Activists occupy Venezuelan embassy in Australia

Friday January 17, 2003 18:01

by ANNCOL

With today's peaceful occupation of the Venezuelan Embassy, solidarity activists intended to highlight the repeated coup attempts in Venezuela and the US-sponsored civil war in neighbouring Colombia. Activists expressed their support for the elected government of Venezuela and the formation of a new clandestine government of Colombia.

14.01.2003 (By Luis Ernesto, ANNCOL Canberra) Internationalist activists, members of the Bolivarian Movement for the New Colombia in Australia, peacefully entered today in the embassy of Venezuela, located in 7 Culga Circuit O' Malley, in the capital city of Australia.

The 'solidarity' visit as the political activists, who took the diplomatic seat called it, was a surprise for the staff present at the embassy, which immediately informed the ambassador Leonel Vivas about what was occurring.

Members of the Bolivarian Movement affirmed that their act of solidarity was absolutely peaceful, that they did not carry any type of weapons and claimed that they were not terrorists, but that they were using their legitimate right to speak out about the problems that Venezuela and Colombia are facing.

The activists told ANNCOL that they consider it is time to begin a wave of international mobilisations in solidarity with the Venezuelan people, with the legitimate and democratic government of President Hugo Chavez. At the same time they condemned the strikes that are affecting their neighbouring country and classified the strikes as a conspiracy to destabilise the Bolivarian countries.

They also mentioned the Bolivarian Circles-movement of Venezuela to whom they expressed their unconditional support in the struggle to transform the home country of the Liberator Simon Bolivar into an example of his ideals, which defeated the Spanish colonialism, and liberated Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

They emphasised the fact that for the Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela, it is a patriotic duty to defend the government of Hugo Chavez until the last drop of blood falls. The activists referred to Chavez as the 'delegate' of the Venezuelan people's Liberator who with his spade and white horse defended his mandate of social justice and democracy.

Bradcrumbs from the Yankees

The activists claimed that the US intervention in Venezuela, Colombia and in the rest of the Bolivarian nations, is supported by the oligarchic, pro-imperialist Creoles who do not want to lose their privileges but pretend to perpetuate their power by receiving the “breadcrumbs that the Yankees throw to them from the table”.

Finally, they announced that they would leave the embassy as they entered, without violence and respecting the civil employees of the delegation, but that everything was conditional in speaking personally with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to give him their support and to leave a letter of solidarity in the hands of the ambassador Leonel Vivas.

Another one of the points exposed by the members of the Bolivarian Movement for the New Colombia, with seat in Australia, in the "Operation Respect for Venezuela", was related to the civil war that Colombia is confronting and to the proposal of the guerrilla insurgency to create a clandestine government, with a platform of reconstruction and national reconciliation, for the political solution of the serious conflicts that the country is facing.

New clandestine government in Colombia

They considered that the invitation to all Colombians who yearn for a mother country with development and peace, in which its people is able to work for the conformation of a national, pluralist, patriotic and democratic government, under the command of the Bolivarian Movement for the New Colombia that Alfonso Cano leads, is not only a practical solution to the armed conflict, but also it is an attainable goal with a great political direction, to which they are all committed and willing to support.

Colombia is in a war in which the Yankees and the Creole oligarchies have implemented nothing else but an uncertain and destabilised future. But this situation creates the opportunity for the Latin-American peoples to get up on their feet and construct a socialist continent without frontiers and totally independent from the US Imperialism, the activists said.

The ‘Operation Respect for Venezuela’ was under direction and co-ordination of various internationalist activists; among them are Gladis Almario, from the Colombian Solidarity Committee and Elizabeth Vega, activist for the peace of Colombia and Venezuela.

These Bolivarian activists affirmed to ANNCOL, that the new clandestine government in Colombia proposed by the Colombian people and supported by insurgent forces, has 10 points of demands that can be briefly mentioned:

1. That the military doctrine and of National Defence of the State have Bolivarian principles. The Liberator (Simon Bolivar) said, "The destiny of the army is to protect the citizens not to turn their weapons against its own people “.

2. Democratic national participation in the decisions that compromise the future of the society.

3. Freedom of speech in the media and an independent Electoral Branch.

4. Development and economic modernisation with social justice.

5. 50% of the National budget must be invested in the social wellbeing, 10% to be invested in scientific investigations.

6. Those who have greater wealth must pay higher taxes so that the redistribution of incomes can be effective.

7. Agrarian policies that democratise the credit, the technical assistance and the trade.

8. The exploitation of natural resources like the petroleum, gas, coal, gold, nickel, and emeralds among others must be for the benefit of the country.

9. International relations with all the countries of the world under the principle of mutual benefit and respect for the auto-determination of the people.

10. Solution to the phenomenon of production, commercialisation and consumption of narcotics and hallucinogens.

Finally, activists affirmed to the ANNCOL correspondent that in the act of solidarity with Venezuela and Colombia, both Bolivarian countries men, women and children were present among other activists and leaders of left wing Australian organizations such as the Socialist Alliance, the Democratic Socialist Party and candidates for the NSW parliament in the elections anticipated for the month of March.