Chicago hears report from Venezuela solidarity delegation member

Chicago IL – On Saturday January 10, 50 people attended a reportback from Jae Franklin, who traveled to Venezuela for the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas in December. This event came a week after Trump’s attack on of the country and kidnapping of democratically-elected President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The masses of Venezuela have taken to the streets demanding the return of the president and “First Combatant” and in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution against U.S. imperialism. Franklin is a co-chair of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC), which has answered the call of the Venezuelan people by taking to the streets and demanding U.S. hands off Venezuela.

The audience chanted, “Caracas, Aguanta! El pueblo esta levanta! (Caracas, hold on! The people are standing up!)” led by emcee Gio Araujo with Freedom Road Socialist Organization FRSO at the start of the program.

“The people of this country understand that the U.S. is the aggressor,” said an activist with Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) Chicago.

“There are those in Venezuela who want capitalism to return, and they are in the minority. There are those in the Philippines who are nothing but greedy and suck on the people,” said Di Balitaan from Anakbayan USA. Balitaan also demanded the release of Chantal Anicoche, who was abducted by the armed forces of the Philippines on January 1.

The room was filled with people eager to learn about the Bolivarian Revolution and the role that international solidarity plays against U.S. imperialism. Franklin recounted how Simón Bolívar fought Spanish colonialism in the 1800s and abolished slavery after spending time in Haiti while exiled.

While in Venezuela, Franklin visited several communes, which are territories with a political structure that manages the means of production. Venezuela has 4000 such communes

“Communes are a way for people to build power,” Franklin said. The delegation heard a speech from President Maduro at Comuna Amalivaca. He spoke about the process of transformation in Venezuela and the need to combat imperialist lies.

Franklin described their joy at seeing how Maduro’s party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was composed of young people, queer people and women.

Franklin presented videos of Venezuelan people dancing to revolutionary music during the conference. Their tireless drive for self-determination mirrors the videos and images of the Chauvistas in the streets protesting the American imperialist invasion. They also showed pictures of publicly accessible medicine cabinets in the communes, and a billboard celebrating the Palestinian resistance.

“When we say ‘Hands off Venezuela’ we also mean ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘ICE off our streets’ and ‘Justice for Laquan McDonald!’” Franklin declared. “We have to weaken U.S. imperialism every way we can from here within the belly of the beast.”

Franklin encouraged attendees to keep demanding the release of President Maduro and Cilia Flores, and to support AWC’s campaign to divest Illinois from Israel bonds and companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Illinois residents can sign the petition to divest at bit.ly/awcdivest.

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