New York: Hands Off Venezuela!

Activists and progressive organizations in New York City have mobilized to defend Venezuela against U.S. imperialism.

On Jan. 24, more than a hundred people came to the Venezuelan Consulate in an action called by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Joel Northram of PSL denounced Trump’s attempted coup and chided those liberals and even “socialists” who have attacked President Nicolás Maduro.

Omowale Clay of the December 12th Movement spoke on how Haiti helped Simón Bolívar, El Libertador, win independence for Venezuela. Vijou Laban Bryant from Bayan expressed solidarity with Venezuela against U.S. imperialism, as did a speaker from the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico.

People marched from the consulate to Trump Tower where another rally was held. Many organizations and individuals came out in support, including delegations from Department 19 of the Honduran Resistance, the Communist Workers League, Struggle★La Lucha newspaper and Workers World Party.

On Jan. 26, at least 80 people rallied across from the Cuban Mission to the United Nations in response to a threatened turnout of counterrevolutionaries. Steve Millies from Struggle for Socialism★La Lucha por el Socialismo told the activists: “Trump and Pence say they want to return democracy to Venezuela. They want the good old days when Nelson Rockefeller, the butcher of Attica, had a 100,000-acre ranch there. Venezuela was then a province of the Rockefeller family and Standard Oil, now called Exxon Mobil.”

Millies also reminded people how democratically elected President Maduro had been a bus operator and that it would be great if a member of Transport Workers Union Local 100 was in the White House.

Afterwards, people went to the People’s Forum to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Venceremos Brigade.