No to the attempts to destabilize Venezuela!

The following is a Jan. 10 statement by the Ukrainian Marxist organization Borotba, translated by WW contributing editor Greg Butterfield.

On Jan. 9, the puppet opposition forces operating in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and controlling a significant portion of the country’s parliament attempted a coup d’état.

To this end, they organized a vote for the dismissal of the legally elected president of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro. Some 106 out of 163 deputies voted for the resolution.

We, activists of the all-Ukrainian organization of Marxists “Borotba,” understand that behind the attempts to destabilize Venezuelan society are the same forces that unleashed civil war in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and other countries. Events unfolding before our eyes in Venezuela in recent months are painfully similar to what happened in Ukraine in 2013-2014.

We can see how the neoliberal, pro-Western opposition has accused Maduro’s government of being undemocratic, corrupt and the cause of social crisis — at the same time forgetting that this social crisis is the result of an economic catastrophe, a result of pressure on the Venezuelan state by the center of global imperialism, the United States.

It was under the banner of the fight against corruption and accusations that President Yanukovych was undemocratic that pro-U.S. opposition protests began in Ukraine in 2013, known as the Maidan.

It should be noted that the opposition failed to put forward any slogans making demands for social improvements, such as an increase in the health and education budget, reducing the retirement age, reversal of the predatory privatization that took place in the 1990s, or increasing wages and pensions.

The opposition in Ukraine was based on the most reactionary sectors of society — Ukrainian right-wing nationalists, racists, neofascists, ultraconservatives and neoliberals. They were all united by the desire to preserve the system in which the means of production are privately owned — as well as by U.S. money.

Opposition financing came through various charities, human rights and civil society organizations. This was all carried out under the total supervision of the U.S. Embassy staff.

The vote of the National Assembly of Venezuela was declared illegal by the country’s Supreme Court. And this is also one of the main similarities with the Ukrainian scenario. In February 2014, the Ukrainian Parliament also adopted an unconstitutional decision and voted for the election of one of the opposition leaders as acting president. This led to mass anti-fascist protests in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, President Yanukovich betrayed the peoples of Ukraine and distanced himself from the struggle against the putschists, who seized power. The disorganization in the first days of the resistance played a sad role in the subsequent civil war in Ukraine. People who spoke out against the coup in Kiev managed to win in only a small part of Ukraine — the Donbass region. However, thousands of our fellow citizens are continuing their struggle or waiting in the wings. Hundreds of anti-fascists are languishing in Ukrainian prisons. The new government did not even hold back from using the army to suppress civilian opponents not taking part in hostilities. On May 2, 2014, one of the worst crimes of the 21st century took place — the mass murder and burning of people in Odessa, organized by the new leaders of the country.

The scenario launched by Western strategists has led to hundreds of thousands of casualties in many countries of the Middle East, as well as Ukraine.

We call upon the entire progressive community to condemn U.S. attempts to organize another civil war.

We believe that the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, will show strength and be able to counter the coup organizers.

We express our full support for all the progressive, communist, anti-imperialist and anti-fascist forces of Venezuela.

Forward ever!

¡No pasarán!