We, the undersigned anti-imperialist and anti-war organizations, condemn the U.S. violent attacks on the rights of Venezuelans, and violations of Venezuela’s sovereignty.
The U.S. bombed civilian and military areas of the city of Caracas, the capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira in the early morning of Saturday January 3rd under the cover of darkness to sow terror in the country, killing civilians and destroying Venezuelan infrastructure in the process. Echoing the 2004 imperialist invasion of Haiti and kidnapping of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the rogue empire has also kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores and is allegedly taking them to New York to persecute them in U.S. courts.
In his press conference, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would take control of Venezuela to usher in a new government. “We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” Trump said.This threat is backed up by a massive deployment of U.S. naval, ground and aerial forces in the Caribbean, the largest since the invasion of Haiti.
Yet, we know that the U.S. is not running Venezuela at the moment. This is part of the U.S.’s psychological warfare and will not be accepted by the people of Venezuela. This is the classic playbook, from Iraq to Palestine to Venezuela: we must reject imperialist lies and media propaganda designed to confuse and divide us.
In the face of these attacks, the popular movements of Venezuela have taken to the streets in support of their Bolivarian Revolution. Outside of Venezuela, anti-imperialist, anti-war, and pro-peace movements and organizations must continue to defend and stand alongside the brave people of Venezuela, against U.S. terrorism and destabilization. We must have coordinated and organized resistance against imperialist war.
We understand that this is not a singular moment but a continuation of the decades-long war on the Bolivarian Revolution to destroy Venezuela’s sovereignty, blockade the country’s economic and military alliances, and isolate the Venezuelan government from forming alliances with other Global South countries on their own terms. The U.S. revamped “America First Strategy” aims to outcompete its rivals such as China and Russia, while reasserting exclusive dominance over the western hemisphere, in line with the Monroe Doctrine tradition.
The Venezuelan people are resisting and we must support them.
Mobilize and coordinate mass resistance against this violence. Take to the streets, organize rallies and teach-ins on your university campuses, mobilize in your unions to demonstrate solidarity and shut down the supply chains of imperialism, including resolutions, pickets and protests outside of arms factories and ports that are providing the weapons for this aggression. For those outside the U.S., Venezuelan movements and organizations are asking for mobilizations outside of U.S. embassies, U.S. military bases and diplomatic installations around the world.
Stop The War on Venezuela!
No to U.S. Wars for Regime Change!
Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores!
Down with U.S. Imperialism!
Venezuela Se Defiende! No Se Rinde!
Venceremos!
Add your organization to the statement signatories:
Hands Off Venezuela Resources:
Signed,
1. Black Alliance for Peace
2. National Students for Justice in Palestine
3. United National Antiwar Coalition
4. Venezuela Solidarity Network
5. US Peace Council
6. Sanctions Kill Campaign
7. Workers World Party
8. All-African People’s Party–GC
9. All-Africans People’s Revolutionary Party
10. Alliance for Global Justice
11. Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO)
12. CODEPINK
13. National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
14. International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
15. Chicago ALBA Solidarity
16. Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition
17. Peace and Solidarity Commission of the Communist Party USA
18. School of the Americas Watch
19. Task Force on the Americas
20. Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle
21. Freedom Road Socialist Organization
22. Solidarity Committee on the Americas
23. Periodismo de Verdad
24. Resist U.S.-Led War
25. Honduras Solidarity Network
26. Cross Border Network
27. National Network on Cuba
28. Anti War Action Network
29. Women Against Military Madness
30. International Action Center
31. Casa Baltimore Limay
32. Friends of Latin America
33. Veterans For Peace
34. Orinoco Tribune
35. Los Ronderos de las Redes
36. Diáspora Pa’lante Collective
37. Peoples Power Assembly
38. Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA)
39. Green Renaissance–Sovereign Rights Movement
40. Struggle for Socialism Party
41. Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice
42. International League of Peoples’ Struggles–US
43. Anti-Imperialist Scholars Collective (AISC)
44. Tariq El-Tahrir Youth and Student Network
45. Nidal North America
46. CUNY for Palestine
47. Basil Al-Araj Prisoners’ Committee
48. American Party of Labor
49. Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice (Canada)
50. Al-Ahrar Palestinian Prisoner Support
51. Anti-Displacement NYC
52. AlgeriaRevolt
53. Movimiento Escuela Mujeres por Palestina
54. San Diego Veterans For Peace
55. Unión de Vecinos
56. Coalition for the Elimination of Imperialism in Africa
57. GENERATION Z RDC et membre de la LUCHA
58. Action LA Network
59. National Immigrant Solidarity Network
60. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), DC Chapter
61. Climate Crisis Movement
62. Asociación Americana de Juristas
63. U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization
64. Women for Peace – Finland
65. World BEYOND War
66. AWMR Italia – Donne della Regione Mediterranea
67. 17 Basområden
68. Rochdale & Littleborough Peace Group
69. Montreal for a World Beyond War
70. Seattle Against War
71. fem-noNATO
72. Gesellschaft für Frieden und internationale Solidarität (GeFiS e.V.)
73. South Asian Left (SALAM)
74. Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
75. Public Intellectuals for Social and Spare Change
76. Leuven Peace Movement
77. CardinurGroupLLC.com
78. World Beyond War NZ
79. Global Strategy of Nonviolence
80. International Human Rights Association of American Minorities
81. Seattle No War Coalition
82. WILPF-US Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Peace- and Future Workshop (Germany)
83. ATTAC Hungary
84. Friendship Office
85. Cascadia Magical Activists
86. Peace Movement Leuven (Belgium)
87. Advocates 4 Justice
88. Displaced
89. Victoria Peace Coalition
90. Baltimore, MD Chapter – Veterans For Peace
91. Vredesbeweging Leuven
92. SAFES
93. San Jose Against War
94. Veterans For Peace – Ireland Chapter
95. Bellingham Peace Vigil
96. CWA for Palestine
97. NYC Labor for Palestine
98. Chicago Anti-War Coalition
99. Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement
100. PARC Against DARC
101. Frente Antiimperialista Internacionalista
102. Portland Gray Panthers
103. Gray Panthers Global Union
104. Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
105. Cafe Palestina
106. Veterans For Peace Chapter 55 (Santa Fe, NM)
107. Building Bridges & Equal Rights & Justice Radio Productions
108. Prutehi Guåhan
109. Our Wisconsin Revolution
110. Baltimore Nonviolence Center
111. Milwaukee Anti-War Committee
112. Haiti Action Committee
113. Gabriela PDX
114. SUNY BDS
115. Disability Peoples Forum Uganda
116. Australia Solidarity with Latin America
117. Heat Waves
118. Mississippi Rising Coalition
119. Vrede Met Venezuela NL
120. Gulf Coast Humanists
121. Mississippi Veterans For Peace Chapter 184
122. Western Massachusetts CODEPINK
123. Binghamton Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine
124. Amsterdam Peace Vigil
125. Leuven Movement of Peace
126. Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine
127. Veterans For Peace, Chapter 61 (St. Louis)
128. Vigil For Gaza, Port Jefferson, NY
129. North Country Peace Group, Setauket, NY
130. Catholic Church, Franciscan and Jesuit (supporting Pope Leo XIII)
131. Veterans For Peace, Chapter 25 (Madison, Wisconsin)
132. Organic Arts, Ltd.
133. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Milwaukee Branch
134. La Voz de Richmond
135. Albany Progressive Action Network
136. Faith Health Caucus
137. Veterans For Peace, Uruguay Chapter
138. Veterans For Peace–Hawai‘i (Don Matsuda Chapter 113)
139. Church Women United in New York State
140. Jemez Peacemakers
141. Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice (Illinois)
1423 Friends of Chilama
143. Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination
144. Green Party of California
145. Resist U.S.-Led War Movement.
146. Mississippi Veterans For Peace, Chapter 184
147. Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network