From Latin America: Anti-imperialist solidarity with Venezuela

Mexico City, March 28 — Progressives in Latin America and the Caribbean have put defense of the Venezuelan government and people at the top of their priorities. They showed this today when a seminar that had begun as a standard exchange of information among workers and progressive organizations from the continent and worldwide turned into a demonstration of solidarity with Bolivarian Venezuela.

Dolores Padierna Luna, a senator from Mexico’s Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), had invited representatives from nearly 20 of the countries attending an international seminar to a breakfast meeting with PRD senators. In the course of the meeting, Sen. Adolfo Mendoza from the MAS [Movement for Socialism] of Bolivia proposed that the people at the breakfast set aside the usual protocol to call an emergency news conference, given the grave dangers facing Venezuela from the imperialist-backed fascist offensive that began on Feb. 12.

Members of the Mexican Senate representing the PRD and the Workers Party (PT) called the press conference for noon. Held before a phalanx of television cameras, the conference turned into a demonstration of anti-imperialist support for Venezuela against U.S. intervention.

Ana Elisa Osorio, from the national leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), asked for “total solidarity with the Venezuelan people” from the Mexican people and the international delegates present.

Osorio described the current situation in her country. “There are still six of our 335 municipalities suffering from the actions of fascists backed by opposition mayors, and these actions have killed 37 people.” The corporate media, she said, have completely distorted the situation by charging President Nicolás Maduro with the deaths, which is the opposite of what really happened.

The danger facing Venezuela was made tangible by the presence of former Honduran President Mel Zelaya, who was overthrown by a military coup in 2009. He said, “We all decided to give support to Venezuela against the attack on democracy.” He added, “We condemn the actions aimed at destabilization and the attacks on a sister people who did nothing but elect a left government.”

Among those participating at the press conference were Mendoza, Osorio, representatives from two other Venezuelan parties that support the government — the Fatherland for All (PPT) and the Communist Party (PCV) — plus other Mexican senators, representatives from many other Latin American countries, including Colombia and Nicaragua, and people from Europe, the Middle East and the United States, including Workers World Party from the U.S.

The attitude of the participants in the press conference, which was shared by the great majority of those attending the seminar, was that this is a battle against a fascist threat to all of Latin America and the Caribbean which must be stopped in Venezuela. As Mendoza emphasized, “The empire shall not pass.”

Some 200-plus organizations from 37 countries participated in the PT-organized seminar.