Solidarity rallies took place in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne as part of a May 20 international day of solidarity with Venezuela and Cuba. The day was initiated by social justice and solidarity groups in the US opposed to their government’s aggression towards the two nations.

The 120-strong Sydney rally, jointly organised by the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN) and the Australia Cuba Friendship Society, was addressed by John Sutton, assistant-secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, and NSW Greens parliamentarian Sylvia Hale.

Speakers at the Brisbane rally included unionists Peter Simpson and Shaun Cassidy, who recently returned from the AVSN May Day solidarity brigade to Venezuela.

Resistance activist Brianna Pike told a Melbourne speak-out on May 19 that Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution offers a “light at the end of the tunnel. While the Howard government is trying to smash our student unions and our trade unions, while they are taking away our right to dissent, Venezuela proves that another way is possible.”

The rallies, which were sponsored by a wide range of solidarity groups, unions and political parties, demanded “US Hands off Venezuela!”, “End the US blockade of Cuba!”, “Free the Cuban Five” and “No Australian support for US aggression!”

From Green Left Weekly, May 24, 2006.
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