LA teach-in exposes U.S. war lies on Venezuela

The United States is escalating its threats against sovereign Venezuela — and working overtime to manufacture public support for intervention. In Los Angeles on Nov. 22, activists gathered for a community teach-in to break down the lies driving this new war push and to equip people with tools to challenge it.

The teach-in opened with a concise overview of Venezuela’s modern history and the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution. Presenters emphasized that Washington’s hostility did not begin yesterday: It is rooted in decades of U.S. attempts to dominate Latin America and crush any nation that asserts its independence.

From there, the discussion turned to how corporate media creates the illusion of consensus for war. Facilitators walked participants through the core tactics of “manufacturing consent” — selective facts, emotional manipulation, and the erasure of U.S. economic sabotage — all designed to portray targeted countries as crises that demand foreign intervention.

A segment from CBS’s “60 Minutes,” “Life on the Ground in Maduro’s Venezuela,” served as the centerpiece for analysis. Attendees examined how the piece relied on distortion, omission, and sensationalism to recast Venezuela’s hardships as proof of government failure rather than the predictable result of brutal U.S. sanctions and continuous destabilization campaigns.

After dissecting the clip, the teach-in shifted to strategy. Participants discussed how to push back: building popular education, joining anti-war organizations, and mobilizing in the streets to oppose any U.S. attack on Venezuela or any other sovereign nation.

Only after the main program concluded did organizers acknowledge the collaboration that made the event possible, including members of the Struggle for Socialism Party (SSP), the Harriet Tubman Center (HTC), and the Los Angeles Tenants Union Koreatown (LATU).

The core message that carried through the event was clear: No war on Venezuela. No more public money for imperialist aggression while communities at home are denied housing, health care, and basic social services. The fight against U.S. intervention abroad is inseparable from the fight for justice at home.

A public link to the slideshow shared at the event is available here for readers who wish to explore the material further.