldo López and Juan Guaidó advocated the violent overthrow of the elected government of Nicolás Maduro. At the time, all of the opposition parties belonged to a single coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD).

A split began to emerge in the opposition camp though, as it became obvious that the embrace of violence only led to the opposition's isolation from the Venezuelan people. Beginning in the summer of 2017, Popular Will's leaders called on all parties of the MUD to boycott upcoming elections. Several small parties broke ranks and fielded candidates, and in 2018 a handful of parties backed opposition figure Henri Falcón to run against Maduro in the presidential elections. It was when Juan Guaidó's campaign to overthrow Maduro began in January 2019 that the opposition coalition formally collapsed. Several parties refused to participate in a political movement whose only stated goal seemed to be seizing power through a U.S. invasion.

Of the dozen opposition parties, four are participating in the Roundtable of National Dialogue – Progressive Advance, the Movement to Socialism, Solutions and the Movement for Change. While it is unclear if more plan to join, the announcement of today's agreements marks a huge blow to the U.S. campaign against the Maduro government. The beginning of dialogue demonstrates Guaidó's isolation and irrelevance from Venezuelan reality.

It also reveals the failure of U.S. sabotage and sanctions. Far from breaking the unity between the Venezuelan people and the Maduro government, it has strengthened them, to the point where it is now becoming clear to opposition parties that the only way they will continue to exist into the future is if they join the revolution in rejecting U.S. imperialism.

#ChicagoIL #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump #RoundtableOfNationalDialogue

Caracas, Venezuela – August 31 marked the last day of the Meeting of International Workers in Solidarity with the Venezuelan People and Its Government. In the morning, hundreds of trade unionists assembled to hear closing remarks and review a final declaration. Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) joined with other delegations came from 25 countries, and all parts of Venezuela, and proudly shouted out their approval. The audience was lively and often broke out in chants.

Leaving the conference, delegations of trade unionists rushed out of the building and assembled in the street to join a mass march. Thousands from around Venezuela assembled in the streets, including workers, community activists and people’s militia members.

There were “No más Trump!” signs everywhere in the crowd. A band hyped up the crowd and people chanted, “Que viva Chávez! Que viva Maduro!” Speakers denounced Trump’s blockade of Venezuela, explained the harm the U.S. economic sanctions are causing to the people of Venezuela, and emphasized the need for international solidarity. The final speaker inspired the crowd and launched the march.

Tens of thousands marched in the street as far as the eye could see. Flags, banners of different organizations and signs were everywhere. The crowd waved signs supporting President Maduro, PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) flags and Venezuelan flags.

The march ended at a big stage where the international trade union delegates joined with Venezuelan trade unionists, PSUV party leaders, and officials of Venezuela’s government ministries. In front of the stage, the massive crowd of stretched for many blocks. The stage was constructed next to the Ceiba De San Francisco – a tree where historic Venezuelan revolutionary Simon Bolivar was named “The Liberator.”

FRSO member Gabriela Killpack addressed the massive crowd, “I bring solidarity from the United States. The imperialists and Donald Trump do not speak for the working class in the United States! The U.S. empire lied to us. We’re here to see Venezuela for ourselves and we see happy, healthy and good people here. We fully support you! And fully support Maduro! We will bring back the truth to the United States.”

Then Killpack led tens of thousands of people chanting, “No más Trump!” Other international delegates spoke and bands played patriotic and revolutionary songs. The high energy event was one of many frequent rallies in support of continuing and deepening support for the Bolivarian Revolution and President Maduro.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #ChicanoLatino #Teamsters #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump #VenezuelaEmbargo #MeetingOfInternationalWorkersInSolidarityWithTheVenezuelanPeopleAndItsGovernment

Chicago, IL – Venezuela is a country where the dreams of the conscious workers of the world are being made real. It is a nation of 30 million people where, every day, the working class is becoming more conscious of its historic role in building socialism and taking steps to achieve it in the not so distant future. And in the face of an imperialist offensive that threatens them with starvation, where the threat of military invasion hangs over their heads like a storm cloud, they continue their struggle undeterred.

This past week, at the National Gathering of the Productive Worker Councils (CPTs), this stage of the struggle was made apparent. Formed by workers to directly control production at their workplaces, the CPTs are revolutionary formations. Today, over 1100 companies are run by worker councils, in every state and every sector of the economy. Addressing the assembled delegates, President Nicolás Maduro placed the councils in their proper context, referring to them as “the principal instrument of the nation and the working class in building our Bolivarian socialism.”

It is stunning to me as a worker in the United States that, in a country not too far from us, a process is underway where millions of my class companions are taking control over their own lives and leading the way for their country out of the crisis in which they are now engulfed. The Venezuelan working class did not spontaneously arrive at this point. The CPTs are simply the latest development in the class struggle of Venezuela, a daily battle which of late has remained tilted in favor of the working class.

Venezuela's labor laws and worker power

For decades, Venezuelan workers were hemmed in by a legal labor code not unlike what we have in the United States. Aptly named “the system of labor control” by labor theorist Joe Burns, these laws are written to confine the workers' struggle into narrow legal avenues. They have one explicit purpose – the preservation of capitalist control over the means of production. Then Hugo Chávez was elected, and the rapid expansion of democratic and social rights breathed life into a labor movement that had suffered decades of defeats. Beginning in the mid-2000s, Venezuela's trade unions broke out of their legal chains by launching a nationwide strike offensive, winning the support of Chávez and the country's revolutionary parties in the process. In this struggle they not only made the existing labor law irrelevant, they brought into question the very idea that the capitalists are the ones who have to hold economic power in the country.

To recognize this new reality, the National Assembly in 2012 passed the Law of Labor and Workers (LOTTT). A culmination of labor's victories in the past period, the law was written by trade unionists and worker intellectuals from the Bolivarian University of Workers. The heart of the LOTTT is the recognition of the “social process of labor” – the Marxist concept that human labor is a social effort, and therefore so too must be accumulation of the wealth it produces.

The LOTTT declares the alienation of labor to be over, opening the door for new productive relations. It not only enshrines rights common in the capitalist world – like the rights to collective bargaining and to strike, access to social security and the 40-hour work week – but it also guarantees rights that cannot exist under conditions of capitalism. Workers now have the right to take over companies and run them directly, either on their own or jointly with the state. If a privately-owned business is shuttered because the owner wants to make profits elsewhere, the workers have the right to take it over – “recover” it in the law's words – and reopen the workplace under their control.

The law transforms the role of trade unions as well. They have the unimaginable right of “exercising control and vigilance over production costs and profits” in their industries, to ensure that “the process of produced goods and services will be just for the people.” By taking away from the bosses the right to determine how much they receive in profit, the LOTTT hands over to labor the one of the greatest advantages it can have in the battle for economic power. The law also tasks trade unions with “the collective, integrated, continuous and permanent” political education of their members, transforming them from being simply the representatives of workers at the bargaining table into the “schools of socialism” that Marx dreamed of over 100 years ago.

Finally, the LOTTT redefines the role of the Labor Ministry. No longer can it act as an “impartial arbitrator” in the disputes between capital and labor, a role that more often than not favored the bosses. By being tasked with enforcing the new law, the ministry became a partisan institution firmly on the side of the working class. It is no wonder then, that at the top of the U.S.-backed opposition's agenda, is the repeal of the LOTTT.

The CPTs: The working-class offensive in the economic war

Six years after the law's passage, the Venezuelan reality had once again changed dramatically. While roughly a third of the economy was now “social property” – belonging to the state, to the workers or to communes – the economy as a whole remains capitalist, and the capitalist class could no longer tolerate the existential threat to their existence that the Bolivarian Revolution represented. After Maduro was elected President in 2013, the Venezuelan bourgeoisie and its imperialist allies launched a brutal economic war, exploiting the weaknesses built into the capitalist economy to punish the Venezuelan people for their revolutionary process. In this war, the working class emerged as the nation's heroes. In workplaces around the country, they directly confronted owners for the hoarding of goods, for rampant price speculation and industrial sabotage.

In hundreds of cases of capital flight – when foreign and domestic capitalists suddenly close down their businesses to take their profits elsewhere – the workers simply broke the padlocks on the plant gates and restarted production under their control. The capitalists had abandoned the people to suffer; the workers stepped into the void to save them. Indeed, by launching their war the capitalists revealed to the Venezuelan people two facts about them – that they had no loyalty to their nation and would sell it to imperialism for a dime; and that they had no interest in producing to improve society, the just produced to line their own pockets. Maduro and the United Socialist Party (PSUV) put forward socialism as the alternative to this decrepit reality and declared “productive socialism” to be the goal of their current struggle. Capitalism was actively failing the Venezuelan people – only socialism can meet their needs and create a better future.

Reflecting this, the Constituent National Assembly passed the Law of Productive Worker Councils in February 2018. To the workers that had recovered their workplaces and were now running them directly, the law called them to two main tasks: improve production in order to meet the needs of the people, and install a “socialist management model” that can be applied across the entire economy. Within a year, over a thousand CPTs were established, primarily in the private sector. In factories that used to belong to multinational firms like Ford and Goodyear, workers are now producing to pull their nation out of the crisis created by imperialism.

Workers dream of the future, and plan to bring it into existence

At their national gathering, the CPT delegates displayed the enthusiastic revolutionary energy of their class. They shared their experiences in the past year of running their own workplaces, what had worked and had not, and through this collective summation they came to a series of conclusions:

• The working class must be the vanguard of the Bolivarian Economic Agenda, the government's plan to defeat the U.S. blockade by developing production in 16 key sectors (the so-called “motors” of the Venezuelan economy). For productive socialism to be established, the working class must lead the process – this has been proved through practice by the CPTs.

• The CPTs had been very successful at establishing a “socialist management model” on a micro level – for example, at one of the oil refineries owned by PDVSA. However, there had not been enough success in the food production sector. The CPTs and the trade unions will redouble their efforts to establish food sovereignty, under worker control, in Venezuela.

• The CPTs will join the trade unions in their efforts to establish worker militias in every workplace in the country, to train their class in the defense of their homeland from imperialist invasion.

• There has to be a drastic expansion of the CPTs across the economy. The delegates established a goal of 2,000 councils by the end of 2019 and 8,000 by the end of 2020, concentrated in the 16 “motors” established by the government.

• A national leadership body will be established, to centralize the efforts of the CPTs around the country and coordinate their expansion into new workplaces.

On the final day of the National Gathering, the delegates brought these proposals and more to President Maduro, who united with them and declared that the workers had the full support of his government to achieve their vision.

With the working class at the helm, Venezuela has a future that many of us can only dream of. They are becoming more bold, more confident in their abilities, and therefore more capable of leading the necessary process of building socialism. They do this in the face of a U.S.-imposed blockade that intends to lead to the collapse of their society. Yet the workers of Venezuela are unfazed – they have their historic mission, and they are going to accomplish it regardless of the enemies in their path.

Migdelys Campos, representing a worker council that now runs a pharmaceutical plant, spoke on the brutality of this blockade. She boldly called out the truth that its imposition reveals: “the despair of a decadent empire that has not nor will ever break the people of Bolívar and Chávez.” U.S. monopoly capitalists are terrified of what Venezuela's workers represent. All the more reason for us to learn from them and join them in the struggle to determine our own future.

#ChicagoIL #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution #DonaldTrump #ProductiveWorkerCouncilsCPTs

Chicago, IL – On August 6, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton attended a gathering of representatives from the right-wing governments of Latin America. There, he announced the next stage in the U.S. campaign to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution: A total blockade of Venezuela. All U.S. citizens are banned from doing business with “the Maduro regime,” and any company – U.S. or international – that does business with the Venezuelan government will be subject to fines, asset seizures and sanctions. While the announcement did not include the immediate deployment of the U.S. Navy to enforce the blockade, Bolton hinted that the option remained on the table if foreign companies and governments did not comply.

A blockade is war by another name; it is a modern-day siege with the singular goal of starving a nation into submission. The U.S. government uses its hegemony to threaten any business or government that does business with the targeted nation, to risk its isolation in a global economy run on U.S. terms. If you run an agribusiness willing to sell food for the Venezuelan food subsidy program – you will be sanctioned. If you run a shipping company willing to transport Venezuelan oil to be traded around the world – you will be sanctioned. If you are a government that receives Venezuelan oil in exchange for social services – you will be sanctioned. In one fell swoop, the United States has committed itself to preventing any Venezuelan exports from leaving its shores, and from it receiving imported goods from anywhere around of the globe. Already, the U.S. military has prevented a ship carrying thousands of tons of soy products from reaching Venezuela.

The decision is a historic one. It ends all economic relations between the United States and Venezuela. Up until a few years ago, the U.S. was Venezuela's main trading partner. For decades, the Venezuelan government had sold heavy crude to ExxonMobil and other U.S. firms, and with the U.S. dollars it received from these sales it bought U.S. agricultural and consumer goods to meet domestic demand. Ending this dependency was a key goal of Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian movement when they came to power in 1999, and the process of building economic sovereignty has been underway since then.

For 20 years, the U.S. has resisted this struggle for national independence. It backed a coup d’état in 2002 to try to install a pro-U.S. dictatorship, and firmly supported a bourgeois opposition that worked tirelessly to take back power and return Venezuela to the imperialist fold. After Chávez's death and Nicolás Maduro was elected president, the U.S. and its bourgeois lackeys began an economic war to try to break the masses from their revolutionary movement. But the coup failed, the opposition proved incompetent at winning elections, and the masses have endured the economic war without wavering in their revolutionary commitment. By declaring a blockade, the Trump administration is admitting that all their efforts to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution have failed. Nothing done so far has worked – so now starvation will be tried.

While the blockade directly targets Venezuela, it also sends a signal to other nations that refuse to fall in line behind the United States: namely, China and Russia. Both nations stepped in to fill the void left by the United States as the imperialist power gradually withdrew its historic relations with Venezuela. After the U.S. ended all military support for Venezuela during Hugo Chávez's administration, the Russian government stepped in. And as the U.S. began to withdraw its economic ties with Venezuela – a process begun in 2015 with a series of sanctions put in place by Obama – the Chinese government filled the void. Today, China is Venezuela's largest creditor and is providing crucial support for the nation's productive development. There should be no doubt that both nations will continue their support for the Venezuelan people – a sign of U.S. imperialism in decline, and of the determination of the world's peoples to defend their sovereignty.

This weekend, hundreds of thousands marched through the streets of Caracas in defiance of the imperialist blockade. The Venezuelan masses stand organized and mobilized, ready to defend the sovereignty they have won through hard struggle. “U.S. imperialism and its allies have tried to destroy the Bolivarian Revolution for 20 years, and again and again they have crashed against the granite wall of our unity and our conscience as a people fighting for freedom,” said Eduardo Piñate, the executive secretary of the United Socialist Party (PSUV), in an essay about the blockade. “Despite the damage they have caused us with the economic war, the blockade and all other forms of war done against us, we resist and advance because we are stronger than them.”

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #BolivarianRevolution #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #JohnBolton #usBlockade2019 #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – On July 26, the delegation from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) participated in a gathering of trade unionists from around the world with the leaders of the Central of Bolivarian Socialist Workers (CBST), the largest labor federation in Venezuela.

Taking place as part of the 25th Sao Paolo Forum, the purpose of the meeting was to debate the current conditions – both internationally and nationally – in the anti-imperialist struggle, and how the working classes of the world can support the Bolivarian Revolution. The gathering was chaired by Carlos López, the national coordinator of the CBST. There was a sense in the room that there was a long struggle ahead, but that the direction of events was on their side and a great revolutionary offensive was underway in the Americas.

The topics under discussion began in Europe, where the Venezuelan revolutionary movement sees a potential fissure in the U.S.-EU alliance. While many European countries were quick to support Juan Guaidó in his coup attempts, one by one many of these countries have moved to recognize Maduro as the only legitimate president. A crucial part of this rollback has been played by the labor movements of these countries.

There was also a lot of talk about “the countries we lost” to the reactionary coups across Latin America, with trade union leaders from Brazil, Argentina, Chile and El Salvador speaking to the ongoing resistance to these new regimes. Despite the electoral defeats in these countries, there are signs elsewhere in the region that the anti-imperialist struggle continues to make advances. Trade unionists from Mexico spoke about the new labor federation being created to replace the old PRI-dominated formation, and that solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution would be a key part of its international work. Other speakers referred to the historic struggle underway in Puerto Rico, where unions are playing a critical role in the anti-colonial struggle

Tom Burke of FRSO spoke on the conditions of the working class in the United States and the need to build internationalism within the labor movement. The gathering concluded with the distribution of a solidarity statement to be signed by the attending unions and shared with its members.

The FRSO is participating in the 25th Sao Paolo Forum, the largest gathering of the Latin American left. Be sure to follow Fight Back! for further reports from their delegation.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Labor #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #frso #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution #BolivarianSocialistCentralOfWorkersCBST #SaoPaoloForum #Americas

The following statement was published today, March 5, by the Communist Party of Venezuela and was written by Freddy Subdiaga, a Party leader in the state of Anzoátegui. The statement was written in Spanish and translated by Fight Back! staff.

This March 5, 2019, when our Venezuelan nation faces the most criminal U.S.-European imperialism stalking humanity, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) will be completing 88 years of combat for the emancipation of the working class from capitalism, the system of the exploiter; guided by the scientific methods of Marxism-Leninism and the integral thinking of the Liberator Simón Bolívar.

88 years of raising the banner of the proletarian legion, since March 5, 1931, when the first cell of the PCV was formed in the city of Caracas, having as its predecessor the imprisonment of comrade José Pío Tamayo in the dungeons of Libertador Castle in 1929, who was the initiator of scientific communist thought in this Bolivarian homeland.

In these almost ninety years, the PCV has tempered the steel of numerous generations that went on to fulfill the historic role of the working class, experimenting with different forms and methods of struggle, with the driving purpose to unify the working class, the poor campesinos and revolutionary intellectuals; to march towards the seizure of political power by the working mass from the city and countryside; and to install the sovereignty of the proletariat, which implies the evolution and development of productive forces into a new socialist economic model, liquidating in time the capitalist mode of exploitation.

In this dialectical and historical spiral, the PCV has helped to raise the most felt interests of the workers, campesinos, students; of the indigenous peoples. Leaders such as Argimiro Gabaldón, Alberto Lovera, Donato Carmona, Pedro Ortega Díaz, Ramón Antonio Padrón, among other valiant cadre; backed by bastions of women like Eumelia Hernández, Olga Luzardo, Carmen Consoño, Belén San Juan, Josefina Hernández, among other heroes; youth like Livia Gouverneur, Francisco (Chico) Velázquez, Toribio García... they consecrated their lives for the liberation and emancipation of the working class, the revolutionary proletariat and all of humanity.

For the present and future generations of the working people, as long as the remnants of exploitation of human by human subsists, they will always have the Communist Party of Venezuela as an ideological, political and organic trench of the organized vanguard of the working class, to confront – in the transition from capitalism to socialism – injustice and social inequality, the fruit of wage slavery.

These 88 years of the PCV are a demonstration of constant loyalty to the working class, which elevates dignity and ethics of Venezuelan communists who, like those that came before them, continue to raise the hammer and sickle, the five-pointed star and the red flag, symbols of the class commitment to worker-campesino, communal and revolutionary popular unity, and to international solidarity.

Long live popular anti-imperialist unity!

Long live the self-determination of the peoples!

Proletariat of my homeland, unite!

Long live the Communist Party of Venezuela!

#Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution #CommunistPartyOfVenezuelaPCV

San Salvador, El Salvador – Cientos de salvadoreños se concentraron este 21 de febrero en la Plaza Salvador del Mundo para expresar su solidaridad con la revolución bolivariana de Venezuela y el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro. Los participantes, convocados por los comités de solidaridad con Cuba, portaban banderas y carteles mostrando su oposición a la intervención militar de Estados Unidos en Venezuela. Venezuela está enfrentando una amenaza inminente de intervención militar estadounidense como parte de un atentado de golpe de estado orquestado por el gobierno de Trump para imponer un líder pro imperialista en el país con una riqueza enorme de petróleo. Debido a la sangrienta historia de intervenciones militares de Estados Unidos en varios países latinoamericanos, muchos movimientos populares, a través de todo el continente americano, están solidarizándose con Venezuela y con su promesa de resistir la intervención imperialista de EEUU.

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #ElSalvador #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution #Americas

San Salvador, El Salvador – Hundreds of Salvadorans rallied February 21 at the Salvador del Mundo Plaza to express solidarity with the Venezuelan Bolivarian revolution and with the government of Nicolás Maduro. At the rally, which was called by Cuba solidarity committees in El Salvador, people carried Venezuelan and Cuban flags and signs showing opposing U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. Venezuela is facing the imminent threat of U.S. military intervention as part of an attempted coup orchestrated by the Trump administration to impose a pro-imperialist leader in the oil rich country. Due to the bloody history of U.S. military intervention in many Latin American countries, movements throughout the Americas are standing up in solidarity with Venezuela as they vow to resist U.S. imperialist intervention.

#SanSalvadorElSalvador #SanSalvador #ElSalvador #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution #Americas

Chicago, IL – One week ago, on January 23, a new stage in the Bolivarian Revolution began. The U.S. government and its lackey regimes in Latin America, the so-called “Lima Group,” broke international law and ignored the Venezuelan Constitution by declaring Juan Guaidó – leader of the far-right People's Will Party – the legitimate president of Venezuela, and pompously demanding Nicolás Maduro's resignation.

Defiant as always, millions of people across Venezuela came out in support of their revolution, condemning Guaidó as a usurper and an imperialist pawn. In an address to thousands of revolutionaries outside of the presidential palace, Maduro swore that the revolution would be defended. He further announced that all diplomatic and political relations are to be severed with the United States, and called on the U.S. embassy to evacuate within 72 hours.

In the days since, all sides have been on the move. At the moment, Bolivarian Venezuela has won the battle for international opinion. Motions in support of the coup were defeated both in the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN Security Council. China, Russia and Turkey have refused to drop their support for Maduro, leaving Venezuela with some of its most critical trade and credit partners. Meanwhile, the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) stand firmly behind the legitimate government, ensuring that it is not left without friends in Latin America.

Yet U.S. imperialism is relentless, and its actions prove that it seeks to punish the Venezuelan people for their collective desire to be free. Under pressure from Trump, the May government has refused to release $1.2 billion in Venezuelan gold reserves in the UK. The following day, U.S. national security advisor John Bolton announced that it was placing sanctions of PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, blocking nearly $7 billion in assets that Venezuela has with its U.S. subsidiary CITGO and cutting the country off from an estimated $12 billion in profits this year. Both the Trump and May governments have said that they are willing to redirect these funds to the usurper Juan Guaidó. Clearly, sovereignty matters little in the West if it leads to a desire for independence from imperialism.

Meanwhile, the entirety of the Venezuelan military is in mobilization, and the over 200,000 members of the popular militias exercise drills across the country. Russian-made tanks are being moved to the Colombian border, where fears of an invasion are great. Speaking to an assembly of soldiers, Maduro proclaimed that the government and the United Socialist Party (PSUV) will form People's Defense Units “in every neighborhood, city and village” of the country. This happens alongside daily mass marches of the Bolivarian movement across the country, easily outnumbering the opposition marches confined to isolated opposition strongholds and wealthy Caracas neighborhoods. It is hard not to believe the words of Venezuelan revolutionaries when they swear that the U.S. will face another Vietnam War if troops set foot on Venezuelan soil.

Very little has been heard from U.S. puppet Guaidó since his illegal self-inauguration. For his multiple crimes against his own country, he is being pursued by authorities. Attorney General Tarek William Saab went to the Supreme Court to demand a travel ban on Guaidó, who he said was “leading an attack against the Venezuelan homeland” and must be brought to justice.

On January 29, Maduro addressed the world and stated that his administration is ready to meet with the opposition and find a peaceful solution to the crisis. The U.S. media referred to this as “conciliatory” and surprising. Yet over the years, the Maduro government has always responded to the anti-democratic actions of the opposition with calls for dialogue. In fact, nearly a year ago to the day the government and opposition were arriving at a peace deal after months of negotiations, a deal which included a new round of elections and a range of economic and political reforms. On the day that the deal was to be signed, the opposition leaders, who had put countless hours into these negotiations, did not show up. It later came out that the opposition's lead negotiator had “received a call from Bogotá” ordering them not to agree to peace.

Any objective observer who follows the moves made by the U.S. government and its lackeys, and the responding moves made by the Maduro government, will immediately recognize who is the aggressor, who is working against a popular democracy. Donald Trump and his administration is in the midst of trying to tear apart Venezuelan society, to whip an upright nation back into line in order to guarantee monopoly profits and return their lackeys to their old position of dominance. It is absolutely critical that we in the United States build a movement of resistance to our government's actions. We must do everything necessary to prevent war against Venezuela, and to give the Venezuelan people the room that they need to build a better future for themselves.

Hands off Venezuela!

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

#ChicagoIL #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution #Americas

Milwaukee, WI – Venezuela has been in the news lately. For the first time in decades, the threat of war between the United States and a Latin American country hangs over our hemisphere.

The Colombian government, led by the far-right paramilitary ally Iván Duque, openly calls for the end of the Bolivarian Revolution by any means necessary. Their call is echoed by war-hungry Luis Almagro, secretary-general of the pro-imperialist Organization of American States (OAS), and the Trump administration, which has been revealed to be in open collaboration with putschist military officers and other anti-democratic elements in Venezuela.

In South America, the Venezuelan government is as isolated as it has ever been. Former allied governments in Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador are long gone, replaced by politicians who coldly work in the interests of imperialism. The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) – the result of years of hard work by Chávez and Maduro to create a continent free of imperialism – is defunct. The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) has been weakened with the withdrawal of Ecuador, putting progressive projects like TeleSUR at financial risk, and by the surprising explosion of violence in Nicaragua, a key player in the formation.

A years-long economic crisis, the result of foreign intervention, internal sabotage and structural economic weaknesses, has caused severe harm to Venezuelan society, and thousands have moved to neighboring countries as a result. This in turn has added fuel to the calls for intervention, as far-right politicians in Brazil and Colombia call for more troops to be sent to their borders with Venezuela to respond to the “humanitarian crisis.”

Without a doubt, this is the most challenging moment yet in the 20 years of the Bolivarian Revolution, inaugurated with the election of Hugo Chávez to the presidency in 1998. How is the national democratic movement, now headed by Nicolás Maduro, responding to these attacks on all sides? Is the goal of “Bolivarian socialism” in peril? Is retreat on the agenda?

The answer is a resounding “no.” The Maduro government and the Venezuelan masses – daily threatened by reactionary violence, economic ruin and imperialist war – are resolute in their commitment to building a sovereign nation, and continue forward despite all of the odds.

Venezuelan workers and the new economy

At the 4th Congress of the United Socialist Party (PSUV), President Maduro announced the government’s Plan for Economic Recuperation, Growth and Prosperity, a sweeping program that aims to rebuild and transform Venezuela’s economy into one that is self-sustaining, independent of monopoly capital, and that works in the interests of the Venezuelan people.

The national government has already begun to implement the Plan’s monetary policy, converting the hyper-inflated national currency, the bolívar, into a new bolívar soberano currency, and placing all currency exchange under the control of the Central Bolivarian Bank.

While much-needed monetary policy is being decided by the national government, the goal of economic transformation is being left to the Venezuelan people themselves. Labor Minister Eduardo Piñate describes the economic program to Noticiero Digital as “an integrated program of transformation that has at its center the contradiction between capital and labor, within the development of class struggle. And the position of the government is to favor labor in the framework of this contradiction… [the Plan] is a profoundly revolutionary proposal which will guide the construction of our Bolivarian socialism.”

To determine the roles they will play in the new economy, national assemblies of different social sectors are being organized by the Bolivarian movement. The first to be gathered is the Constituent Congress of the Working Class, which began on August 31 and will continue until Sept. 28. It will soon be followed by a similar congress for campesinos and for communes.

In every corner of the country, workers are gathering to discuss the role their class will play in the new economy. The overwhelming answer seems to be: the leading role. Trade unionists are hosting local and regional assemblies to gather the proposals of the workers, which will then be brought to the Constituent Congress by elected representatives. At the center of the debated proposals is the ownership of production itself, and there is serious talk of formalizing a “socialist sector” – made up of state-run, worker-run and communal enterprises – that will be dominant yet coexist alongside private ownership.

Alongside the debates, workers are taking action to take control of the economy themselves. Workers’ Production Councils (CPTs), which were legalized in January and allow workers to control production at their workplace, are being formed across many economic sectors. They have the full support of the Labor Ministry. As of this month, there are over 900 workers’ production councils in control of businesses in Venezuela, with the twin goal of worker control and elevating production in the interests of ending the economic crisis. When asked by the newspaper Última Noticias on the role the councils will play in the coming economic debate, Piñate stated “the working class is the vanguard of socialist construction, and the CPTs are its concrete expression.”

China stands with the Bolivarian Revolution

On September 16, President Maduro signed over two dozen bilateral agreements with the government of Xi Jinping, strengthening a strategic alliance with what is quickly becoming Venezuela’s main international ally. Included in the agreements was a $6 billion loan to help re-activate oil production.

All told, the Chinese government is the largest creditor for Venezuela, further enabling the country’s economy to separate itself from U.S. monopoly capital. A strong commitment of support from China gives Venezuela something it desperately needs – a way to function in the global economy while facing crippling sanctions from the United States.

Many leaders of the Bolivarian Revolution hope to learn lessons from China's success in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in their goal of building a new economy. Nicolás Maduro's first official act in China was to lay a wreath at the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. While there, the Venezuelan president called Mao “one of the great founders of the multi-polar 21st century,” a century where “the future of humanity will be marked by a common destiny, one of diversity and peace, and without hegemonic empires that blackmail and threaten the world.”

Conclusion

Given all of this, it is no surprise that the lackeys of U.S. monopoly capital openly talk of war with Venezuela. Every day that the Bolivarian Revolution continues, it advances further down the road of national and economic freedom. And with every step towards this goal, it becomes more unacceptable to and incompatible with U.S. interests. The empire has done monstrous things to movements in the past that have taken a similar route in the Americas. From Mexico to Chile, millions of families have had loved ones cut down by death squads and reactionary militaries. They are testament to the iron will of U.S. imperialism, which refuses to step back from the global stage even though its time has clearly come. We must work together with all progressive forces in the Americas to bring down the U.S. monopoly capitalist class.

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #Americas #Maduro #PSUV #Socialism #BolivarianRevolution

But Venezuela is more than that. In the eyes of the bourgeois press, both political parties, and many leftists, Venezuela is a socialist country. The national government of the United Socialist Party (PSUV) has declared as such, with Hugo Chávez declaring that they will lead the founding of “21st century socialism” in Latin America.

In this situation, it is important for us to look honestly at reality. Venezuela is still a capitalist country, but one where a radical national democratic movement — the Bolivarian Revolution — has seized political power. Much of the Bolivarian rank and file want to see socialism take hold of the country. But, in the words of the Venezuelan Communist Party (PCV) Politburo, the point of unity of the Bolivarian movement is not socialist revolution, but rather “the defense of national sovereignty against the neo-colonial pretensions of U.S. and European imperialism.” It is a national democratic movement, first and foremost, one where many classes participate.

From the moment that Hugo Chávez swept into office at the head of a broad coalition of forces, there has been a debate over the direction of the Bolivarian Revolution. Like with all national movements, there is an internal class struggle within the Bolivarian movement over which class will lead. Whether or not the Venezuelan masses will establish socialism will be decided by this internal dynamic. This struggle happens in fits and bursts, as the movement often must close ranks to defend the national sovereignty from U.S. imperialism and the reactionary bourgeoisie.

Events in recent months have given the Bolivarian movement some space. The bourgeois opposition is in tatters after their failures in several recent elections. As a product of this infighting, most right-wing parties will boycott the municipal elections on Dec. 15. This means that there is little fear within the Bolivarian movement of dividing the votes of their participants. Now the simmering class tension within the movement has room to come to the forefront.

Working-class Bolivarian forces, led by the Communist Party and other organizations, have long been frustrated by the political dominance of the PSUV, which has led the government since its formation in 2008. They are particularly frustrated by the lack of a functioning coalition. For over two years the Simón Bolívar Great Patriotic Pole (GPP-SB), the political leadership of the Bolivarian Revolution, has not done its job of meeting regularly, endorsing candidates, and giving political direction to the government. Instead, the PSUV has put forward its own members for office, and expects the other GPP-SB members to endorse or risk being accused of sectarianism.

Municipal elections

Revolutionary forces are breaking with this norm for the municipal elections. While the vast majority of PSUV candidates have their endorsement (a sign of the absolute importance they place on unity in the face of the enemy), any politician accused of corruption, opportunism or anti-communism is facing a nominee from the Communist Party or another revolutionary group.

One stunning turn of events is happening in the capital of Caracas, where the PSUV candidate is facing a strong challenge from Eduardo Samán on a joint ticket of the Communist Party and Homeland For All party. Samán is no political outsider: having held the positions of trade minister and president of Venezuela’s consumer protection agency, he is a well-known figure in the Bolivarian movement.

Samán gained the love of Venezuelan workers for his efforts to nationalize companies accused of hoarding or working against the national interest. These same actions earned him the hatred of the bourgeoisie, who tried to assassinate Samán with a grenade attack in 2013. Samán’s candidacy has won the endorsement of over a dozen Bolivarian parties and organizations, as well as the support of former Caracas mayor Juan Barreto.

In several regions, the communes – one of the great revolutionary products of the Bolivarian period – are fielding their own candidates for the first time. A fledgling form of socialist political and economic power, communes are units of self-government and worker-owned production. There are currently thousands of communes across the country, and they have begun to centralize their efforts into higher regional bodies. Where they exist, communes are a dual power to the traditional political structure, and are a source of anxiety for many reformist politicians. The Communist Party and others are vocal supporters of the communes, and advocate a ‘communal state’ as the revolutionary replacement to the bourgeois liberal state currently in place.

One of the most famous communes is El Maizal, an agricultural commune in the state of Lara that produces corn and other essential foods. Its leader, Angel Prado, is now running for mayor of Simón Planas on a joint ticket with the Communists and the Tupamaros. However, the election commission is refusing to recognize his candidacy, arguing that Prado cannot run until he is relieved of his duties as a delegate to the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) — despite the fact that a number of sitting governors and mayors are delegates. Appeals to the ANC to allow his candidacy were ignored, so over a thousand comuneros marched to the ANC headquarters in Caracas, demanding to be heard.

The leadership of the PSUV is split in how to answer to this revolutionary push. Some, like former Commune Minister Reinaldo Iturriza, support these candidacies as expressions of the desire of the Bolivarian rank and file. Others, like PSUV vice president Diosdado Cabello, condemn the Communist Party as sectarian and call on supporters to push out elements that “seek division within the Bolivarian Revolution.”

The National Constituent Assembly

The National Constituent Assembly, elected July 31 to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution, has become a historic point of struggle over the direction of the Bolivarian Revolution. It is a forum where the struggle over Venezuela’s future could be decided. As José Novoa, an ANC delegate and member of the Revolutionary Party of Labor, recently said: “At the center of the ANC is a grand debate that has opened in the heart of the people’s movement, to define where the Bolivarian process is going, and not only define it, but to travel towards the real construction of that process which we desire, which is breaking with the bourgeoisie and definitively advancing to the construction of socialism.”

This struggle is taking place in the context of economic crisis. Ever since the escalation of tension between Venezuela and the U.S. over the summer, the Venezuelan currency, the bolívar, has been in free fall. The cost of basic goods has skyrocketed, bringing great harm to working-class families. The question of how to handle the crisis is where the debate over the movement’s future arises.

President Maduro, ANC President Delcy Rodriguez, and the PSUV leadership are clear that their priority is rooting out corruption and economic saboteurs. They have empowered Attorney General Tarek Saab, to carry out the largest anti-corruption campaign in their history, arresting dozens of business and political figures, including the two most recent presidents of PDVSA, on charges of imports fraud, smuggling, embezzlement and economic sabotage. Maduro himself has said that eliminating “bourgeois corruption” in the ranks of the government is the top priority at this moment.

Revolutionary forces, organized into the Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist Popular Front (FPAA) and led by the Communist Party, argue that arresting the corrupt is not enough. The economic depression, while enflamed by corruption, is a product of capitalist crisis, and only by breaking with capitalism will Venezuela be saved. The FPAA, with the support of much of the Bolivarian rank and file, demand the seizure of industries, the nationalization of banks, and the handing of economic power over to the working class.

The way to handle the economic crisis has led to open struggle in the ANC. When the body’s vice president gave a press conference saying not enough was done to tackle the crisis, he was removed and replaced by another leader who said anyone that criticized the government’s response to the crisis was a “traitor to the revolution.” This statement was condemned by the Communist Party, the FPAA, and Elias Jaua, a leading ideologist of the PSUV.

Where will this go

The challenge in Venezuela is how to move forward. For the Bolivarian rank and file and the Venezuelan working class, the path forward is the one that leads to socialism. For the Communist Party and other revolutionaries, this means seizing control of the economy to destroy the power of the bourgeoisie, and purging corrupt elements from within the ranks of the Bolivarian Revolution. The movement is pressuring the government to take on the economic crisis head on, to seize control of major industries, nationalize banks, and hand power over to the working class. The coming period will be critical in determining whether or not such a new and glorious society will come to existence.

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The 7th National Meeting of Revolutionary Organizations was held with success, organized by Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist People’s Unity (UPRA) and with speakers from over 50 national and regional organizations, including delegates of the National Constituent Assembly and national representatives from the Revolutionary Party of Labor, the Gayones Movement, the Homeland For All Party, and the Communist Party of Venezuela.

During this 7th National Meeting, speakers from distinct popular sectors – workers, campesinos, commune workers, youth, women, and others – expressed a range of interpretations of the global and national reality, as well as gave proposals to advance the struggle of the people’s revolutionary movement in Venezuela.

Themes discussed included: the need for a proletarian party in the organization and conducting of a revolution; the need to achieve genuine sovereignty and economic independence; the unity of revolutionary forces to rescue the class struggle in our country; and the role of the working class in the process of organizing a revolution and seizing political power.

100 years of the Bolshevik Revolution served as a historic and practical framework to understand the revolutionary transformations needed to form a more advanced society, and from this an analysis of the situation in our country, the National Constituent Assembly, the national crisis and the role of the revolutionary party were lifted up by the speakers.

The homage to the Centenary of the Great October Socialist Revolution was in the air of the participants, with the Bolshevik experience serving as a guiding light for proletarian revolutionaries in the process of building a society for the masses. Letters from Afar, The April Theses, On the National Question, Resolutions and Debates of the Congresses, What Is To Be Done? and The Catastrophe That Threatens Us and How to Fight It were referenced by those present throughout the meeting, to reaffirm our commitment to the experiences of Marxism-Leninism.

Going forward as a result of this meeting, a series of important commitments between those present were made, to continue strengthening this instrument of unity as a genuinely revolutionary formation, in defense of the interests of working people.

Also confirmed was the commitment to continue working towards unity, alliance, and agreement between the revolutionary left and other advanced forces on the national and international level, strengthening relations with the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS), of which UPRA is a part, along with organizations like the Revolutionary People’s Front in Mexico, from whom we received greetings and congratulations for continuing this initiative.

The success of this new work of UPRA strengthens all working people, knowing that with the assistance of these organizations a unifying action is consolidated which, sooner rather than later, will bear fruits in the consolidation of joint action of the proletarian forces. We feel joyful to contribute to bringing organizations and leaders closer together, when at other points in the history of Venezuela’s revolutionary struggle distance has been opted for instead, and now doors are opened to a future of victories.

For the unity of the revolutionary people’s movement!

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By all accounts, this was a significant victory for the national democratic process underway, and confirmed that the masses stood with the Maduro government and the Bolivarian Revolution. It showed that the people stood behind the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), currently in the process of writing a new constitution, and not with the anti-democratic opposition that organized violent protests over the past few months, leading to over 100 deaths.

To some, this summer looked like the beginning of the end of the Bolivarian Revolution. Rich neighborhoods were in open rebellion with roadblocks and fascist thugs lynching suspected government supporters. The Trump administration and the Santos government in Colombia were calling for a coup d’état and threatening military invasion. When elections were successfully held for the Constituent Assembly on July 31, economic sanctions from the U.S. were tightened on the Venezuelan economy, already hurting from structural weaknesses, economic sabotage and corruption.

The Bolivarian movement, despite the odds, has not only held the line against the reactionaries, but has advanced and secured further popular support for their national liberation struggle.

The dangers are not yet over, however. The far-right opposition has secured regional control over the states of Táchira, Mérida, and Zulia. Along the Colombian border, these states make up a largely rural region where ranchers and the old oligarchy still hold the reins of power. Colombian death squads have been known to cross the border – at the pay of the ranchers – to assassinate Bolivarian activists. Smuggling is rampant in this region, and is done under the watchful eye of far-right political leaders who want to see the Venezuelan economy bleed. Many in the Bolivarian movement are calling on the government to secure control of this region to prevent it from becoming a base for further destabilization and paramilitary violence.

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