March 16 Demonstration of Solidarity With Venezuelan Government and Against Imperialism

On Saturday March 16, for two hours I joined a massive demonstration of Venezuelans rejecting US policies against their country and leadership. The people in this video are largely excluded by corporate media reporting on Venezuela. They include Caracas’ poorest, defiant supporters of the Venezuelan government and Bolivarian project.

Media would have you believe they are against President Maduro, and that any who show up to such rallies are *forced* to do so. You decide whether these vivacious, strong, informed people seemed *forced* to participate.

Venezuela has for years been subject to an economic war led by the U.S., and continues to face sanctions after brutal sanctions by the very governments purporting to care about human rights and hunger.

Kevin Zeese summarized the situation well:

“The US has an ongoing regime change operation which began in 2002 with the brief Chavez coup and which continue at this moment with the farce president Guaido. Guaido has been trained by the US for more than a decade. He is inept and has little support in Venezuela. When we were there he was the butt of jokes. He comes from a small right-wing party in a small state where he won a second place seat in the National Assembly.

…The US has been unable to get support for a military attack on Venezuela. Both its right-wing allies in Latin America and the EU have opposed that approach. A military attack would be a failed venture as Venezuela is twice as large as Iraq, has a military of 200,000 and civilian militia of 2 million.

…A US military attack would be very destructive of Venezuela. The people of Venezuela will not give up their independence and be dominated by the US again. With the war-path blocked, the US has been trying another approach. It has been caught trying to smuggle weapons into Venezuela. This week the so-called ‘chief of staff’ for Guaido along with his bodyguard were arrested for trying to create terror cells to attack government officials and cause violent chaos in Venezuela.

The example of Venezuela breaking from US domination in 1999 with the election of Hugo Chavez is not something the US can accept. They need to show other countries that those who break from US control will be punished. And, the natural riches of Venezuela are too much to ignore, e.g. the largest oil, gold and diamond reserves in the world, the fifth largest gas reserves and large reserves of minerals essential for electronics and weapons.

Sadly, the US will keep seeking to put in place a puppet government unless public opinion forces change to what is a deep bipartisan policy supported by Wall Street, the military-industrial-intelligence complex and transnational corporations that seek to steal Venezuela’s wealth. The peace, justice and anti-imperialism movements need to stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people.

The next major event against US intervention will be on March 30, in Washington, DC through to April 4 when NATO meets at the State Department.”

Below are a number of articles/links useful to understanding the current situation:

The US Tried to Isolate Venezuela. It has Only Isolated Itself

Venezuela: A Diplomatic Coup? VA’s on-the-ground journalist Paul Dobson explains why Guaido’s attempted coup has had next to no impact within Venezuela. 

Venezuela: What Activists Need To Know About The US-Led Coup (Kevin Zeese)

Washington’s Escalation Against Venezuela’s Oil ( Nino Pagliccia )

Guaido, a Laboratory Product That No Longer Works

Venezuela: The Trump Coup And Our Next Oil War Aggressive Progressive Jimmy Dore interviews Palast

*From Feb 2015, but relevant: Venezuelan Guarimbas: 11 Things the Media Didn’t Tell You

 

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