In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from Venezuela and from several other countries. In this interview, Ender Sabalsa, a leader of the youth sector and the Afro-descendent sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), gives his message to the people of the United States. Ender Sabalsa: Revolutionary greetings to everyone reading this and to all the peoples of the world. My name is Ender Sabalsa. I’m a member of the youth sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). I’m also in the Afro-descendent sector and the social movements that are supporting the progressive governments here in Latin America and especially the elected government of our constitutional president Nicolas Maduro Moros.

I’d like to remind people in the U.S. that we are not against the people there, we are against the U.S. government – President Trump and the Trump administration – which has done so much damage in Latin America and in the world in general, which doesn’t recognize our governments’ policies, our self-determination, our international rights, and above all doesn’t recognize what great damage capitalism does to nature and to life on our planet.

I’d like to send a fraternal greeting to all the peoples of the world and especially the people of North America asking for you to support the liberation of the peoples of the world, to support democracy, to support social justice, to support a state based on laws. To all revolutionaries in the United States and in all fraternal countries, we ask you to support the government of our president, Nicolas Maduro Moros, and above all the Bolivarian revolution.

Fight Back!: Do young people and Afro-descendants play an important role in the Bolivarian revolution?

Sabalsa: Young people have a fundamental role in all revolutionary processes. Throughout history in all revolutionary processes, young people are one of the pillars because young people have that rejuvenating spirit, a desire to advance and build the future – of course young people together with people with more experience. And throughout the American continent, Afro-descendent people are also carrying out their revolution. Here we are waking up and we’re seeing that we are part of Africa. We no longer feel like immigrants that at some point in time, like a diaspora that was born because of the trade in Black people, this diaspora born of the slave system. Now we feel like we’re part of Africa and we’re profoundly tied to our roots both in Africa and in the indigenous peoples here.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Opinion #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Interviews #ChicanoLatino #Socialism #DonaldTrump #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #WorldAntiImperialistCongress #JuventudPSUV

En enero unos periodistas de ¡Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de Venezuela y de varios otros países. Esta es una entrevista con Ender Sabalsa, un líder de la Juventud PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) y del sector afrodescendiente en que él comparte un mensaje al pueblo de los Estados Unidos. Ender: Un saludo revolucionario a todos los que nos están viendo y a todos los pueblos del mundo. Mi nombre es Ender Sabalsa, milito en la juventud del Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, del sector afrodescendiente y de los movimientos sociales que están apoyando a los gobiernos progresistas de acá de América Latina y especialmente del gobierno electo y nuestro presidente constitucional Nicolás Maduro Moros. Quiero recordarles al pueblo estadounidense que nosotros no estamos en contra del pueblo norteamericano, estamos en contra del gobierno de Estados Unidos, el presidente Trump, la administración Trump que ha hecho tanto daño en América Latina y en el mundo en general, que no reconoce las políticas de los gobiernos, no reconoce la autodeterminación de los pueblos, no reconoce el derecho internacional, y sobre todo no reconoce el daño tan grande que le hace el capitalismo a la naturaleza, lo que le hace el capitalismo a la vida de nuestro planeta.

Yo quiero mandarle un fraterno saludo a todos los pueblos del mundo y en especial al pueblo norteamericano que apoya la liberación de los pueblos del mundo, apoya la democracia, apoya la justicia social, apoya el estado de derecho. A todos aquellos revolucionarios en Estados Unidos y en todos los países hermanos, que apoyan el gobierno de nuestro presidente Nicolás Maduro Moros y sobre todo la revolución bolivariana. Muchas gracias.

Lucha y Resiste: La juventud y los afrodescendientes tienen un papel importante en la revolución bolivariana?

Ender: La juventud ocupa un papel primordial en todos los procesos revolucionarios. A lo largo de la historia en todos los procesos revolucionarios la juventud es uno de los pilares porque la juventud tiene ese rejuvenecimiento, esas ganas de salir adelante y de construir el futuro, claro, la juventud, juntos con la experiencia. Y acá en todo lo que es el continente americano, los pueblos afrodescendientes están también haciendo su revolución. Acá nosotros estamos despertando y estamos viendo que nosotros somos parte de África, ya no nos sentimos como los migrantes que en algún momento...esa diáspora que se dio por la trata negrera, esa diáspora que se yo por el sistema esclavista, si no que ya nos sentimos como parte de África, y estamos arraigados profundamente a nuestras raíces, las raíces tanto en África como acá en nuestros pueblos originarios.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Opinion #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Interviews #ChicanoLatino #Socialism #DonaldTrump #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #WorldAntiImperialistCongress #EncuentroMundialAntiimperialista #JuventudPSUV

En enero unos periodistas de ¡Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de varios países. Esta es una entrevista con una lideresa del Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) y una miembro(a) de la UNEN – la Unión Nacional de Estudiantes de Nicaragua. Este es su mensaje al pueblo trabajador y progresista de los Estados Unidos. Rosalía Bohórquez: Mi nombre es Rosalía Bohórquez, nicaragüense y miembro del Frente Sandinista para la Liberación Nacional (FSLN). Igualmente soy estudiante y miembro de la UNEN – Unión Nacional de Estudiantes de Nicaragua.

Nos encontramos acá en Venezuela en este encuentro antiimperialista. Quisiéramos hacer un llamado al pueblo estadounidense a decirles no a las mentiras, a decirles no a la 'fake news' de la manipulación mediática del poder hegemónico. Sabemos muy bien que el poder hegemónico tiene el poder económico, las transnacionales quienes manejan definitivamente las mentiras que atacan a Venezuela, que atacan a Nicaragua, que atacan a Cuba.

Mi mayor llamado al pueblo estadounidense es que se unan a esa batalla comunicacional y sobre todo a que hagan una campaña de solidaridad permanente con nosotros, los pueblos agredidos de nuestra América.

En Nicaragua hemos logrado romper ese cerco mediático muchas veces, porque hemos logrado decir la verdad. La verdad es que Nicaragua tiene progreso. Nicaragua accede los estudiantes a la educación gratuita y de cualidad. Hemos ido avanzando en senda de desarrollo y también nosotros accedemos a la salud pública y gratuita. Accedemos a bonos productivos. El protagonismo de las mujeres que hemos logrado.

Nicaragua, de ser uno de los países más pobres de Latinoamérica es ahora uno de los países que tiene la mejor economía de Centroamérica después de Panamá.

Sin embargo, a pesar de que quisieron destruir nuestra economía en el año 2018 con este intento de golpe del estado, no lo lograron. Por que nosotros los nicaragüenses estamos dispuestos a luchar y a combatir la pobreza, que es el mal que nos han aplicado los gobiernos neoliberales financiado por el imperialismo yanqui.

Nosotros como nicaragüenses iremos hacia el sol de la victoria como nos dijo Sandino.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Opinion #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Interviews #Nicaragua #WorldAntiImperialistCongress #FrenteSandinistaDeLiberaciónNacionalFSLN #UniónNacionalDeEstudiantesDeNicaraguaUNEN

In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from several countries. Here’s an interview with a leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and a member of the National Union of Nicaraguan Students (UNEN), Rosalía Bohórquez. Bohórquez delivers a message to working people and progressive people in the United States. Rosalía Bohórquez: My name is Rosalía Bohórquez. I'm Nicaraguan and a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN). I'm also a student and a member of the National Union of Nicaraguan Students (UNEN).

We're here in Venezuela at this anti-imperialist gathering, and we'd like to call on the people of the United States to say no to the lies and to say no to the fake news of the hegemonic power’s media manipulations. We know very well that the hegemonic power has the economic power – the transnationals that clearly are behind the lies that attack Venezuela, that attack Nicaragua and that attack Cuba.

The biggest thing I’d say to the people of the United States is that they join in this struggle, and above all that they engage in an ongoing solidarity campaign with us, the peoples of our America who have been victimized.

In Nicaragua we've managed to break through the media obstacles many times because we speak the truth. The truth is that Nicaragua is progressing. Nicaragua gives students free quality education. We've made advances in development and we also have free public health care. We have production surpluses. We've achieved women's empowerment.

Although Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, it more has one of the strongest economies in Central America after Panama, even though they tried to destroy our economy in 2018 with an attempted coup d’état which didn't succeed.

Because we as Nicaraguans are willing to struggle and willing to combat the poverty that neoliberal governments have imposed on us, financed by the Yankee imperialists.

As Nicaraguans, we will keep moving forward until we win, like Sandino taught us.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Opinion #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #Interviews #Nicaragua #WorldAntiImperialistCongress #SandinistaNationalLiberationFrontFSLN #NationalUnionOfNicaraguanStudentsUNEN

Caracas, Venezuela – During the World Anti-Imperialist Congress, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation talked with women in the Bolivarian Militia. The Bolivarian Militia was created in 2005 in response to U.S. intervention. As of December 2019, President Maduro said he is moving toward making the Militia into “combat units” within the Armed Forces. In 2019, with multiple U.S.-backed coup attempts to install Juan Guaidó in place of democratically elected President Maduro, the Bolivarian Militia nearly doubled to 3.3 million members in a country of around 30 million people. Their role and responsibilities have increased in that time as Maduro assigned them to the food distribution program in May 2019.

When asked about the role of the Militia in resisting the recent attacks by U.S. imperialism, First Lieutenant Marisol Lira said it was “basically, the perfection of the civic-military union for the defense of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. And for women, of course, they can incorporate themselves into the Militia and become a member. It is important for us to integrate ourselves into this civic-military union because of the imperialist attacks. We know they are criminals. We give our lives here and they want to choke us. They want to control us, to dominant us. But us women, we are involved because we are defenders of peace.”

Second Lieutenant Carolina Ugas added, “We know they’re trying to mess with us psychologically. So it is important to fight against that by becoming involved in the fight against imperialism, to defend our country.”

Most members of the Bolivarian Militia are women. When asked what it was about the Militia that made women what to join, Second Lieutenant Ugas said, “The army and the police have age restrictions. In the Militia, you can join at age 18 until you can’t participate anymore. You can use whatever capacity you have. For example, our older comrade here, she’s not going to carry a weapon. But she has the capacity to help us in other ways to defend ourselves against imperialism. Yes, we carry weapons. But with love and care, we are here to defend our country and our people.”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #WomensMovement #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #WorldAntiImperialistCongress #BolivarianMilitia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 22, hundreds of international delegates from 52 countries heard from leaders from Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil to kick off the World Anti-Imperialist Congress.

Starting with a professor from Syria who remarked that U.S. imperialism assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani because the U.S. fears it is losing its grip on the Middle East, the crowd shouted “Viva Soleimani!” He added that, with the help requested by Syria from Russia, Iran and others, the Syrians have bravely declared “No pasarán!”

After the Syrian professor, an official from the Cuban Communist Party shared the successful stories of anti-imperialist struggles over the last six decades amid all the bloodshed, bombings, sanctions and interventions made by U.S. imperialism in Cuba. He added that “after all these years and hundreds of aggressions, Cuba is still standing. Venezuela is still standing. Nicaragua is still standing.”

The third speaker was from the Intersindical Union in Brazil. He shared a resolution that declared the U.S. government to be the terrorist of the world and that the struggles of anti-imperialist countries are indeed anti-terrorist struggles. He proposed the resolution to the congress and it was unanimously passed by raised hands from the whole room.

The final speaker was a member of the National Assembly from the Venezuelan United Socialist Party (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello. He recounted the last 20 years of constant struggle of the Venezuelan people for their sovereignty, their dignity and for socialism. He roused the crowd, especially the Venezuelan delegates, when he said “Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, they kneel before the U.S. and look at where their countries are.” He then boomed “Venezuela will never kneel before the U.S.! Independencia, patriótico socialismo!” and the crowd answered “Venceremos!”

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #International #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #MiddleEast #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #antiimperialism #WorldAntiImperialistCongress

Caracas, Venezuela – Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation Sarah Martin and Jim Byrne, with Syrian Ambassador to Venezuela Khalil Bitar, attending World Anti-Imperialist Congress in Caracas.

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Caracas, Venezuela – Hundreds of delegates arrived in Caracas from around the world, January 21, the eve of the World Anti-Imperialist Congress. The Congress is being held January 22-24 in Caracas and is hosted by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Venezuela's governing party, which has been under sharp attack by U.S. imperialism.

The congress is bringing together a broad range of anti-imperialist organizations, movements and governments from around 100 countries. At the congress they will exchange views and experiences and will strategize about strengthening the struggle against U.S. imperialism, to create a more peaceful world where countries' national sovereignty is respected.

At the opening reception of the congress tonight, delegates were warmly welcomed by members and leaders of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolutionary movement.

Today the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation talked with local and national Venezuelan socialist leaders from the PSUV. This included conducting an in-depth interview with Gladys Requena, the vice president of Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly, and the vice president of the Women's Commission of the PSUV. In addition, the FRSO delegation met anti-imperialist delegates from a range of Latin American countries. As the congress gets underway, they hope to continue to learn from inspiring anti-imperialist movements in Venezuela and around the world and bring that information back to the U.S. where the corporate media generally ignores or demonizes any movement or government that resists U.S. imperialism.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism #UnitedSocialistPartyPSUV #WorldAntiImperialistCongress