Venezuela: Faced with imperialist assault - complete the revolution!

The statement by president Obama that Venezuela represents an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US “national security” represents an important escalation in imperialist meddling against the Bolivarian revolution.

The Marxist Tendency Class Struggle [Lucha de Clases] declares its strongest repudiation of this “executive order” and points out the following:

1. The statement is not just a sanction against 7 government officials, but an attack against the national sovereignty of Venezuela. The declaration of the country as a “threat to the national security of the US” lays the legal groundwork for any kind of intervention (further sanctions, economic blockade, destabilisation, military aggression, etc).

2. The government of the US has no moral or political authority whatsoever to talk about the “defence of human rights”, “freedom of the press” nor “freedom of expression”. In the US, the police regularly shoots at and kills unarmed black teenagers for the colour of their skin, the CIA has admitted to systematic use of torture against foreign nationals, and the NSA systematically spies on its own citizens without any justified reason.

3. Venezuela is not a threat to the national security of any country. On the contrary, the US have a long history of imperialist aggression, overthrowing governments, supporting and organising military coups, in Latin America and across the world. The most recent examples being Paraguay and Honduras.

4. The government of the US maintains close friendly relations with all sorts of governments which violate their citizens’ human rights, amongst others those of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel, Colombia, Mexico, etc. The difference is that these governments are loyal minions of US foreign policy.

5. The only “threat” which the Bolivarian revolution represents from Washington’s point of view is the threat of the good example it offers to workers and oppressed peoples of the world. US big business feel threatened by the advances in the fields of healthcare, education, organisation and revolutionary consciousness of the Venezuelan people, which are a source of inspiration throughout Latin America and the world.

It is necessary to fight back against this new imperialist assault with decisive measures. The Class Struggle Marxist Tendency believes that it is necessary to:

1. Redouble the international solidarity appeal with the Bolivarian revolution to the working class and the peoples of the world, with special emphasis on the working class and peoples’ organisations in the US itself.

2. Immediately expropriate the assets of US multinationals in Venezuela under workers’ control.

3. To deepen the measures aimed at the incorporation of the people into national defence. The Bolivarian Militia should be organised in every factory and workplace, in every working class neighbourhood and community. The people in arms is the best guarantee against imperialism.

4. To set up Committees for the Defence of the Revolution in every workplace and neighbourhood in order to exercise revolutionary vigilance and to counter sabotage. Against coup plotting, set up of Committees for the Defence of the Revolution within the Army. Against economic sabotage, workers’ control in the factories. Against hoarding and speculation, Peoples Provisioning Committees in every neighbourhood.

5. To fight back against imperialism, we must defeat them in their economic war. State monopoly of foreign trade. Publication of the list of capitalists who committed fraud with CADIVI preferential exchange rate dollars and expropriation of all their assets. Expropriation of the food production and distribution monopolies to be put under workers’ and peoples’ control. Expropriation of big businesses, the banking sector and the latifundia to be able to establish a democratic plan of the economy for the benefit of the majority.

United and organised, we shall overcome!

Against imperialist aggression, complete the revolution!

The people in arms, will never be defeated!

International solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution!