[van-announce] DEFEND THE VENEZUELAN SPRING

[latinsol]

VENEZUELA: 

LET US DEFEND THE VENEZUELAN SPRING.

FOR THE RIGHT OF CITIZENS TO INFORMATION. 



Document of ATTAC -Venezuela, Red Venezolana de Medios Communitarios (Venezuelan Communitarian, Alternative and Free Network), Red Venezolana de Medios Comunitarios ( Venezuelan Communitarian, Media Network), Coordinadora Campesina (Peasant Coordinating Association) Ezequiel Zamora.

We, activists of the Venezuelan social movement, through organizations such as ATTAC Venezuela, Asociación Nacional de Medios Comunitarios, Alternativos y Libres, Red Venezolana de Medios Comunitarios, Coordinadora Campesina Ezequiel Zamora, make an urgent call to the citizens of the entire world: Once again the White House does not hide its desire to see "interrupted" the mandate of a president, a government and a parliament democratically chosen. Whereas a wave of images falls down on the entire world, hiding our experience of participative democracy under the mask of an ungovernable and supposedly chaotic country in which it would be urgent to intervene.

In fact, if nowadays Venezuela seems to wake up of a long lethargy it is because a critical, multiple and contradictory word of our citizens has made irruption. Those excluded from the globalization finally have spoken up. Millions of Venezuelans until now gagged by an apartheid that considered them as a violent and ignorant people, are constructing true citizenship .... truly authentic. 

In 1989, a severely repressed, well-known popular explosion known as the "Caracazo", had already warned us of the discord of the Venezuelan people with the neoliberal measures that then were pretended to be imposed. Today that same people have decided to take on a new path: that of participative democracy. The election of Chávez in 1998 confirms this awaken. We have become conscious actors of our rights and of our duties and thus we demand from our governors, that they be not only chosen democratically but that in addition they govern democratically. Strengthened by our Bolivarian Constitution -one of the most democratic of the world- we are legalizing land titles of our large popular districts; inspecting school establishments and hospital equipment; we are strengthening our decision power through the election of a new instance of control: the Local Planning Councils; we are creating new communitarian, TV and radio stations independent of the political power; we are fighting for a just land distribution that favours the poorest peasants, as well as for public control of the oil resources and for the extension of Women's Rights , head of the spear of social change. 

This citizen's awakening has caused the reaction and the offensive of the Bush team, which finances the Venezuelan opposition so that it can re-conquer power.

In April 2002 this opposition tried to stop the citizen's conquest with a coup d'etat, destroying all the democratic institutions and unleashing a bloody repression against the popular sectors. CTV, one of the more corrupt union leaderships of Latin America, the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the enterprise sector, the commercial mass media, the high management of the oil company PDVSA - prepared to initiate its privatization -, as well as the multinationals, conspired supported by the accomplice governments of the United States and other countries such as Spain. They were all united to remove our government and to asphyxiate the impulse of the emancipatory movement against neoliberalism that today crosses throughout our Latin America, from the arrival to power of President Chávez and the electoral victories of Lula in Brazil and Gutiérrez in Ecuador.

The Bolivarian Revolution expresses the necessity of our people to look for concrete answers to the inherent problematic of globalization, as it has been several times declared in Porto Alegre, Seattle and Florence. And the best way to defend our Bolivarian revolution and to contribute in its consolidation is to make our experience known to the entire world, make known the reality of our process and assert the respect to our right to information so many times deceived by the mass media.

For that reason we request that you show your support by contacting newspapers, radios and TV stations asking them for respect to the right of information. You can write, send faxes and electronic mails. We just finished gathering tens of thousands of people in multiple peaceful manifestations in front of commercial television channel premises to demand the cease these  violent and racist media campaign, they have undertaken against our process of changes. 

Other type of actions are also possible, and we know that throughout the world the alliance between solidarity and creativity is able to change the equilibrium of forces. We thus urgently request that you organize manifestations in front of such organisms which are self declared devoted to the defence of human rights and demand of them to protect the members of communitarian media which the Venezuelan commercial mainstream television accuses of "terrorists", by the sole fact of being our only independent sources of information. Several member of this communitarian, independent media have been attacked by opposition shock brigades urged on by commercial main stream mass media.

We also request that you demand respect from your governments, that they ensure the right of the people of Venezuela to choose the type of development and democracy that we desire. Demand that your governments show their frank support to the legitimate government of Venezuela. It is our duty to respect and to make everyone respect the hope and the way the Venezuelan people have chosen. 

Translated by Claudio Ekdahl

_____________________________________

 

*Please distribute widely*

Solidarity with the People of Venezuela


Foro Social Mundial
World Union Federation
secamfsm at ceniaiai.inf.cu
translated by: Claudio Ekdahl

At the present moments, a conspiracy of transnational oil companies and of at least U.S.A. and Spain has its center in Venezuela. The securing of submissive petroleum provision and the interests of the Creole oligarchy, in agreement with the antipopular interests of transnational globalization and the Government of Bush are the objectives of those who have seen in the legitimate and constitutional Government of Hugo Chávez a stone in their shoe. They do not forgive Chávez attempt for independent policy initiatives, for questioning the antiterrorist hypocritical policy of Bush, for promoting an oil policy that recover oil prices, for fighting against large land holding and for promoting the participation and organization of the popular and destitute classes. 

For over a year they have decided to gamble using all their cards, with the ends of such decision now expressed on April 11th with the fascist blow of Carmona (that eliminated all divisions of power, persecuted, jailed and tortured his opponents) and with the employer's association-oil sabotage.

The Venezuelan fascist opposition, with international aid, wants to use the tactic of "Devastated Land", if they don't win nobody does. They don't care, as they have their money and families secured outside the country. But they want the government down on its knees by way of economically drowning the government and the people, causing shortage of supplies, chaos and civil war. They pretend by this to provoke a foreign intervention.

We make a call to all the organizations and progressive, democratic, revolutionary individuals to show your solidarity with the Venezuelan people who in peaceful and legal form allowed themselves a Government and a Constitution which feel for the first time takes them into account and elevates their participation, and to show your rejection to the leaders of the national and international opposition who are leading the country to a civil war.

The manifestations of support can be sent to the government of Venezuela: msecretaria at venezuela.gov.ve, to the popular organizations in the Web: puebloalzao at aporrea.org, contacto at antiescualidos.com, opinion at soberania.info and to our web mail. 

The manifestations of repudiation can be sent to Coordinadora de oposición: coordina at coordinadorademocratica.org, to Fedecámaras employer's association: direje at telcel.net.ve, Bureaucratic Central Union CTV: ortega at la-ctv.com, webmaster at la-ctv.com and to the managers of the state's oil company, politically grouped in the Civil Association People of Petroleum: trabajadorpetrolero at hotmail.com 

better yet if you send copy to international and national main stream media, such as: consejoeditorial at eluniversal.com, contactenos at el-nacional.com, elobservador at rctv.net, http://www.globovision.com/contactenos/index.shtml , http://www.cadenaglobal.com/masterServicios.asp?pgm=directorio


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