The Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice – Venezuela Solidarity Campaign in Vancouver, Canada condemns the attempted violent attacks on Venezuela by U.S.-backed mercenaries, which began in the early morning of May 3, 2020. In one week, 31 mercenaries have been arrested by the government of Venezuela. This includes two former U.S. army special forces, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who have implicated the U.S. government and their right-wing puppets in the foiled para-military operation.
U.S. President Trump is denying any knowledge of the thwarted attempted coup d’etat against the democratically elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, but the murderous fingerprints of the U.S. government are everywhere. To start, the entire criminal operation to “remove the current Regime, and install the recognized Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó,” began with an $213 million contract between U.S. puppet Guaidó and Silvercorp, a security firm ran by former U.S. Green Beret Jordan Goudreau. Since declaring himself “interim President” in January 2019, the government of the United States has handed Guaidó tens of millions of dollars from Venezuelan government assets seized in the United States. He and his counter-revolutionary lackies do not operate without the support, guidance, and permission of their U.S. government puppet-masters.
Therefore, this failed plot, now dubbed “Operation Gedeon” was hatched in the United States and launched from Colombia, which is also where the training of the counter-revolutionary mercenaries took place over the last few months. The United States government and military have a close relationship with the right-wing government of Colombia. The U.S. military has had a constant presence in Colombia for decades under the pretext of fighting the “war on drugs,” which includes access to Colombian military bases. In 2018, Colombia also became the first Latin-American “Global Partner,” of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
Since 2020 began, the United States government and their allies, including the government of Canada have been relentless in their escalation of blockade and sanctions against Venezuela. Despite the deadly threat of the Covid-19, the United States government has imposed further sanctions on Venezuela that continue to severely limit Venezuela’s access to food, medicine and medical equipment needed to combat the pandemic. These sanctions have cost the economy of Venezuela at least $116 billion in the last 5 years and killed an estimated 100,000 people in Venezuela, according to Alfred de Zayas, a former UN Rapporteur on Human Rights.
Dangerously, at the same time the United States government has also escalated military threats against Venezuela. In March, U.S. President Trump announced the largest U.S. military deployment to the waters of the Caribbean surrounding Venezuela since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. This threat followed the indictment of President Maduro by the government of the U.S. on charges of “narco-terrorism” and the announcement by the U.S. State Department of a $15 million award for the arrest of President Maduro.
The Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice - Venezuela Solidarity Campaign salutes the bravery and determination of the people of Venezuela. They have defeated these latest mercenary attacks and dealt another blow to the U.S.-sponsored campaign to overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and reverse the gains made by poor, working and oppressed Venezuelans in the Bolivarian revolution.
The people of Venezuela every day demonstrate their commitment to defend their sovereignty, self-determination, and the democratically elected government of President Maduro. It is our responsibility to elevate the voices of poor, working and oppressed people, including the voices of the humble fisherman Chuao, who aided in the capture of some of the armed U.S. mercenaries off their coastline.
As people living in the U.S. and Canada, we have the responsibility to hold the government’s of the United States and Canada accountable for their support for Venezuela’s violent counter-revolutionary opposition and their puppet Juan Guaidó. We must work to build a more united and stronger movement in solidarity with Venezuela, to stop military provocations and interventions in Venezuela. We demand with millions of the people around the world, no to sanctions and blockade.
U.S. and Canada Hands Off Venezuela!
May 11, 2020
Vancouver, Canada
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