Minneapolis, MN – Members of the Solidarity Committee on the Americas (SCOTA) , a committee of Women Against Military Madness along with their supporters, gathered September 10, on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge, which connects Minneapolis and Saint Paul, protesting Trump’s attacks against Venezuela and the Caribbean.

On September 2, the U.S. military killed eleven people in an unlawful strike on a boat in the southern Caribbean, near Venezuela. Congress has not declared war on Venezuela, yet the Trump administration authorized and openly bragged about ordering the killing of unknown people without any due process.

All along the bridge, people walked back and forth as they held signs and waved to the cars passing by that honked in support.

Their signs could be seen from afar with big, bold lettering that read, “Speak out: U.S. – Hands off Venezuela,” “No sanctions. No coup,” and “Hands off Venezuela and Latin America!”

As the protest ended, members of SCOTA told the crowd that as long as Trump and his administration continues to target Venezuela and its people, we will hit the streets in protest.

Follow SCOTA on Facebook and Instagram to learn about Venezuela in an upcoming panel discussion and to learn about any upcoming protests.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #HandsOffVenezuela #Venezuela

Miami, FL – An important hearing takes place on Monday, December 12 in the case of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. With solidarity activists planning to protest outside the Federal Court building in Miami chanting, “Free Alex Saab,” inside a judge will hear arguments from Saab’s defense that should force him to be set free.

Saab’s defense will assert his status as a Special Envoy to the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. As a special envoy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, he is immune to prosecution by the U.S. government.

“The U.S. is singling out Alex Saab for punishment because he is key to bypassing the illegal U.S. sanctions placed upon Venezuela,” says Cassia Laham of the Free Alex Saab Committee. “This kidnapping of a diplomat comes after multiple illegal attempts by the United States at coup d’états and regime change against the Venezuelan government.”

All the U.S. maneuvers against Venezuela have failed so far. In 2002, popularly elected President Hugo Chavez reversed the U.S. backed coup. Later that year, Chavez defeated a management lockout of the oil industry by firing 18,000 managers and bosses. The current president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, defeated another U.S. backed coup on April 30, 2019. Then in 2020 Maduro foiled a U.S. mercenary-led invasion force who were captured by people’s militias before they even hit the beach.

“Alex Saab has done nothing wrong. He certainly does not belong in a U.S. jail,” said Tom Burke, with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. “He’s a special envoy who made trade deals for food, medicine, technology, and other things that benefit the Venezuelan people. It is U.S. sanctions that need to be on trial. U.S. sanctions are illegal, an act of war.”

Alex Saab was illegally imprisoned in the Republic of Cabo Verde at the directive of the United States on June 12, 2020. Then he was illegally renditioned to Miami from Cabo Verde, despite there being no extradition treaty, on October 16, 2021.

Under the Vienna Convention, a credentialed diplomat such as Saab has absolute immunity from arrest, even in a time of war. Saab has also appealed to the US 11th Circuit Court based on his diplomatic status.

Laham says, “It is now over 900 days since Alex Saab was first jailed by the United States. The U.S. is now negotiating for Venezuelan oil and needs to end the sanctions, war, and aggression against Venezuela. They need to respect Venezuela and reestablish normal ties.”

Burke and Laham will join other solidarity activists and rally to “Free Alex Saab!” on Monday, December 12 at 8 a.m., Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 400 N Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida.

There is also a protest to “Free Alex Saab!” in New York City at the United Nations, 46th Street and First Avenue, at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9.

Then a large Milwaukee coalition hosts a Human Rights Day program at 4 p.m., Saturday December 10, at 2319 East Kenwood Boulevard that includes the movie, Alex Saab: A Kidnapped Diplomat.

As well, there will be a Detroit protest demanding “Free Alex Saab!” at the Rosa Parks Federal Building in at 6 p.m., 333 Mount Elliott Street, on Monday, December 12.

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #HandsOffVenezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

A dozen cities throughout the United States, from New York City to Miami, to Chicago to Tucson, will host livestreaming events of the movie.

“It is imperative that activists in the United States show solidarity with the people of Venezuela, who have been tirelessly resisting illegal actions by the United States against their country for over a decade,” said Tom Burke, organizational secretary with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We have been part of the Free Alex Saab Committee since its inception, and we will be watching the film here in Grand Rapids, Michigan to express our unity with the Bolivarian Republic and its people, and to demand the release of their heroic diplomat.”

Alex Saab was illegally arrested, tortured and imprisoned simply for securing funds, food items and medicine for the people of Venezuela to continue to thrive. For over a decade, the United States has tried to wreak havoc on Venezuela through multilateral sanctions (even during COVID), attempted destabilization efforts, and even assassination attempts – all tactics that have failed miserably and which Venezuela has overcome, in large part thanks to the work of patriotic Venezuelans like Alex Saab.

By putting Saab on trial, the United States has gone against international and U.S. laws alike. International law clearly states that diplomats cannot be extradited, arrested and imprisoned by foreign governments, especially for made-up charges such as the one against Alex Saab. The United States is clearly an empire on its last legs, and it is lashing out with all tools in its arsenal, trying not to lose its grasp on global hegemony, which it sees slipping from its fingers.

We demand the U.S. government stop all attacks on Venezuela, its people, and its representatives! Free Alex Saab!

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #Movies #HandsOffVenezuela #AlexSaab #Americas

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

As previously reported in Fight Back!, on May 3 Venezuelan military and police forces encountered a group of invaders, killing eight and capturing two. The invaders planned to initiate terror attacks, including assassinations of government officials. They thought they could gather forces as they moved towards Caracas. Instead, they were swiftly killed or captured. In the case of the U.S. mercenaries, local fisherman reported their boat to authorities, and they were captured swiftly.

President Nicolas Maduro, the target of the failed attack, showed the U.S. passports and Texas driver’s licenses of Denman and Berry on Venezuelan television. The two U.S. mercenaries also possessed Silvercorp Metals USA company badges shown by President Maduro. They are likely to face long prison terms and President Trump disavowed any connection to the U.S. government.

The owner of Silvercorp is Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Green Beret living in Florida. Goudreau claims ties to President Trump and his security team, having worked at campaign events. Until a few weeks ago, Goudreau was working inside Colombia with former Venezuelan Major General Cliver Alcala, who is now held in the U.S. and cooperating with U.S. intelligence.

On live television President Trump denied all U.S. ties to the foiled invasion. Trump also denied any connection to the failed coup attempt against President Maduro on April 30 last year. At that time, the U.S. gave safe haven in Virginia to one of its plotters, Christopher Figuera, former head of the SABIN or national intelligence service who turned traitor to his own country.

As of May 5, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab had announced the arrest of 114 people suspected in the attempted attack, with 25,000 Venezuelan National Guard still on the hunt for 92 others. President Maduro is safe in the Presidential Palace knowing the people are on the watch for those who attempt to undermine the Bolivarian Revolution as it advances. Big gains in jobs, housing, education, health care and culture over 20 years are being consolidated as the U.S. continues its aggression.

Despite U.S. economic sanctions, terror attacks and sabotage of infrastructure, the Venezuelan people are focused on their health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Venezuela reports the lowest infection rate in all of Latin America, 361 cases, with ten deaths. This is due to a robust, multi-layered, and high functioning public health care system supported by both Venezuelan and Cuban doctors, nurses and medical personnel.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #Antifascism #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela #Silvercorp

Chicago, IL – While the U.S. Navy aggressively patrols their coast, another U.S.-inspired attack on Venezuela failed during the morning of May 3. Venezuelan military and police captured two, and killed eight, armed mercenaries during the confrontation. Traveling by speedboat from Colombia, the invaders’ plan was to join local accomplices near the port of La Guairá. La Guairá is next to Venezuela’s international airport and only 20 miles from Caracas.

According to those captured, the invaders planned to initiate terror attacks, including assassinations of government officials. They mistakenly thought they could gather forces as they moved towards Caracas. One of the captured claimed to be an asset for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Since banning the DEA from their country, drug shipments from Venezuela dropped significantly.

During the operation police seized weapons and communications equipment brought in on the boat, as well as a makeshift armored car built by accomplices in Venezuela. High-caliber rifles, uniforms and satellite phones were among the items seized.

This follows the March 26 attempt to invade Venezuela from Colombia by a former major general of the Venezuelan Army, Cliver Alcala. Alcala shared his plans with the Colombian government, and as his vehicles were transporting an arsenal of weapons to the Venezuelan border, Colombian officials seized them.

In response, U.S. authorities acted quickly and whisked Alcala away to New York, where he is cooperating with them. Colombian authorities refused to hand Alcala over to Venezuela to face justice despite Alcala’s plan to violently overthrow Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

Among the dead mercenaries in La Guairá was a notorious traitor, the former Captain Robert Levid Colina, known as “Pantera.” Alcalá publicly identified Pantera as one of his accomplices in the March failure. Pantera was also tied to the failed U.S.-backed coup against President Maduro on April 30 last year. Right-wing opposition politicians Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López led that fiasco.

President Trump and the U.S. government continue to enforce harmful sanctions against Venezuela during the coronavirus pandemic. Combined with President Trump ordering warlike U.S. Navy patrols, it gives the green light to mercenaries and opportunists to launch attacks. These attacks backfire though, as Venezuelans rally around their elected president Nicolas Maduro. The right-wing attacks, sponsored by the U.S., strengthen the grip of the Bolivarian Revolution as the people practice defending their country.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Antiracism #Socialism #Antifascism #DonaldTrump #JuanGuaidó #HandsOffVenezuela #VenezuelaCoup

Cassia Laham, of the Florida anti-war group People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), states, “The indictment against Maduro is an absolutely transparent move by the U.S. imperialists to try, yet again, to take down the two-time democratically-elected government of Venezuela.”

Laham continued, “The U.S. cannot stand that Venezuela has rejected American neoliberalism and has been trying since 2002 to undo all of the gains made by the Chavista movement and replace the government of Venezuela with a puppet one that will do whatever the U.S. says. Time and time again, the U.S. has tried to coordinate coups in Venezuela, but time and time again it has failed to gain the support of the Venezuelan people, who largely support their government. It is our hope that this ridiculous narco-terrorism charge and bounty will be yet another failed attempt by the U.S., and that Venezuela will emerge even stronger.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Twin Cites-based Anti-War Committee called Trump’s moves disgusting, and states, “U.S. imperialism is always wrong, but it is even more outrageous to be building up to war during a global pandemic!”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Over 60 people from South Florida’s tri-county area gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Church of Fort Lauderdale to hear a panel and question-and-answer session featuring anti-war activists Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. Zeese and Flowers are two of the four Embassy Protector activists who spent 37 days protecting international law and peace within the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C. They are currently facing bogus federal charges brought by the Trump administration that, if convicted, would mean up to one year in prison and $100,000 fines each.

Also on the panel was a representative from the National Lawyers Guild – criminal and civil rights attorney Audrey Bomse. Bomse provided illuminating perspective on the history of politically-motivated attacks by the federal government in the United States, and the ongoing injustices faced by present-day political prisoners such as Leonard Peltier, Julian Assange and the MOVE 9 Black liberation activists. She explained how anti-war and anti-capitalist activists, as well as Black and Chicano liberation activists, have often been the main targets of the state.

Zeese and Flowers described their time at the embassy and the politics of their situation. They explained how the Embassy Protection Collective formed in April 2019, after the Organization of American States, which is largely dominated by the U.S., declared the U.S-puppet Juan Guaidó “president of Venezuela.” This was all part of an illegal scheme by the United States to oust the democratically elected socialist leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. In order to keep the DC embassy from being illegally taken over by right-wing coup supporters, progressive activists went to the embassy and, with permission of the Venezuelan government, who handed them the keys, remained there.

For 37 days, the Venezuelan embassy in DC was under siege by local and federal police and right-wing Venezuelan mobs who surrounded the embassy, used strobe lights and blare horns throughout the nights, tried breaking down the door, violently attacked Embassy Protection Collective solidarity activists outside the embassy, and even blocked supporters from bringing food and water to the activists inside.

The pair explained how, on the last day, heavily armed police wearing military grade protective gear used a battering ram to break through the Venezuelan Embassy (which Flowers noted was only ‘locked’ with plastic zip-ties at that point, and which could have simply been cut with scissors), in total violation of international law and the Vienna Convention. They proceeded to arrest the last four remaining peace activists in the Embassy on the absurd charge of “interfering with certain protective functions” of the federal government.

The crowd also got to watch solidarity videos by journalist Max Blumenthal, activist and fellow Embassy Protector Medea Benjamin, and former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. The three, who have also been victims of political repression by the U.S, thanked those in attendance for their political and financial support of the Embassy Protection Collective and explained the importance of supporting these and all activists who come under attack by the federal government.

Following the overview of their time spent in the Embassy, Flowers and Zeese also took time to show how what the mainstream media and politicians continue to tell the American people about Venezuela is “the complete opposite of the truth.”

According to Zeese, who has spent plenty of time in Venezuela, including as an international observer of its elections, “Venezuela is not a dictatorship. It’s the opposite! It is a hyper-democracy, from the bottom up. The state makes it priority to register people to vote. Unlike here, where the state has laws barring people from voting. Their election process is much more transparent and much more secure than what we have in the United States. And the entire time we were in Venezuela, I didn’t see a single homeless person, yet on my way to this event tonight I saw several on the streets. It is a democratically elected government that cares about its poorest people, unlike our government here.”

The panel discussion was organized by the Hands Off Venezuela Coalition of South Florida. Overall, the event succeeded in raising over $2400, all of which was donated directly to the Embassy Protectors Defense fund.

#FortLauderdaleFL #International #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela #EmbassyProtectors #HandsOffVenezuelaCoalitionOfSouthFlorida

Minneapolis, MN – 30 people held signs reading “Hands off Venezuela” and a big banner saying “No coup – no sanctions – no war – hands off Venezuela” on a bridge from Loring Park to the Walker Sculpture Garden over Interstate 94 in Minneapolis during rush hour, May 30. Ten lanes of traffic filled with rush hour traffic traveled underneath. The protesters heard hundreds of honks of agreement that the U.S. shouldn’t intervene in Venezuela.

Afterwards protesters gathered to hear from Tracy Molm, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, to hear an update from Venezuela, “Today we were seen by thousands of people in Minneapolis, standing up to U.S. imperialist aims on Venezuela. Trump and Bolton continue to attempt to destabilize and force inhumane sanctions on Venezuela. My trip there last month showed me the strength of people standing together and fighting for a better world – as the Venezuelan people and government try to forge ahead in their aims towards a country that is focused on people’s needs like housing, food and education. While next door to Venezuela, the U.S. is destabilizing the Peace Process in Colombia. Ex-combatants who put down their arms to pursue a peaceful end to conflict are now being executed, and this is happening to further U.S. imperialist interests and control in the region. We need to continue to stand up and fight back against U.S. intervention, war and sanctions in Latin America! Continue to stand against the U.S. media narrative demonizing the Maduro government in Venezuela.”

The bannering was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee and endorsed by the MN Cuba Committee and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #International #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #AntiWarCommittee #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela

Agencia Bolivariana de Prensa originally published the following article by Ivan Marquez, of Colombia’s FARC. It was translated by Fight Back! staff.

By Ivan Marquez

The whole world is witnessing the decline of the most brutal empire in human history: that of the United States. The White House feels the tremor of losing control of the world, and that is why it is desperately trying to impose a global fascist dictatorship that will allow it to live beyond its sunset.

Tucked in the eye of the hurricane of its anguish, the United States believes it has carte blanche to act arbitrarily  against countries of the hemisphere, as it throws punches at Russia, China, North Korea, Syria and Iran – who know how to defend themselves. This impotent anger is based on the fact that these countries are neither subordinate nor anyone's satellites. Hence its aggressiveness.

Cuba and Venezuela are targets, and undoubtedly less materially powerful than the capitalists of the United States, but they are much, much, more powerful in decorum and in dignity. This is the force they have. They don't need anyone to spare their lives. They know how to resist. They are people of the lineage of Bolívar and Martí, of Chávez and Fidel, who do not bow down or humiliate themselves. And the Latin American peoples have never had an affection for the Monroe Doctrine of the terrible monster of the North.

It is time to unleash the world's solidarity towards Cuba, which has been blocked and attacked since 1959. Nothing justifies the destruction of that country's sovereignty or the socialist work of its revolution. Reason obliges us to condemn the application of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, the transgression of international law and the laws of commerce, which affect not only Cuba but also third countries.

Hands off Venezuela! Washington is punishing this brave people, with its dream of Bolivarian socialism that is erected as a retaining wall against the plundering of oil, gold, diamonds and minerals that generate new energies; that is why it conspires to overthrow the legitimate government of President Maduro, worsening the humanitarian crisis with its inhuman measures of sanctions, expropriation of companies like Citgo, and the freezing of funds that are needed for the purchase of food and medicines.

If they don't give it what it wants, the United States takes it anyway. With blatant lies it creates media manipulation. It threatens wars of invasion. It releases its crazy hawks to justify the outrage. It doesn't care about UN resolutions. It doesn't care about destroying the planet, and it despises the efforts that seek to stop climate change.

We must make people aware – by reading from the pages of history – that empires are neither immortal nor eternal. That the answer to the outrages is the mobilization of the peoples into a world rebellion. An alliance of peoples and sister republics must be created on all continents superseding religious beliefs, skin tones and all social prejudice, if life and human dignity are to be preserved.

An alliance of sovereign states and peoples for dignity and respect. The construction of a better world demands today the mobilization of resistance against global tyranny. Inaction is of no use. Wonderment and paralysis are of no use. We must react, we must move on to a united response of the world against the outrage. We need unity to defeat centuries of injustice, with the certainty that we will have on our side the immense majority of the people of the Americas.

The strategy of domination that combines a powerful battery of firepower, technology, manipulation of the mind, cultural warfare, pedagogy of fear, applied science, diplomacy, destabilization, incitement of conflicts, will not deter the struggle for human dignity.

May 5, 2019

#Colombia #Venezuela #Imperialism #Chavez #Socialism #HandsOffVenezuela #BolivarianSocialism

Minneapolis, MN – On March 30 around 100 people gathered at the busy intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis to participate in the national call for action issued by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). UNAC’s original call was to draw attention to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) 70th anniversary but as the United States’ attempts to force Juan Guiado into power in Venezuela became more aggressive, the focus of the protest shifted more to #HandsOffVenezuela.

Kim DeFranco, a member of Women Against Military Madness and the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, opened the protest, “Today, we say no to NATO. This year, NATO will be starting its 2019 summit in Washington DC and is set to ‘celebrate’ 70 years of existence on April 4. The U.S., with the support of NATO allies, will continue intervening in other countries around the world. Recently, we see Colombia, now a new NATO partner and U.S. ally, will be playing a big role in the U.S. moves against Venezuela. Trump just announced he wants to add Brazil to NATO, so he can order them to wage war against Venezuela. We need to stand in solidarity with Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution! We oppose U.S. intervention in Venezuela! We are opposed to U.S. intervention everywhere!”

Sarah Martin, also a member of Women Against Military Madness, recently participated in the U.S. Peace Council delegation to Venezuela and was one of the protest’s main speakers, “They say the country is in a humanitarian crisis caused by the Maduro government’s corruption and mismanagement. This economic crisis is caused by U.S. sanctions and the economic war. These lies and deceptions are nothing new. This is business as usual.”

Martin continued, “Think of the track record and how U.S. intervention always destroys a country – life is never better for the people. In Iraq it was weapons of mass destruction which never existed. That war destroyed and impoverished a once prosperous country. In Afghanistan, which is the longest war in U.S. history, the excuse to stay after not finding Osama bin Laden was to protect the rights of women. Ask the women of Afghanistan how that worked out for them. In Libya, the pretext to bomb was to get rid of an evil dictator, but he’d actually built a country with free health care, housing and education. Now Libya is devastated, in utter turmoil and many Libyans think their only option is to make the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean to safety. In Syria the pretext for that U.S. proxy war was also to get rid of a brutal dictator. What these governments all have in common with Venezuela is they have not and will not submit to U.S. pressure and domination. Life is not made better for the people when we intervene. So when your friends and family and coworkers of good will are confused about Venezuela and wonder if we should intervene, remind them of the record and disastrous results.

March 30 was also Land Day in Palestine. Land Day is an important anniversary which marks Israel’s deadly attacks on protesters in 1976. Last year Palestinians organized the Great March of Return which started on Land Day, where tens of thousands protested at the Gaza border. The protest continued every week over the past year despite lethal attacks from the Israeli Defense Forces. Electronic Intifada reports that “Almost 200 Palestinians have been killed during the weekly protests since their launch at the end of March 2018. More than 40 of them were children.”

Sabry Wazwaz, a Palestinian-American activist with the Anti-War Committee, addressed the crowd too, “The Palestinian people are simply asking they have the same rights as Jews on their homeland. We also must remember Palestine also means Palestinian Jews. Palestine does not mean a land for only Arabs. My wife was born in Palestine. So were her parents and their parents and their great grandparents. Why should Jews from Russia who have never even been to Palestine immediately receive more rights and privileges than my wife who was born there? All I am asking is everyone to have the same rights and the laws apply to all equally.”

Across the street, about six counter protesters held up signs in support of ‘self-proclaimed’ president Juan Guaidó as a part of “Operación Libertad” in Minnesota. Guaidó called for protests to help the U.S.-orchestrated coup to success, but Maduro remains in power.

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition. Their next action is called “Yes to Peace No to NATO” on April 4 at the Minnesota State Capitol, 75 MLK Blvd. in Saint Paul, and starts at 12:15 p.m. on the capitol steps.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #AntiwarCommittee #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedNationalAntiwarCoalitionUNAC #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela

Minneapolis, MN – On March 17, 50 people filled Mayday Books to hear Sean Orr, a Latin America solidarity activist, trade unionist, and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), speak about the current crisis facing Venezuela. In a presentation entitled, “The U.S. Orchestrated Coup in Venezuela: A Marxist Perspective,” Orr highlighted the leading role of the United States in the destabilization of Venezuela as well as its efforts to foment regime change.

The United States has attempted to interfere in the political and economic development of Venezuela in a major way since oil was discovered in the country in the 1920s. After the election of Hugo Chavez as president of Venezuela in 1998, the U.S. has periodically intensified the hostile measures taken against the Venezuelan people.

The most recent manifestation of this aggression began when John Bolton, President Trump's national security advisor, named Venezuela as a target for destabilization, along with Cuba and Nicaragua. This hostility continued with Trump's recognition of the reactionary Juan Guaido as the interim ‘president’ of Venezuela, the imposition of additional economic sanctions, material support for the political opposition, and a coordinated attack that left the country without electrical power for nearly a week.

Orr explained that prerevolutionary Venezuela was plagued by economic and social inequality, and that the economy was oriented to serve U.S. imperial interests. “It's not hard to understand why the Venezuelan masses rose up and rallied behind Hugo Chavez in 1998,” explained Orr, “They demanded a government that worked for them, not one that tried to appease them while working for foreign interests.”

Elaborating further, Orr explained that after the Venezuelan economy was reoriented to meet the people’s needs under Chavez, both the capitalist classes of the United States and in Venezuela consistently engaged in destabilization efforts in an attempt to undermine the national democratic Bolivarian Revolution. From the coup attempt against Chavez in 2002, to the price fixing by private enterprises, Venezuela's political and economic wellbeing was under constant attack.

Orr detailed how the constant subversion of Venezuelan democracy continued after the death of Hugo Chavez and intensified after the election of Nicolas Maduro in 2013, stating, “The bourgeois opposition went on the offensive against Maduro from day one. It must be understood that the Maduro government has not known a single day of peace.”

In speaking of how Bolivarian Revolution continues to resist the efforts of the U.S. and the Venezuelan opposition, Orr said, “For the past 20 years, the country has been led by a mass movement, a national liberation movement, committed to sovereignty and independence from imperialism. The dogged commitment of the Venezuelan people to their own interests must be a great source of frustration for the bankers of Wall Street.”

Orr continued to emphasize that the society that is being built in Venezuela – one that meets the people’s needs and prioritizes the working class – continues to grow towards the establishment of socialism, with the development of workers’ communes and the Constituent Congress of the Working Class. It is precisely this development that draws the ire of the United States.

Orr said that the U.S. intends to, “make the Venezuelan masses suffer for their willingness to stand tall, for their courage in the face of everything, and for the hope they give to peoples across the world, including right here in the United States, struggling to shake the monopoly capitalists off of our back and bring about a new world.”

Sean Orr is the main Venezuela correspondent for Fight Back!, a trade unionist, and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The March 17 event was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Twin Cities.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela #SeanOrr

Minneapolis, MN – The streets were full of working-class solidarity on Saturday, February 23, when well over 100 people, including trade unionists, Latin America solidarity groups and anti-war activists gathered under the banner “U.S. hands off Venezuela!”

The event was part of a global day of action to protest the ongoing U.S.-backed coup attempt against the democratically elected President Nicolás Maduro. Protesters occupied multiple intersections in the high-density Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, distributing fliers and speaking with pedestrians about the situation in Venezuela.

The demonstration took place as the coup attempt took a turn closer to an invasion, involving a high-profile attempt to storm the Venezuelan border from Colombia. U.S. and U.K. media spent much of the day highlighting groups seeking Maduro’s overthrow, who claim to bring U.S.-sponsored ‘humanitarian aid’ into Venezuela from Colombia.

In a speech, Gerardo Cajamarca, an organizer with SEIU who is an asylee trade unionist from Colombia, rejected that narrative, saying, “Right now what is happening on the border of Colombia and Venezuela is coordinated by an interventionist group. It is very important that you, as United States citizens, tell your government not to go forward with this intervention. Latin Americans have the right to choose autonomy, to choose solidarity, to choose our own economic system.”

In recent weeks, the International Red Cross and the United Nations had refused to participate in the U.S. plan to storm the Venezuelan border with so-called ‘aid.’ Both organizations explicitly rejected the ‘humanitarian’ label for the plan touted by U.S. officials, instead calling it politicized and concealing military objectives.

At the Minneapolis event, Cajamarca also noted the hypocrisy of Colombian President Ivan Duque’s invocation of ‘humanitarian aid’ as cover for the coup attempt in Venezuela. “Yes, there is humanitarian need; yes, there is genocide – in Colombia!” he said. “They are murdering social leaders every day in Colombia. Corporations like Coca-Cola and Chiquita sponsor paramilitary groups. This is a model that is linked with narco-trafficking and with corporate power.”

“Using aid as a political weapon is nothing new,” stated April Knutson of Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota. “In fact, there is an organization that is very much involved in the Venezuela situation right now called USAID. And they are an arm of the U.S. government, the U.S. military, and the CIA. They are often involved in regime change around the world, and in the Caribbean, and in Central America and South America. In fact, they toppled the democratically elected president of Haiti twice. President [Jean-Bertrand] Aristide was toppled by the CIA and USAID.”

Stephanie Taylor, vice president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3800, said, “As workers in the United States we are here today to stand with you all and oppose any U.S. intervention in Venezuela. First, because we know the brutal history of U.S. intervention and colonialism in Latin America. It has propped up dictators, overthrown democratically-elected leaders, illegally funneled drug money and weapons into war-torn regions, and trained death squads and despots at the U.S. School of the Americas. Second, because Maduro, a former unionized bus driver and union activist, is carrying forward Hugo Chavez’s intentions of putting the working class at the steering wheel of governing the country.”

On February 19, AFSCME Local 3800 passed a resolution to denounce any U.S. sanctions, support for a coup, or other interference in Venezuela, mirroring similar moves by labor groups around the country and the world, including the San Francisco Labor Council, U.S. Labor Against the War, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Canadian Labor Congress, and the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

The anti-war movement was out in force as well. “We must dispel State Department lies about Venezuela,” said CJ McCormick of the Anti-War Committee. “Maduro's election was fair until the United States saw a window for intervention. It's the U.S. that installs dictators, not the Bolivarian Revolution, and no country which has suffered U.S. regime change has ever become more democratic. It's the CIA's playbook to falsely claim a foreign leader is un-democratic in order to justify invasion.” McCormick added, “And this isn't even about democracy. It's about oil!”

The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by a long list of progressive groups.

The coalition plans to hold an emergency response protest if the U.S. sends in troops. In the meantime, the next protest has been called for by the MN Anti-War Committee for March 15 at 5:30 p.m. in front of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, 1200 S. Washington Avenue in Minneapolis, to draw attention to that presidential candidate’s support for the Trump administration’s coordination of the coup in Venezuela.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Labor #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #SEIU #AFSCMELocal3800 #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalitionMPAC #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela

Miami, FL – Over 50 protesters gathered in front of the Trump National Doral Golf Course to boldly demonstrate against U.S. war plans targeting Venezuela. Protesters displayed banners and signs demanding the U.S. government end its sanctions against the Venezuelan people, calling for peace, and denouncing the attempted coup against Venezuela’s democratically-elected government.

After an hour of spirited chanting, the crowd took to the streets of Doral and marched over a mile down to United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) – where the U.S. government plots its interventions, coups and invasions against countries across South America and the Caribbean. At the gates of the military base, several speakers blasted Trump and his foolish attempts to create a conflict on the border between Colombia and Venezuela.

Michael Martinez from the Emergency Hands-Off Venezuela Committee said, “Trump has struck a rock. He has dislodged a boulder. And it will crush him.” He went on to add, “If Trump attacks Venezuela, it will be another defeat for U.S. imperialism.”

Doral is known for being home to the highest number of Venezuelan nationals in the U.S., with hundreds of thousands of right-wing émigrés moving there since the beginning of the Bolivarian Revolution. Leaning out of the windows of their Audis, BMWs and Range Rovers, the right-wingers cursed the protesters while shouting nasty insults and making obscene gestures. A few enraged right-wingers got out of their cars and attempted to disrupt the march. However, they were sorely disappointed as the demonstrators continued unfazed.

The event was organized by the Emergency Hands-Off Venezuela Committee and was part of the February 23 International Day of Action in Solidarity with Venezuela.

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela #EmergencyHandsOffVenezuelaCommittee #USSouthernCommand

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following message from the Communist Party of Cuba.

As stated in the Declaration of the Revolutionary Government of Cuba on February 13, “the escalation of pressure and action by the government of the United States to prepare a military adventure disguised as humanitarian intervention” not only constitutes a real threat to the Bolivarian Revolution, but also carries a real danger for peace on the continent.

Washington must not underestimate the costs of aggression against Venezuela. The possibility of a disastrous regionalization of the armed conflict would affect our peoples and all social, economic and political sectors.

We are facing a typical threat of a war of imperialist aggression, disguised however it is disguised, whose main objective is the appropriation by the United States of the largest certified oil reserves on the planet. It is once again evident the level of contempt Washington has for the tens of thousands of civilian victims that a conflict like the one in view could produce.

This would not only be an attack against the Bolivarian Revolution. In the logic of the hawks that control the Trump administration's policy toward Latin America, the action is viewed as a final assault against the left-wing and progressive forces on the continent. Today it is Venezuela, and tomorrow it will be Nicaragua, Bolivia or Cuba.

The defense of the Bolivarian Revolution, consequently, happens to be the first line in the struggle for the sovereignty of Our America, for the ideals of social justice, peace with dignity, and the Latin American unity left to us by the founders of our noble nations.

We reaffirm in these moments the position of our government, which states that “the sovereignty and dignity of Latin America, the Caribbean and the peoples of the South are today decided in Venezuela. It also decides the survival of the norms of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. It defines if the legitimacy of a government comes from the expressed sovereign will of its people, or from the recognition of foreign powers.”

We call for a united march to demonstrate to the Yankee empire that the peoples of the continent have a sense of their independence and sovereignty. Now is the moment for the forces of the Sao Paulo Forum to demonstrate the immense political power that we represent.

As left-wing, democratic and patriotic political and social sectors, we have before us the possibility of demonstrating that the best way to say is to do, as José Martí emphasized in his times.

From Cuba, we urge us all to win the war: we must prevent it from happening, we must guarantee peace for us all. Let us honor the historic decision of the Spanish anti-fascists: ¡No pasarán!

#Cuba #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Socialism #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela #CommunistPartyOfCuba

Chicago, IL – The eyes of the world are on the Venezuela-Colombia border, as the forces of reaction – the Trump administration, the Lima Group led by Colombia and Brazil, and the far-right Venezuelan opposition – attempt to provoke an invasion of Venezuela under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid.’

They are demanding the truckloads of aid provided by the U.S. military (read: guns, bombs and ammo) be allowed into Venezuela, and they plan to drive them in from Colombia on Saturday, February 23. The Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), unswervingly loyal to the elected president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has promised to prevent any such event from happening.

Juan Guaidó, the illegally self-declared president and head of the in-contempt National Assembly, has flown to Colombia to participate in the theatrics, where he joins U.S. warmongers like Elliott Abrams and Senator Marco Rubio. Guaidó has called on his supporters in Venezuela to surround military bases and prevent troops from mobilizing to the border, in effect to betray their nation and side with the enemy.

It is clear to anyone with any sense – the United States and its lackeys want to provoke Venezuela into a war.

What options are left?

Events seem to be spiraling towards this. The officials in the Trump administration continue to say that “all options are on the table,” including military intervention, to remove Maduro from power and defeat the Bolivarian Revolution. At the moment, it seems to be the only option left.

They first tried to defeat Maduro through elections, yet their lackeys in the opposition made themselves so unpopular with their embrace of reactionary violence and a weak political program that they could not beat him. Then they tried to assassinate Maduro in the bombing of a military parade on August 4 – that too failed. Next, after anointing Guaidó president, the imperialists called on the FANB high command to break from Maduro and launch a military coup. That too, failed – the most they got were a couple dozen soldiers, the highest ranking among them a lieutenant, who tried to steal some guns, and all ended up in prison.

The entirety of the FANB high command is not only loyal to Maduro on a constitutional basis (Guaidó has no legal leg to stand on with his claim that he can be declared president), but they are politically committed to the revolutionary goals of the Bolivarian movement. You are as likely to see a book of essays by Fidel Castro in the office of Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the Defense Minister and head of FANB, as you are a book on military theory. Meanwhile, the rank and file of the military comes from those classes and social sectors who have benefited the most from the Bolivarian Revolution. Many of them were born after Chávez first came to power in 1998 – they know nothing but the country they live in that has won its freedom through hard struggle. They will certainly defend it at all costs.

In the current reality, the United States faces the Maduro government – democratically elected and backed by the “civil-military union” of the millions of members of the Bolivarian movement and the entirety of the FANB – with an opposition so unpopular that over 80% had never heard of Juan Guaidó before he declared himself president. They cannot vote Maduro out of office, they cannot kill him, and they cannot get the military to overthrow him. Do they have any other option left other than invasion?

Is an invasion likely?

While a military intervention seems to be the only option left, it is not one that favors the United States at all. To paraphrase Maduro, it would be the greatest U.S. military defeat since Vietnam.

Venezuela is not Iraq in 2003. It has not suffered two disastrous wars followed by over a decade of genocidal sanctions. Its 350,000-strong military, backed by over a million member Bolivarian Militia, is well-armed, is backed to the hilt by the popular masses, and has very high morale. It includes in its arsenal the largest anti-aircraft missile system in Latin America, and the backing of the Russian military. 300,000 troops were required to defeat the crippled Iraqi army in 2003 – how many would they need to defeat the Venezuelan army in 2019? And if they managed to defeat the military, how many soldiers would be needed to pacify a population that has been radicalized by decades of revolutionary struggle? How long would they need to occupy a nation that would every day fight unrelentingly to drive the invaders out?

In a recent essay on Tribuna Popular, the press organ of the Communist Party of Venezuela, Colombian activist Adalberto Santana raises a truth that must terrify the ruling classes of the Americas: “If a U.S. military operation takes places on Venezuelan soil, the Trump government must know it will lead to a war across South America.”

The Bolivarian Revolution has not happened in a void – it is the latest expression of a decades-long continental struggle to end the U.S. empire. If war comes to Venezuela, the reactionary regimes of Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile and Honduras will be rocked to their core by popular revolt. There is already a popular rebellion taking place in Haiti, partly fueled by their government's complicity in the attempted overthrow of Maduro.

Beyond popular revolt, there is also the real threat of renewed guerrilla wars across the region. The National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia has already vowed to act as partisans in the rear for Venezuela if their country acts as a staging ground for U.S. invasion. If their recent attack on a Colombian police academy is any indicator, they would inflict serious damage, and will limit Colombia’s ability to act as the main force in an invasion.

The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean – “Our America” as the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutionaries refer to it – are fed up with living under the imperialist boot. To them, Venezuela does not represent a brutal dictatorship, but a glorious future where they can live in freedom. It is worth fighting for.

In the face of this unconquerable strength, Santana ends his essay with a piece of advice of Donald Trump: “the best he can do to stay in the White House is get his hands out of Venezuela.”

#ChicagoIL #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #NicolásMaduro #HandsOffVenezuela #Americas

The Minneapolis protesters will gather on Saturday, February 23 at 1 p.m. at Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. There will be signs and banners with the anti-intervention message.

The event is called under the themes: “U.S. Hands Off Venezuela – No Coup; No Sanctions – No U.S. War on Venezuela!”

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “The Trump administration is attempting to orchestrate a coup in Venezuela, including threats of direct U.S. military intervention. Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world and the second largest gold reserves, as well as diamonds and other minerals, resources that could make it the next target in the endless series of U.S. wars, interventions and 'regime change' operations.”

The statement continues, “Join the February 23 protest to say no to new wars and interventions.”

Planning for the Minneapolis event was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by a range of groups including: AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Every Church a Peace Church, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota, Hands Off Honduras, Immigrant Movement for Justice, Mayday Books, Minnesota Caravan Solidarity / Minnesota en Solidaridad con la Caravana, Minnesota Cuba Committee, Minnesota War Tax Resistance, Party for Socialism and Liberation – Minneapolis, Progressive Coalition Minnesota, St. Joan of Arc Peacemakers, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Rise Up Times, Socialist Action, Students for a Democratic Society, Students for Revolutionary Socialism, Twin Cities Hands Off Venezuela, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Workers World Party – Twin Cities, Workers International League, Veterans for Peace (Chapter 27).

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalition #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Students for a Democratic Society (National).

Trump has recognized the self-appointed presidency of the Venezuelan right-wing opposition leader, Juan Guaido. SDS denounces this move of aggression and says, “Hands Off Venezuela!”

This is a clear violation of the democratic process and sovereignty of Venezuela. The US has a long history of backing right-wing coups, dictators and dirty wars in Latin America, in order to keep the region subjugated by US multinational businesses. Recently Venezuela has been a major target, facing debilitating sanctions and US-backed coup attempts, from violence in the streets to armed robbery to drone bombings.

Tens of thousands of Maduro supporters are rallying in the streets right now in a show of support for Venezuelan sovereignty and for Maduro's administration. His administration has thus cut off relations with the White House.

Trump and Pence have no interest in human rights in Venezuela, but are hoping to gain control to privatize industry and resources and exploit the Venezuelan people. For this reason we oppose intervention in Venezuela and call for the end to all sanctions.

#HandsOffVenezuela #StopTrump #DumpTrump #USHandsOff #NoWar #AntiWar #FuerzaMaduro #FuerzaVenezuela

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #NicolásMaduro #DonaldTrump #JuanGuaidó #HandsOffVenezuela

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Cars honked and people shouted, “Get rid of Trump!” as anti-war protesters held signs on a busy street corner, Jan 25, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The protester’s signs read, “Trump! Hands off Venezuela!”

Mike DeRuiter said, “Our goal is to stop the U.S. from attacking or invading Venezuela. So we braved blowing snow and nine degree Fahrenheit cold to get our message out. We sang Solidarity Forever! and danced to stay warm.”

Activists talked with workers heading home for the weekend. They were mostly shocked to find out that President Trump was attempting to overthrow the democratically elected President Maduro of Venezuela. Many passers by said, “We need to get Trump out!” or “We should impeach Trump!”

The international solidarity activists gathered for a photo under the Union Soldier monument that is dedicated to ending slavery, and gaining liberty and justice for all.

#GrandRapidsMI #International #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #DonaldTrump #HandsOffVenezuela