An online forum on September 6 discussed the latest attacks on the sovereignty of Venezuela by the United States and British governments.
Organised by the Melbourne-based Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign and the Latin American Solidarity Network (LASNET) it heard from Zuleima Vergel from the Bolivar and Zamora Revolutionary Current, Eulalia Reyes, a Brisbane-based Venezuelan, Dr Francisco Dominguez from the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (UK) and Teri Mattson, from CODEPINK in California.
Vergel led off with a history of the US attacks on the government and people of Venezuela and their heroic efforts to defend their country and Reyes discussed the cruel impact of US and Western sanctions against Venezuela.
Dominguez warned about the possibility of a surprise US military attack in October, to create a security issue leading up to the November presidential election. He said that Venezuela is “well-armed and prepared” and that the Pentagon is worried about the popular opposition a direct intervention would face.
He said the solidarity movement in Britain and Europe is focussed on campaigning for Western sanctions against Venezuela to be suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is gaining increasing public and parliamentary support.
The British movement also demanding their government reverse its illegal seizure of Venezuelan gold held by the Bank of England, and return the reserves to President Nicolas Maduro’s legitimate government. Mattson described the warmth and revolutionary determination of Venezuelan communities during her many visits there.