The Scottish Venezuela Solidarity Campaign is calling on the Scottish Parliament and progressive parties to denounce the ongoing attempted coup.
The full statement issued is copied below. It follows the STUC Congress in Dundee last month supporting an emergency motion on Venezuela, proposed by UNISON Scotland.
Among other points, the unanimously agreed emergency motion called for the STUC to:
- Reject and oppose any external interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela, especially from the United States, including any military aggression; and
- Reject and oppose any attempt to change the government by illegal, unconstitutional and/or violent methods.
Full statement from the SVSC executive committee last night
Today’s outrageous attempt by the Venezuelan opposition, with encouragement and support from the Trump administration and its allies, to spark a violent uprising against the legitimate Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro deserves worldwide condemnation.
Progressive movements across Latin America know too well what the reality of a US-backed coup d’état means. The aspirations of ordinary working class people ‒ the people who, in Venezuela, have benefited most from the social and economic policies advanced by the Bolivarian Revolution ‒ are discarded in favour of US interests, with poverty and powerlessness imposed on the people and enforced through disenfranchisement, intimidation and violence.
Every day, Venezuelan opposition propaganda is further discredited and the role of the Trump administration and its allies in sabotaging the Venezuelan economy is further exposed. Mainstream media outlets like the New York Times have admitted that US accusations about government supporters burning aid trucks were contradicted by video evidence. A new report indicates at least 40,000 Venezuelans died last year as a result of food and medicine shortages caused by US sanctions imposed in 2017. The unelected, self-declared ‘president’ Juan Guaidó is an engineer of the crisis in Venezuela, not a solution to it.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress sent a powerful message of solidarity to Venezuela earlier this month when it unanimously reaffirmed its support for the Bolivarian Revolution in the face of threats of US-sponsored regime change. It is now time for the Scottish Parliament and all progressive-minded parties in Scotland to do the same. We encourage all supporters of freedom and democracy to challenge their elected representatives to stand up for Venezuela.
This weekend, as thousands of trade unionists in Scotland take part in May Day marches, parades and socials across the country, we encourage them to bring Venezuelan flags, banners and placards to show their continuing solidarity and support with the thousands rallying throughout Venezuela in defence of the Bolivarian Revolution and against the attempted coup.