On September 22, 2017 the government of Canada announced that it was imposing new sanctions against Venezuela. This latest illegal escalation is part of the U.S.-led attacks against Venezuela which are attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Both the US and Canada have also refused to recognize Venezuela’s democratically elected National Constituent Assembly, in an attempt to undermine the Bolivarian revolutionary process.
Since the election of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 1998, the Bolivarian Revolution has made huge gains to improve housing, healthcare, education and literacy in Venezuela. Venezuela was taken from the hands of the wealthy elite (who still today are violently trying to take back power), and Venezuela became a country where poor and working people are the motor force for advancing the Bolivarian Revolution, and benefiting from it. Even Venezuela’s constitution was rewritten to enshrine in law important advances such as the rights of women, Indigenous people and the environment.
In Vancouver, the Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice Venezuela Solidarity Campaign has taken up organizing monthly picket actions, in support of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution and defending Venezuela’s right to self-determination which is being threatened by the governments of the US and Canada. The action started out on October 6th in front of the US Consulate in Downtown Vancouver, where supporters of Venezuela held picket signs and chanted, “No to Sanctions on Venezuela!” and “US Hands Off Venezuela!”
The protest then continued in the busy downtown Vancouver center in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, where activists setup an information table. Passers-by stopped to find out more about what is really happening in Venezuela, beyond the Western media manipulations. A new petition demanding that Canada end its sanctions and threats against Venezuela was on clipboards with activists approaching people walking by to gather signatures and to discuss the latest developments in Canada’s actions against Venezuela. Now more than ever, Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution needs the solidarity of peace and justice loving people around the world. The Fire This Time Venezuela Solidarity Campaign will be out on the streets every month in defense of Venezuela. To join in or find out more, check out
www.firethistime.net or follow @FTT_np on Twitter.
Follow Janine Solanki on Twitter: @janinesolanki
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