The solidarity congress held in Duisburg, Germany, on 28/29 October, 2006, expresses its support for the popular movement, the Venezuelan people and its government under the leadership of president Hugo Chavez which has become a focus of the struggle against Yankee empire.
The Venezuelan and international representatives as well as the participants of the congress convey their full solidarity to the current campaign for the re-election of Hugo Chavez for the presidency on December 3, 2006. As part of Europe’s anti-imperialist movement based on the right to self-determination, national sovereignty and resistance against the US empire, we consider ourselves part of the liberation struggle conducted by the Venezuelan people and its president heading toward an international order without imperialism and a development model breaking with capitalism.
We believe that Chavez has provided a vital support to all peoples who fight for their national and social liberation, especially the Arab ones who suffer from occupation and military aggression characterising the international politics of the US and its allies. Therefore the democratic, anti-imperialist and revolutionary movements in Europe must reciprocate by defending and supporting the Bolivarian process in Venezuela.
In the spirit of internationalism and marked by the necessity of an international front against imperialism – defined as an “alternative anti-imperialist movement” by Chavez at the last World Social Forum – a comprehensive political dialogue with the Venezuelan representatives took place. Thus the awareness about the efforts to defend the Venezuelan national sovereignty as well as about the attempts for a transformation to socialism should be strengthened. We try to carry on this task by an global anti-imperialist meeting in Venezuela.
The organisers, participating organisations and militants declare:
Solidarity with the Venezuelan trade union UNT. It is a crucial instrument for the working class to consolidate the gains of the Bolivarian process, to strengthen the organisation of the toiling masses and to pave the way for a new socialism.
Solidarity with the Venezuelan peasant movement, especially the National Peasant Front Ezequiel Zamora (FNCEZ). They lead the struggle against the big landowners with the aim to structurally change the property relations and to establish new from of social production. We condemn the assassination of some 180 peasant leaders so far by paramilitary forces commanded by the landowners and the oligarchic opposition.
We endorse the law suit filed against the media outlets Globovision and RCTV for the violation of human rights and support the National Association of Communal, Free and Alternative Media (ANMCLA) as a strategic instrument to build revolutionary media outlets which serve the people’s interest.
We support the struggle against impunity for the perpetrators and instigators of the coup d’etat of April 11, 2002. Whose who murdered revolutionary leaders and militants must be held liable for their crimes. Especially we demand the punishment of Henry Là³pez Sisco who ordered the massacre of Yumare in his faculty as former director of the state intelligence DISIP and who today is security adviser of the provincial government of Zulia.
Solidarity with the Bolivarian women whose struggles decisively contribute to the transformation process in Venezuela.
At the same time we support the Colombian popular movement’s resistance against the paramilitary regime of Alvaro Uribe Và©lez. The call upon all democratic and anti-imperialist movements to step up the campaign against the ongoing massacre on the leaders and militants of the peasant and other social movements in Colombia. Especially we want to point at the dramatic situation on the border between Colombia and Venezuela where destabilisation of and intervention against the Bolivarian process is being fomented.
For the next period we set ourselves following tasks:
We will continue the international campaign for signatures and solidarity massages in support of the re-election of Hugo Chavez as president to display our active solidarity in defence of the national sovereignty of Venezuela and the gains of the revolutionary process. These are being threatened by the imperialist interference as well as by the efforts of destabilisation by the oligarchic opposition which staged the coup.
We will strengthen the relations with the popular and revolutionary movement of Venezuela and organise the further co-ordination of the anti-imperialist and solidarity movement throughout Europe in order to increase the awareness as well as to stage common action. We propose to gather the anti-imperialist movements in a new conference to be held in Venezuela.
The future of the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela will provide a crucial thrive for a new world order based on national sovereignty and equality. Lending solidarity to the Venezuelan revolution under the leadership of Hugo Chavez thus means as the same time to develop our own struggles here in Europe for a new prospect of social emancipation.
Duisburg, October 29, 2006
