Caracas, Venezuela – Nearly 1000 people from over 70 countries attended a videoconference with the Ministry of Popular Power and Foreign Affairs of Venezuela in the morning of January 5. A continuation of the Assembly of the Peoples of Our America for Peace and Sovereignty that met in Caracas on December 9 and 10, participants expressed their solidarity with Venezuela in the face of the brutal military aggression of the United States and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

The assembly heard first from Blanca Eekout, director of the Instituto Simón Bolívar for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (ISB). Eekout said the reasons for the attack on Venezuela and the targeting of President Maduro were to steal the oil that belongs to the people and because Maduro is not a banker or business owner but a worker from the streets of Caracas.

“The resources in the ground belong to the people of Venezuela, not the elites of the foreign corporations. You will not steal one ounce of our oil!” Eekout declared, adding, “We will defeat this imperialism that is in decline and only knows war and genocide!”

After honoring the 80 victims of Trump’s bombing of the capital of Caracas and the states of Aragua, La Guaira, and Miranda, Eekout delivered a message to the international activists: mobilize actions to demand “Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores!”

The call to continue actions in these streets comes as cities all over Venezuela mobilized to defend their democratically-elected President Maduro and their Bolivarian Revolution. Close to 100 cities in the U.S. held actions to demand an end to the U.S. war on Venezuela and the return of President Maduro and his wife.

On the morning of January 5 in New York City, many organizations, including Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) , Anti War Action Network (AWAN), Workers World Party (WWP), United National AntiWar Coalition and many other organizations, gathered outside the court building for the arraignment of President Maduro.

#CaracasVenezuela #Venezuela #International #AntiWarMovement #ISB #FRSO #AWAN #WWP #UNAC

Caracas, Venezuela – It has now been more than 1000 days since Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab was first kidnapped by the U.S. government on the island of Cabo Verde, off the west coast of Africa. Since then, he’s been subjected to physical, psychological and chemical torture and moved to a federal detention center in Miami, Florida.

Two members of Minnesota's Anti-War Committee met with Saab’s wife, Camilla Fabri Saab, on Tuesday, March 7, alongside a delegation from the Alliance for Global Justice and progressive lawyers with the Free Alex Saab Movement. Camilla, Fabri Saab, mother to their two young daughters, provided updates on his case, emphasizing that his health has taken a severe turn for the worse.

Saab is missing several teeth due to beatings and has been denied access to all medical treatment beyond aspirin. Camilla’s account of the weaponization of psychiatric treatment in the Miami Detention Center was particularly shocking. First U.S. officials tortured Saab, then they diagnosed him with PTSD resulting from the torture that they themselves inflicted. Using that diagnosis as a pretext, Saab was forced to take pills which made him feel exhausted, dizzy and nauseous to such a degree that he was sometimes unable to even speak on the phone. Prison staff refused to tell him what was in these pills, and it was only after Alex Saab's lawyers intervened that this chemical torture ended.

Saab is a diabetic cancer survivor, making the Miami FDC’s decision to deny him medical attention especially cruel and life-threatening. Four weeks ago, he began to vomit blood. Despite this, he is still being denied the right to see a doctor. Saab’s rapidly deteriorating health means that the urgency of his fight for freedom intensifies day by day.

Everything indicates that this medical mistreatment is intentional U.S. policy, an extension of efforts to immiserate the Venezuelan people as a whole. The dark irony of Saab being deprived of healthcare is that he is being targeted for his efforts to bring exactly that – healthcare – to the people of Venezuela. Under a U.S.-led blockade that prevented Venezuela from importing basic goods like food, medicine, fuel and agricultural supplies, many Venezuelans suffered tremendously. Saab traveled the world as a diplomat for the Venezuelan government in order to secure the basic, critical supplies needed to save Venezuelans from starvation and death by preventable illnesses.

Camilla also provided the Anti-War Committee with an internal U.S. government email from Elliot Abrams, a neoconservative and former U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela. She described this email as a “smoking gun.” District Judge Robert Scola’s ruling against Alex Saab in December of last year relied on the assertion that he is not a diplomat and thus doesn’t have any diplomatic immunity. In the email Camilla presented, however, Abrams admits that Saab was in possession of a diplomatic passport and suggests that the U.S. will have to find a way to discredit the passport, such as claiming that it is a fake, in order to successfully prosecute him. The case against Alex Saab has been clearly politically motivated and illegal from the beginning, but this new evidence is concrete proof.

Since the visit, Camilla and the Free Alex Saab Movement have continued the fight, holding the U.S. government squarely responsible for Saab’s life. Their current demands are:

For the International Committee of the Red Cross to send a representative to the Miami Detention Center; for the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights to denounce Saab’s imprisonment as an illegal detention and a violation of human rights; for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to denounce the illegal detention of a diplomat by the U.S. as a violation of international law; and, immediate freedom for Alex Saab.

Activists in the U.S. know we cannot rely on the legal system to do its job and free Alex Saab. The U.S. government willingly violated international law. It will take a concerted, popular struggle for Saab to see his family again. The Free Alex Saab Movement is calling for activists to take to the streets for a National Week of Action from May 1-7 to build the movement and show U.S. leaders that we will not stand by while Saab, and Venezuelan people as a whole, are criminally attacked.

Free Alex Saab!

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – On March 4 a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee visited the Feria Conuquera Agroecológico (Agroecological Small Farmer's Market) in Caracas’ Caobos Park and interviewed activist and biologist Giselle Perdomo. Perdomo, who organizes the farmer’s market, detailed how U.S. sanctions have impacted both the struggle for food sovereignty and her own family.

The market is run by Chavistas but is not itself a government program. It works to bring farmers from in and around Caracas to sell in the city. Under the weight of U.S. sanctions, food is very difficult to import into the country, but in the last couple of years the country has seen vast improvements in food sovereignty: Venezuela now produces 94% of its own food after importing 80% for the last 100 years. The farmer’s market is a small part of that effort.

Perdomo’s group also defends Venezuela’s revolutionary 2015 Seed Law that outlawed the use of transgenic or GMO seeds. Without the laws, Venezuelan farmers would be pressured to adopt seeds supplied by transnational GMO corporations in order to sell their crops on the international market. Under that system farmers must buy specially designed seeds, fertilizer and herbicide from the agricultural monopolies year after year, becoming fully dependent. Although the law was passed after his death, Hugo Chávez led the fight against transgenic foods. In one instance he ended a soybean contract with GMO giant Monsanto in 2005, advocating that the land be used instead for indigenous crops and calling transgenics a threat to the nation’s food sovereignty.

Promoting indigenous foods remains key today, although there are hurdles in getting the people to accept them over the international market foods they are accustomed to. Perdomo explained, “So, for example, I plant something that's called purple yam. And even Venezuelans don't know what it is, right? So I offer it here in the market, and many people just ask, you know, what's that? Because it looks like the color of beets. So people just look at it, it's weird. And they go on. So we need to try and change people's attitudes towards things that are local.” To this end the fair bakes the yams into bread to get people used to the taste and works on educating about local foods, how to make organic pesticides, and farming techniques.

Perdomo lost her six-year-old son in part because of the horrors of a medical system under attack by the U.S. Many doctors fled the country, live-saving medicines and equipment were impossible to import, and at times the electricity was spotty in hospitals. “My son, he had difficulties with his muscles. They were all very hard, so he couldn't breathe very well. He couldn't cough. So if he got a cold that was a life threatening thing for him. And taking him to a public hospital was just heartbreaking, because you saw kids queuing up to breathe, to get to the one piece of equipment that’s working. You know, the lighting sometimes didn't work. And then it was just chaos. It was chaos. You should be able to, you know, have a hospital that doesn't give you nightmares.”

It’s different now. Medicines like those that Perdomo’s son needed are more easily available, but it’s cold comfort to her and others who have lost loved ones to the U.S.’s cruel unilateral coercive measures.

The Caobos Park is full of farmers with stands selling fresh produce – plantains, vegetables, honey and much more. One man sells homemade rice wine, and a woman makes infused tea bags. Next to the market a government health program has tents set up to fight obesity. They give people free check-ups and vaccinations, and there is a dance party, soccer and games to promote wellness. Thanks to their enormous strength of will and a people-oriented government, Venezuelans have been able to claw back a sense of normalcy, but still suffer under the economic pressure. Organizations like the Anti-War Committee still call for an end to the U.S. sanctions regime.

But the very nature of the U.S. hybrid war campaign makes it harder to organize around than a traditional invasion. Nevertheless, Perdomo says the anti-imperialist movement must persist: “It has impacts on human health, just like wars with bombs do. And it has impacts on emotional health, just like wars with bombs do. The most insidious thing is that people don't consider it to be war. Therefore there's not a whole lot of newspapers talking about the war on Venezuela because if there aren't explosions, then there isn’t outrage. And there should be outrage because we are suffering, we have suffered. But the flip side of that is we have made resistance a lifestyle and we have made happiness in the face of struggle a lifestyle.”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – Friday, March 3 was the first day of an international anti-imperialist conference in Venezuela held to commemorate the legacy and continuing struggle of the late Venezuelan President and leader of the Bolivarian Revolution Hugo Chavez. A delegation of Chicano and Latino members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), led by long time Chicano activist Carlos Montes, were invited to attend by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

Chavez is not dead

The theme of the conference was carrying on the legacy of Hugo Chavez. The mood in the room was lively, with every seat in the large auditorium filled and two rows of standing room only in the back. In between speeches, local delegates from Venezuela led the room in popular Chavista chants. One common chant was “Chavez no murio, se multiplio,” meaning “Chavez is not dead, he multiplies.”

Local delegates representing different sections of Venezuelan society – such as the youth, fishermen, cafeteria workers and more – were in attendance at the conference as well as international delegates. One member of the PSUV told the FRSO delegation, “In every province, in every community, in every street in Venezuela – the PSUV is there organizing the people.”

Popular democracy

Though the U.S. media portrays Venezuela as a dictatorship, the reality is much different. Hector Rodriguez of the PSUV stated, “In the U.S. they have democracy, but it’s only democracy for capital. In Venezuela we have a true, representative, popular democracy.” He invited international delegates to talk with the Venezuelan people about their participatory government and to question the narrative put forth by the U.S. media.

Anacaona Marin, an indigenous leader of the commune movement and councils, spoke about building revolutionary communes and local people taking their own action to solve problems. She said that for the government to meet the people's needs, the people have to “hacer gobierno” or “make government” themselves, by studying, learning and debating.

Multicolor revolution

One aspect that the PSUV emphasized was the diversity of the Bolivarian Revolution and the participation of indigenous and Afro-Venezuelans in the people’s movement. “I was inspired to see the leadership of women in the conference and the government,” said FRSO member Enya Silva, “the people cheering and chanting the loudest were always women.”

This was also evident in the international delegations, as the conference placed special emphasis on elevating Caribbean, African, and other Latin American countries.

Free Alex Saab

A highlight of the first day was a panel discussing the U.S.’s unjust detention of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who has been held for over 1000 days by the U.S. government for negotiating food and medical aid for Venezuela. Camila Fabri Saab, his wife, spoke about his case. “What the U.S. media doesn’t talk about is how his detention affects our family,” said Fabri Saab. “His oldest child misses him dearly and his youngest child is growing up without him.”

Carlos Montes spoke from the floor of the wide support and work of FRSO in the campaign to demand freedom for Alex Saab. Camila Fabri Saab smiled and expressed gratitude, telling the FRSO delegation that the work we do is important not just for Saab’s family, but to fight U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.

Fighting imperialism

The day ended with a speech from Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. She spoke on the importance of uniting with other nations to combat U.S. imperialism. “The world will be multipolar, but do we multiply capitalist poles? Poles that will put us in the same position as they have in the past? The world needs diverse poles, a pluripolar world.” Rodriguez used the example of China to show how a country can surpass the economy of the U.S. without resorting to the exploitative methods of imperialism.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #HugoChavez #antiimperialism #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization delegation to Venezuela visited downtown Caracas, March 2, and spoke with working-class Venezuelan people. Delegation members include Chicano activist Carlos Montes, student organizer Enya Silva and anti-police crimes activist Omar Flores.

The group visited the home of Simon Bolivar (the Liberator), Bolivar Plaza, and several historic sites. Carlos Montes said, “I enjoyed the popular theater performance in the outside plaza with the public of all ages watching, and the displays of Simon Bolivar.”

FRSO delegate Omar Flores stated, “The city is exceptionally clean, I did not see any homeless people, which is in stark contrast to what I’ve seen in large U.S. cities. Living in the most segregated city in the U.S., Milwaukee, it is also stunning how integrated Caracas is.”

The delegation is participating in an anti-imperialist conference hosted by the PSUV, United Socialist Party of Venezuela, to honor and promote the work and legacy of Hugo Chavez, who passed away ten years ago on March 5.

The group viewed many murals dedicated to Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution throughout the city, as well as murals calling for an end to the blockade on Cuba; celebrating the victory over fascism at Stalingrad; and calling for the liberation of Palestine. Organizers for the conference are working to promote unity in Latin America and against U.S. imperialism. The demand to stop U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and freedom for diplomat Alex Saab will also be raised.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Socialism #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela

Caracas. Venezuela – On March 1, a Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation landed in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Members of FRSO report being shown great hospitality from the Venezuelan people. These members of FRSO were invited to attend an anti-imperialist conference being hosted in Caracas.

FRSO member Enya Silva stated, “I’m excited to learn about how the Venezuelan people continue to grow their economy despite U.S. sanctions, which are specifically used to undermine the Bolivarian government.” The conference will also cover the subject of Alex Saab’s unjust detention in the United States. Enya Silva had been present in the courtroom when Alex Saab was on trial in the U.S. and will be reporting on her experience.

While the United States has reported Caracas as being a desolate wasteland, members of FRSO have reported that the city is thriving. FRSO member Omar Flores stated, “There is an abundance of food, public transit and commuters heading out to their jobs.”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – Day three of the PSUV 5th Congress began on March 8, with thousands filling the large auditorium again as Afro-Venezuelan dancers took to the stage and Caribbean coast music filled the air. The Chavista delegates smiled and swayed to the steady rhythm of folkloric songs about the Bolivarian Revolution. PSUV militants came prepared to listen to speeches and consider the changing conditions and forces in motion, explanations of errors, questions about how to achieve new goals, and implementation of the Three R’s: Resistance, Rebirth, and Revolution.

Luis Brito Garcia, a professor, spoke on ethics, responding to the arrest of a mayor and others in a drug smuggling scandal. He taught theory, using the ideas of ancient and modern philosophers. He gave people the words and ability to discuss and formulate anti-corruption campaigns within the party and society. He warned against relying too much on criminal justice systems and courts to obtain good outcomes.

His entertaining style included teaching hard lessons from the U.S. He warned of the weaknesses and problems of relying on prohibition laws to deal with drugs. He explained how U.S. prohibition of alcohol caused large mafia gangs and criminal families to arise, including the Kennedys, who smuggled whiskey. He also challenged the current casino culture in Caracas and its role in society. At one point he joked that the U.S. failures to undermine Venezuelan society might lead the White House to consider, “using Amazon to make the invasion.”

Later that day, thousands rose to their feet when Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was introduced by current Minister of Education Eduardo Pinate. Rodriguez spoke of the PSUV leaders setting an example and the role of the Units of Battle Hugo Chavez (UBCH). The UBCH is the basic party and self-defense unit, organizing as a political body of the grassroots that elected officials must be responsible to.

Rodriguez explained how the party and state needed to act together to meet the needs of the people, repairing derelict hospitals, abandoned by private owners. Rodriguez described the party organizing health brigades that sought out sick people during COVID, to both stop the spread and provide the best treatment possible. Venezuela has one of the highest vaccination rates, and lowest death rates in the world.

On an international level, Rodriguez spoke of how capitalism causes war, including the war in the Ukraine. She asked, “What is the U.S. purpose of aggression against Russia? Why not peacefully settle conflicts?”

She explained Venezuela experienced 500 years of violence and environmental destruction by foreign interests, that continues today with U.S. raids and sanctions.

Rodriguez ended her speech by saying, “This is a meeting of the working class, of women and youth. We need to use the ‘one times ten’ method to consolidate the revolutionary state. We are consolidating people’s power on the road to socialism!”

In the late afternoon, PSUV delegates attended breakout sessions where one after the other they rose and spoke to proposals according to sectors and issue. Their passionate arguments were well thought through and based on summations of local experiences. After back-and-forth debates on proposals, the outdoor gatherings of hundreds would raise their hands to vote up or down.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #PSUV5thCongress

Caracas, Venezuela – The second day of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) 5th Congress, March 6, featured speeches and workshops about building the party among working people, while strengthening the role of women and youth. Facts and figures played an important part in educating the PSUV militants, with data and explanations appearing on giant video walls. However, it was the speaker’s analysis of problems, and proposed solutions that kept everyone talking.

For example, there are 8 million registered to vote for the PSUV, but until now, no way to check how people participate in the party. There is a proposal to clarify and organize, so besides the millions who vote, PSUV members can be organized to participate in unions, community groups, the student and youth movements, and other mass organizations.

Leon Heredia explained, “The PSUV uses an ‘Activist x 10’ method to register party members.” The goal is to create a “protagonist democracy” where workers and others are making collective decisions and changing their own work places and communities.

Going beyond elections, the party needs to lead the struggles of the masses, attempt to solve problems and overcome difficulties. Two examples are the CLAP food program that now feeds more than 70% of households, and the over 3.5 million new apartments and homes built by the Bolivarian Revolution. These efforts come directly from the process of the party listening to the people in mass meetings, and using state structures to make changes happen rapidly, setting up new economic systems run by workers for all the people.

Another dynamic is the PSUV defense of the revolution due to ongoing attempts by the U.S. to strangle the Venezuelan economy with sanctions.

The PSUV has more women and youth leading the party at all levels than before. At the labor sector meeting, Francisco Torrealba, vice president of the Working Class Sector of the PSUV, spoke to a room full of international guests and PSUV labor delegates organized as the PCOA (Anti-imperialist Platform of the Working Class).

Torrealba explained, “More than half the delegates of the working class are women and nearly half are youth. They were elected from 23 assemblies, with 3573 workers participating, and 678 new leaders from health, food and agriculture, PDVSA oil and gas, chemicals and pharma, teachers, health, and transport unions. Also, the vice president of the Women’s Sector comes from the Working Class Sector.”

Tom Burke, the organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), was one of three international guests invited to speak at the PCOA meeting. Burke said, “We are here in solidarity with the PSUV 5th Congress as part of the PCOA.”

Burke continued, “The FRSO wants to express our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian Revolution. The FRSO respects the vanguard role the PSUV earned in the Venezuelan liberation movement as you struggle toward socialism. We support the one and only president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. We hope to deepen our bilateral ties and to free Alex Saab!”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV

Caracas, Venezuela – The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) opened their 5th Congress, March 5, with music and a cheering crowd, followed by serious speeches of the PSUV leaders. The international delegation, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, with ambassadors from People’s Korea, China, South Africa, Cuba, Russia, Bolivia, Palestine and Nicaragua, were welcomed by every speaker.

Diosdado Cabello, first vice-president of the PSUV, described the 1572-plus delegates representing the workers, indigenous, Afro-Venezuelan, women and youth sectors participating. Women are more than half the delegates and more of the leadership. The largest PSUV section of members are in their thirties, having grown up with the Bolivarian Revolution. For nearly half the room this is their first congress.

In the afternoon, when Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro took the stage, he led a minute of raucous clapping and cheering in memory of President Hugo Chavez. It turned to chanting by the PSUV youth, “Chavez did not die! He made us millions!”

Flanked by the former President Evo Morales of Bolivia and the former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodrigues, Maduro spoke of the continuing struggle to develop and broaden the economy in Venezuela. The president spoke about the “at your door” food delivery for more than 70% of the people, the over 3 million new apartments and houses built, the necessity to start new production factories for the many goods that the U.S. embargo is trying to deny Venezuela. The U.S. policy is failing.

President Maduro hammered on the theme of the 5th Congress, “Resistance, Rebirth, Revolution.” He spoke at length about problems the PSUV needs to overcome, especially corruption in government.

“The PSUV is based on ethical principles defined by President Chavez, so mistakes get confronted and corrupt people get punished,” said Maduro. He continued, “Sometimes people wear a red shirt to obscure who they really are, but we will find out!”

President Maduro finished by reminding the cadres that they need to resist the U.S. empire and the sanctions which they can overcome through developing their own economy, currently boosted by high oil prices. Growth and improvement is apparent everywhere, despite two years of difficulty with COVID. Over 90% are vaccinated with Russian, Chinese or Cuban versions of the vaccine. There is a new sense the economy is going to grow dramatically if U.S. sanctions can be overcome.

The idea of rebirth was described as the young cadre being trained to leave the colleges and go to the workers and other sectors of the people to teach them to take power and learn from them, to then improve their lives – to build party unity with the millions of PSUV voters throughout society.

The revolution component involves new organizations in workplaces and communities to change power dynamics in a country where the vast majority of the economy is in private hands. The PSUV is planning to shift ownership to public, collective, communal, and state ownership.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #PSUV5thCongress

Caracas, Venezuela – The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) opened their 5th Congress, March 5, with music and a cheering crowd, followed by serious speeches of the PSUV leaders. The international delegation, including the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, with ambassadors from People’s Korea, China, South Africa, Cuba, Russia, Bolivia, Palestine and Nicaragua, were welcomed by every speaker.

Diosdado Cabello, first vice-president of the PSUV, described the 1572-plus delegates representing the workers, indigenous, Afro-Venezuelan, women and youth sectors participating. Women are more than half the delegates and more of the leadership. The largest PSUV section of members are in their thirties, having grown up with the Bolivarian Revolution. For nearly half the room this is their first congress.

In the afternoon, when Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro took the stage, he led a minute of raucous clapping and cheering in memory of President Hugo Chavez. It turned to chanting by the PSUV youth, “Chavez did not die! He made us millions!”

Flanked by the former President Evo Morales of Bolivia and the former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodrigues, Maduro spoke of the continuing struggle to develop and broaden the economy in Venezuela. The president spoke about the “at your door” food delivery for more than 70% of the people, the over 3 million new apartments and houses built, the necessity to start new production factories for the many goods that the U.S. embargo is trying to deny Venezuela. The U.S. policy is failing.

President Maduro hammered on the theme of the 5th Congress, “Resistance, Rebirth, Revolution.” He spoke at length about problems the PSUV needs to overcome, especially corruption in government.

“The PSUV is based on ethical principles defined by President Chavez, so mistakes get confronted and corrupt people get punished,” said Maduro. He continued, “Sometimes people wear a red shirt to obscure who they really are, but we will find out!”

President Maduro finished by reminding the cadres that they need to resist the U.S. empire and the sanctions which they can overcome through developing their own economy, currently boosted by high oil prices. Growth and improvement is apparent everywhere, despite two years of difficulty with COVID. Over 90% are vaccinated with Russian, Chinese or Cuban versions of the vaccine. There is a new sense the economy is going to grow dramatically if U.S. sanctions can be overcome.

The idea of rebirth was described as the young cadre being trained to leave the colleges and go to the workers and other sectors of the people to teach them to take power and learn from them, to then improve their lives – to build party unity with the millions of PSUV voters throughout society.

The revolution component involves new organizations in workplaces and communities to change power dynamics in a country where the vast majority of the economy is in private hands. The PSUV is planning to shift ownership to public, collective, communal, and state ownership.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #PSUV5thCongress

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 – Geovanni Peña, the director of the National Institute of Prevention, Health and Worker Safety, states, “Capitalism is the biggest reason for COVID deaths. Here, the Venezuelan government protects the working class and the people feel a collective social responsibility to protect each other. This is why we only have six Delta variant cases, while Delta increases exponentially throughout the USA and other countries.”

The United States, one of the major epicenters of the world for capitalism, is leading the world in COVID deaths and COVID cases, with over 36.5 million cases and over 600,000 deaths. India and Brazil are capitalist countries with far-right leadership and they are second and third for the number of COVID cases and deaths. Compare these countries with anti-capitalist countries, such as Cuba, with 440,000 cases; and Venezuela with 311,000 cases detected and 3682 deaths.

Fight Back! interviewed Geovanni Peña, the director of the National Institute of Prevention, Health and Worker Safety, to learn more about how Venezuela has handled the pandemic. Here are excerpts from that conversation.

“Unlike the USA, Venezuela has implemented countrywide regulations, since the pandemic began, that continue today. During ‘closed week’ in Caracas, the streets are far more empty. The only open shops in the afternoon are essentials, such as supermarkets, pharmacies, healthcare clinics. Every other week is closed week.

“Schools have also stayed closed the entire pandemic, with students learning virtually, through WhatsApp texts – if they only have phone but no internet – or by picking up materials every 15 days. Teachers and parents have been very creative in helping the children. Schools may open in their fall semester, in October and we expect all teachers will be vaccinated by then.

“We will look at the rates and the data to decide if schools will open in October. We will only open if it is safe. We will not put children or staff at risk. In Venezuela, lives are more important than schools opening. While the schools have been closed, the government continued to provide the meals to the children.”

Geovanni also discussed the laws including wearing masks in stores and outside.

“One of the biggest dangers in the USA was the propaganda and lies about COVID. Here, Venezuelans are immune to lies. They support the science. The people here use masks because they are conscience and responsible. They are conscious of themselves and our society. Venezuela was unlike Brazil, USA or England, where the cases were exploding everywhere or Ecuador, where they had so many cases, they were throwing dead bodies in the street. Our successful control of COVID during the pandemic is due to President Maduro and the regulations he’s put in place. And he didn’t do it alone, he set up a council of the various ministers of the government and health experts. We had very high full recuperation rates and very low deaths.

“Here, the town decided to take care of one another. We have a united sense of community. We significantly increased protections. There is a low risk of catching COVID here because everyone wears masks, the closed weeks and we have a great healthcare system.”

Former President Chavez turned their for-profit healthcare system into a universal free healthcare system. The government also built more clinics all over the country, especially in areas, like the countryside, which didn’t have close access to them.

“Healthcare should be a human right in every country. In Venezuela, we use diagnostics, free and easy access to healthcare and free treatment for COVID. To help COVID patients and support businesses, the government converted hotels into hospitals. There was also strong communication between the government and the communities. If someone called in with symptoms, a nurse would bring the COVID test to the person’s house.”

Supporting the people through this pandemic is not only about healthcare, but also about maintaining people’s income. During the pandemic, the countries that did not provide sufficient funds to the people resulted in more people taking public transportation and working, thus increasing the chances of COVID spreading.

“President Maduro and the government provided 100% full income to public workers and subsidized private businesses, as long as they continued to fully pay their workers’ salaries. The government also passed a law that immune-compromised people do not have to work, won’t lose their job and will continue to receive their salary.

“The government implemented safety measures in jobs. Each job has a safety delegate and committee. So far, there are over 6000 registered. If there is a suspicion that a worker has COVID or there are unsafe working conditions, the safety committee is immediately activated. They can make a person with symptoms take a COVID test and report unsafe working conditions to the government.”

Other than salaries, rent has been a top concern in many countries, like the U.S. The U.S. had an eviction moratorium in place for a period of time, but it just ended, leaving millions at risk for eviction and homelessness. Venezuela was a different story. The Venezuelan government continued to build more free housing through Gran Misión Vivienda, which has built 3.6 million homes since 2011. The government also issued executive orders, which continue today, concerning rent.

“The government told the people that they don’t have to pay rent, nor do they have to pay rent back, when the pandemic ends.”

Including rent forgiveness, people receive bags of food monthly from the government through the CLAP program for 42 cents per bag. Each box includes items such as rice, pasta, oil, sardines, beans, flour, milk, sugar, etc.

Contract tracing and vaccines are another important aspect of the pandemic procedures to keep people safe.

“When we find a COVID case, we ensure the person and people in contact with the infected person are quarantined. In Venezuela, we have solidarity with one another in the battle against COVID. If someone finds out a neighbor is sick, they will call a doctor for them. We have a little more than 12,000 active cases, including only six Delta variant cases. We have a ton of beds available for patients. Other countries or states in the USA, are running out of beds.

“Due to the blockade, we can only receive vaccines from China, Russia and Cuba. This has slowed down the rate of vaccines coming here. So far, 4 million people here have been vaccinated. We are guaranteeing that 6 million more will be vaccinated very soon. By October, we will have 50% vaccinated.”

The U.S. has a plethora of vaccines, but only 50% of the people have been vaccinated, with some aeras as low as 20%.

“One pillar of our pandemic plan is the importance of educating the public and informing people of the benefits of the vaccine. I don’t know of any anti-vaccination movement here and I would’ve heard about it because I am the director of the National Institute of Prevention, Health and Worker Safety.

Director Geovanni Peña addressed the blockade as well: “I believe we need to stop the blockade and all nations need to join in fighting against COVID together. And all the governments need to protect their people.”

The Venezuelan government and people have done tremendous work in controlling COVID and supporting people through the pandemic.

#CaracasVenezuela #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #COVID19 #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #DeltaVariant #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela -The bustling streets of Caracas are full of masked people, during “open week.” You hear Latin music flowing from the stores, children playing soccer and laughing, merchants selling empanadas. 95% of the people you see are wearing masks outside, since it’s the government mandate.

Every other week is a “closed week,” where everything is closed in the afternoons besides grocery stores, healthcare, gas and other essentials. Many people work from home during the “closed week.” You will still see people in the streets, but far fewer.

Government Human Resources Department worker Oliver Rujano stated, “Our Venezuelan government was one of the best in the world in handling the pandemic. We had very few cases. People here are mandated to wear masks and majority follow it. In the neighborhoods, we all know each other and check on each other. We knew who caught COVID and helped one another. My neighborhood had five COVID cases. Look at the countries with the most COVID cases, like the USA and Brazil. The USA says they are a democracy, but we are the true democracy, the people wish they had, with free healthcare, education and people power.”

Venezuela also took care of its people with housing. Misión Vivienda, the housing program continued to build more houses, with 3.6 million houses built in ten years. There were also protections for renters.

“The people renting apartments were protected and not obligated to pay during the pandemic. They don’t have to pay the rent back either,” said Deputy at the National Assembly for the Workers Sector Oswaldo Vera.

This is unlike the USA, where the eviction freeze is ending and millions are at risk of eviction and forced to pay back over a year of rent.

The Maduro government not only protected renters, but also supported workers with salaries.

“The government guaranteed stability of salaries for the workers. They subsidized the salaries of private company workers, since people were buying fewer services and items. They also provided 100% of the salary for public workers who couldn’t work because their jobs were closed. If someone left work sick, due to COVID, they received their full salary. Also, our nurses were given full protections and PPE for working and treatment and hospitalization for those with COVID were free, unlike the USA,” said Oswaldo Vera.

Vera added, “The government also paid for hotels to be used as hospital rooms to quarantine those with COVID. This also helped the workers, since tourism decreased significantly,” said International Relations Secretary of the Federation of Public Service Workers Tulio Virguez.

Similar to many U.S. cities, the schools were closed due to the pandemic. Teachers continued working by providing online instruction, instruction via text with WhatsApp and for those without any phones or internet, and students picked up assignments from schools every 15 days.

Vaccinations were also a major part of the pandemic plan.

“Teachers started being vaccinated in March, and we expect all teachers to be vaccinated by October, when the schools open,” said Lidia Méndez, an executive of the biggest Venezuelan teachers union.

They have a similar COVID response plan to Chicago, where if one student is sick, they will send the students home. If multiple classes are infected, they will close the school and do an investigation to find the source of the outbreak.

Not all followed the rules of the schools closing.

“There was one school, where the principal disobeyed the law, and the principal kept the school 100% open and most the kids got COVID. That principal was prosecuted and is in home arrest now. He didn’t follow the safety protocol for the kids,” said Tulio Virguez.

One issues the teachers have had during and before the pandemic are the salaries.

“Our salaries low because of the USA economic war against us and inflation related with the dollar. Luckily, we have the government social services of food, public service, healthcare, housing, etc. We’ve had three or four very difficult years due to the USA blockade and sanctions, but we are fighters, and we find ways to keep moving forward,” said Guillermo Madriz, executive member of the teachers union.

“Daily, we are in a fight against the economic war. Every day the inflation and the dollar exchange rate, this changes the salary of the teachers here. Our salaries were much seven or eight times higher before the USA sanctions,” said Cesar Silva, an executive member of the teacher’s union.

The Venezuelan government has supported the people in their needs of housing, healthcare, education and other social services, but the U.S. blockade has taken a toll.

“From 2003 to 2012, we were listed at as the fifth happiest country in the world [according to the Gallup poll]. We had all these free social services started. We had trade exchange with all over the world. Then, the USA blockade began and we couldn’t trade oil. Massive inflation started,” said Cesar Silva.

These sanctions are not just against the government, these sanctions significantly hurt the people living in Venezuela. Even the number of vaccinations entering Venezuela have slowed down due to them being blocked by the blockade.

“We couldn’t pay for the vaccines provided by the World Health Organization vaccine program [COVAX] recently because the USA blocked the wire transfer for multiple weeks,” said Tulio Virguez.

“We want the rest of the world to know that Venzuelans are happy, we drink, we dance and everything, but we need the sanctions to end. They are hurting us, the people,” said Nelson Herrera, Secretary of the Vice Presidency for the Working Class of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).

The Venezuelan government is providing all the free healthcare, salary, protections and support to its people, but the economic war and blockade is trying to slow their progress, so Venezuelans can’t receive all the vaccinations they need and the salaries they deserve.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

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 – 60 international observers of the Venezuelan election were stuck at the airport December 8, for a flight to Mexico. The flight kept getting delayed and delayed. After six hours of waiting, people were sleeping on the floors, tables and couches. Then the head of Conviasa’s national flights spoke to the observers in the airport and said that Venezuela asked Colombia permission to have observers fly over Colombia to return home. Colombia approved it. Two hours before the flight was going to leave, they denied the flight route. He said, “This has happened many times. They do this to try to control us.” He told us that this is part of blockade and is a form of oppression, and that they suffer under these attacks every day. “As observers, you should show the world the oppression and how the blockade affects us.”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Colombia #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles

Caracas, Venezuela – A middle-aged man in Guairda waits in line to vote for the National Assembly and says, “Here voting is easy and safe. It takes 30 seconds to one minute. With all the participation from the people in the Guairda area, we will show the world that we want to live in peace, without guarimbas [street blockades], without violence, without economic sanctions, and we will show to other people that we are demanding sovereignty. This is why the majority of Venezuelans are carrying out our duty and our right to vote.”

The election of the National Assembly in Venezuela was Sunday, December 6. Election observers from around the world attended the voting sites in the schools around the country. They were able to observe the entire voting process.

There were multiple observers from the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, Dominican Republican and Barbados.

Donald Denny, an election observer from Barbados, says, “I represent the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration. We have a very close working relationship with the United Socialist party of Venezuela. We are also very supportive of the removal of the political economic embargo against Venezuela. We are here to witness this election and to be able to report to our people in the Caribbean about what is taking place. We know that the USA and the imperialist forces in the region will do everything possible to attack the election in Venezuela and criticize it, but we want to bring information to the people of Barbados and our region to have a clear understanding of what is happening in Venezuela. We are very supportive of this election and the progressive left forces. We are looking forward to a victory for the united socialist forces of Venezuela.”

There were also many observers from Africa, including the Congo, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco and Tunisia.

Obed Babela, an election observer from the African National Congress (ANC), said “I am part of the ANC, and we are together with other delegates from the South Africa Communist Party. We are here to pledge our support with the PSUV. We hope there is a clear winner, so the illegal blockade and the illegal sanctions must come to an end because the whole world will have seen that people from Venezuela went peacefully to vote, without being pushed by anyone, without intimidation, freely expressing who they want to be their own government. Once that has been determined, we are asking all countries to respect the outcome of the elections in Venezuela, so that the economy can grow and they can focus on development and not worry about sanctions and the illegal blockade.”

Contrary to the reporting of the corporate newspapers of the West, the observers saw a secure and democratic election process.

To vote, people walk up to an election worker and place their ID on a mini platform. The worker types in their ID numbers into a machine, checks their name and the voter places their finger on the machine to confirm their identity with the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

After their identity is verified, the voter goes to a computerized, touchscreen voting machine, which is behind a barrier for privacy. The ballot has all the different parties that are running candidates. The people click the party they want to vote for and then a printed receipt comes out.

The voter takes this ticket and puts it in a sealed box with a slit in it. They walk over to another election worker, who has an election notebook. The notebook lists everyone who can vote in that polling station. The voters sign their name and put their fingerprint next to their name.

The voting centers usually close at 6 p.m., but they won’t close if there are people in line. The votes are counted electronically, but also have backup with the paper tickets being counted. The whole process includes many checks and balances and confirming people’s identity. The international observers asked voters what they thought about the election. People said the election was democratic and just.

“Voting is very quick and easy here. Our election process is a democratic process, we’ve never let go of our democracy. It’s a good process. Everything is going well with our current government, thank God. There are a lot of good, cheap, services and utilities. We always have water and electricity. The public services here are very good,” says Eddy Guzman, an elderly voter.

The results of the election are usually known by 10 p.m. the same day. Venezuelans are expecting a strong victory for the Chavista party, PSUV, and President Maduro. This is the main reason that the U.S. government and right-wing newspapers are claiming the election is undemocratic; they know it is likely that the Chavista party will win. The Chavista party is the opposite of the USA’s two capitalist, imperialist parties. It offers free universal healthcare, free public education and college and free housing to over 3.3 million people. Most importantly, the PSUV is a party of the people and Maduro uplifts their voices.

A victory for the PSUV and Maduro is a victory for working people around the world and a victory against imperialism.

“The common thing we have among us is that we are human beings and we have to support each other and help in every way to improve life, in every sense, for all the people of the world. The government of Venezuela is in power because the people of Venezuela put them there. The people elected Maduro democratically. He’s the one that should be in power because it was the decision of the people. We should support them because we believe in democracy, so we should accept it,” says Ahmed Laamraoui, the secretary general of the Moroccan Worker’s Union and an election observer.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #HandsOffVenezuela

Caracas, Venezuela – Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arriaza spoke to the international observers of the elections to the National Assembly, December 4. He said to us, “The town is not full of only resistance and consciousness, they are on the offensive. They have been attacked by the World Bank and other capitalists. The Venezuelan people are working, they are creative. It’s impressive how creative they are to fix the problems. We couldn’t do this without the people.”

He went on, “Imperialism has only increased the people’s resistance. The opposition said, ‘It wasn’t a movement, it was just a leader, Chavez.’ No, the people’s assembly has the power. There have been consequences for starting the people’s assembly. There has been violence, guarimbas and young people dying based on the opposition’s attacks against us. The opposition set 29 Venezuelans on fire and burned them alive. Why? Because their skin was brown, so they assumed they were Chavistas. The opposition is financed by the USA and the CIA.”

An activist leader from Puerto Rico stated, “The way you all run elections in Venezuela are a model for the world. On November 3, in Puerto Rico, we had elections and they have still not verified them today, December 4.”

David Denny, from the Caribbean, “In our region, we see this election as very important. This election is about defending the poor people. We visited a community, and we felt their strong defense of Venezuela.”

The vice president of the Communist Party in Kenya said, “The attack against Venezuela is not unique. The history of imperialism is a history of war and suffering. They have hurt Africa so much. You have friends in Africa willing to defend Venezuela. We want to have a national debate to share the socialist success of Venezuela and explain the USA’s attacks against Venezuela. You are not alone. You are with the progressives around the world. Send the opposition coup, who attack you all, to jail. They did that to Evo, in Bolivia. Don’t give them an inch.”

A feminist leader from Brazil stated, “We’ve seen a very successful movement from women here. I lived here for a few years. The reason the revolution has been successful is because many women are at the front of the revolution. Venezuela is a strong example that we want to follow in Brazil.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arriaza responded, “I want to thank you all for the solidarity. It is so important. Lula said, ‘Chavez and I know the direction where we are going. We just go at different rates or speeds. We fight for an equal society with all society’s needs. We need a common agenda. The education needs to be accessible and free to everyone. The people need to choose their own process. You need a leader and a strong program. And we need to know that the enemy is imperialism.’”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #VenezuelaElections #Americas

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 – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation met today with Tibisay Lucena, president of the CNE (the National Electoral Council) to discuss the upcoming elections. Lucena spoke about this election as very important in the face of U.S aggression and the economic war.

Lucena explained the electoral processes in Venezuela are a result of democratic changes put forward in the 1999 Constitution after President Chavez was elected. The CNE is a new branch of government, the electoral branch, that oversees a fair and democratic process. This is in addition to the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The fifth branch of government as conceived by Simon Bolivar in 1826 is the Moral Power.

On March 8, right-wing terrorists set fire to the CNE warehouse, destroying the voting machines meant to be used later this year. This came days after the pro-U.S. opposition had called for marches on the Presidential Palace.

In response, the Bolivarian Revolution called for a counter-protest. Over half a million people marched through the streets to support President Maduro and against the attacks on democracy. The Venezuelan government is searching for those responsible.

Though the arson attack was a setback, Lucena assured that the election will carry on this year as expected. Getting new voting machines is aggravated by U.S. economic sanctions.

The FRSO labor delegation explained how the billionaire class in the U.S. can essentially buy elections. A FRSO member also brought up issues with voter suppression of African Americans, Chicanos, Latinos and others that prevent them from being able to vote.

Lucena discussed some measures in the Venezuelan constitution and the steps CNE takes to ensure fair elections and higher participation. She also described the various ways they audit the votes afterwards. The CNE has worked on the efficiency of the process to the point that they can get official results within three hours. Lucena said, “Elections are a key point of our democracy. That is why our election infrastructure is being attacked so much right now.”

She also invited people to accompany the upcoming elections and spoke about Venezuela's sovereignty.

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

Caracas, Venezuela – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation met with space program officials, March 11, at the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities. Pictured are Adolfo Godoy, the president of ABAE; Mariano Imbert, the manager of Commercial Development; Salvador Lugo, the vice minister of Science and Technology, along with members of the FRSO delegation.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Labor #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism #BolivarianSpaceAgency