On Friday July 8th, the Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice – Venezuela Solidarity Campaign organized another monthly solidarity picket in front of the U.S Consulate in downtown Vancouver. The pickets are an energetic and defiant response to the escalation of U.S-backed rightwing campaigning to overthrow the revolutionary government of President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. government involvement in the campaign against Venezuela was once again made clear as the U.S. House of Representatives approved unilateral new sanctions targeting Venezuelan government officials on the same day as the picket.
The picket was led by Fire This Time Venezuela Solidarity campaign organizer Alison Bodine, who denounced the plan for new sanctions as unnecessary, provocative, criminal and hypocritical. She pointed out that the U.S government had agreed less than a month before to begin diplomatic talks with Venezuela with the stated objective of calming tensions between the two countries.
Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) member and long-time social justice activist and U.S civil rights movement organizer David Whittlesey reminded picketers that this is part of a long established trend of the U.S government targeting independent governments who don't take their orders from Washington, DC.
Picketers marched and chanted loudly in front to the U.S. Consulate, while distributing information to those passing by about the many good reasons for the protest in solidarity with Venezuela.
The demonstration then moved to the Vancouver Art Gallery, one of the busiest foot traffic areas in Vancouver. A public display and information table was set up and organizers collected signatures on the Fire This Time petition demanding U.S. President Obama repeal the Executive Decree he recently renewed which labels Venezuela as a “threat to U.S national security”. This unjustified move is just another indication of the extremely provocative and meddling nature of the U.S Government in the internal affairs of Venezuela.
Organizers spoke with many people about the great gains made by Bolivarian Revolution in healthcare, education, housing and literacy – and how the U.S. government is trying to reverse this progress.
As millions of Venezuelans continue to mobilize in defence of their government and the Bolivarian Revolution, the Fire This Time Venezuela Solidarity campaign will continue to organize actions in solidarity with their struggle which is so important for oppressed people, not only in Latin America but around the entire world:
> U.S. HANDS OFF VENEZUELA!
> PRESIDENT OBAMA REPEAL THE DECREE NOW!
> U.S. RESPECT THE SOVEREIGNTY & SELF-DETERMINATION OF THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE!
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