Home > October 12th - Venezuela solidarity day of action in London

October 12th - Venezuela solidarity day of action in London

by Open-Publishing - Tuesday 12 October 2004
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October 12th - Venezuela solidarity day of action in London kicks off the ESF
This year’s European Social Forum in London starts early, with a host of actions taking place on Tuesday October 12th, as part of the Global Day of Action in support of the people’s struggles across Latin America.

In London a number of actions have been organised by the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign together with a number of other organisations (the Rythms of Resistance samba band, the Zapatista solidarity movement, etc). October 12th used to be known as "Columbus Day", celebrating when the Conquistadors first "discovered" America. In reality this is nothing to celebrate as it unleashed a wave of terror across the continent that has enslaved the people for more than 500 years. This should be a day of struggle against imperialism, now mainly coming from the US.

From 11pm there is a demonstration outside the Mexican Embassy (8 Halkin St, SW1X) in solidarity with the Zapatistas and protesting
against repression by the Mexican government.

Then from 2pm-4pm we’ll be outside the US Embassy (Grosvenor Sq, W1) to tell the Washington warmongers to keep their hands off Venezuela! There will be an open-mike session, plus music from Rhythms of Resistance and the Rub.

From 5pm-6pm Dave Raby and Julia Buxton will be talking about Venezuela at Middlesex University (Tottenham Campus, White Hart Lane, N17). This is part of a day-school on wider regional issues, involving many other solidarity groups and institutions. Dave has just returned from lecturing three hours a day, five days a week at the new Bolivarian University in Caracas.

And then at 7pm there’s a debate at the NUJ headquarters (308 Gray’s Inn Rd, Kings Cross, WC1) about Venezuela and the media. This issue is
especially crucial because there is a worldwide campaign to demonise the Bolivarian Movement and many journalists and editors here (even in the so-called "progressive" press) just repeat the lies and smears from the White House about Venezuela and never report the positive advances made there, for example in health, education, housing, redistribution of wealth, new rights for women and indigenous people... The meeting has been organised by the National Union Journalists Central London Branch. The branch has always been supportive of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign.

Later on in the week, the HoV will have a stall at the European Social Forum (www.fse-esf.org) at Alexandra Palace from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th, and will co-organise two meetings:

The trade union situation in Venezuela and Colombia (jointly with the Colombian Solidarity Campaign)
Saturday 16 October 11.30 am-1.30 pm,
Bloomsbury, Birkbeck 541, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HX London

Speakers: a Colombian trade unionist, Jorge Martin (Hands off Venezuela Campaign), Jeremy Dear (National Union of Journalists gen sec)

Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution
Sunday 17 October 9 am-12 pm,
Bloomsbury, NATFHE, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JN

Speakers: Alan Woods (In Defence of Marxism), Gonzalo Gomez (editor of the Venezuelan revolutionary website Aporrea) http://www.aporrea.org

For the demonstration on Sunday, which closes the ESF activities, we will be meeting at the corner of Russell Sq and Guilford Street, near the Russell Sq tube station, at 1pm, so that we can all march together in a Bolivarian Revolution block.

Forum posts

  • ChevronTexaco’s affiliate in Venezuela has confirmed that its offshore Plataforma Deltana Loran 2X exploration well in Block 2 has encountered a significant amount of natural gas.
    Loran 2X is ChevronTexaco’s first well in Block 2, which is on a fault block adjacent to the original Loran 1X discovery well drilled in 1982 by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).
    George Kirkland, president of ChevronTexaco Overseas Petroleum, said, "The confirmation of the Loran field discovery could go a long way toward developing a commercially viable natural gas resource base in Venezuela, which would align with our strategy to grow an integrated global gas business. This success underscores our corporate exploration strategy of focusing on core, high-impact opportunities and builds on our other recent exploration successes in Australia, Nigeria and Angola."
    The Loran 2X well encountered five gas sand intervals for a total gross thickness of 494 feet (149 meters). The well was tested at a rate in excess of 32 MMCFD from two sand intervals and both tests were equipment-restricted. The well commenced drilling on schedule August 11, 2004 in 360 feet (109 meters) of water and has reached its total depth as planned.
    "We are optimistic with the results of the Loran 2X well," said Ali Moshiri, president of ChevronTexaco Latin America Upstream. "We have now completed testing of two major reservoirs in Block 2 and we plan to drill two more wells by the end of the year," Moshiri added.
    ChevronTexaco (60%) operates Block 2 in partnership with ConocoPhillips (40%). The company, along with PDVSA, was recently awarded by the Venezuelan Ministry of Energy and Mines the exploration license for Plataforma Deltana Block 3, which is on trend with Block 2.

  • President Hugo Chavez was awarded the Moammar Gadhafi Human Rights Award this weekend according to a CNN report. The award was given to Chavez for resisting “imperialism” and being a champion of the poor. It also praised Chavez for his "brave heart, intelligent mind, eloquent oratory and firm hand."

    Well, let’s analyze the award and we will se that is actually quite well deserved. First of all, given Chavez’ record on human rights, it is quite fitting that he should win an award named after Gadhafi, since I am imagining it means human rights “Gadhafi style”, i.e. repression, intolerance, , persecution of reporters, threats against the media etc..

    Second, champion of the poor is also very well deserved. When Hugo Chavez became President, according to the National Institute for Statistics there were 11.41 million people living in poverty in Venezuela. Today according to the same institute there are 14.50 million, thus Chavez deserves the title “Champion of the poor”, since he has helped create 3.1 million new ones in the last five years, despite oil prices increasing four fold.

    Third, he was cited for his “eloquent oratory”, also well deserved, as every Sunday he talks for five or six hours and surprises Venezuelans two or three other times a week with two or three hours of improvised speeches.

    Finally, the prize cites him for his “firm hand” which I imagine means exactly the opposite of tolerance, compassion, unity and democracy, where Chavez also has definitely not done a great job in the last five years.

    Fidel Castro was a previous winner of the award, leaving no doubt as to why Chavez is being awarded this prize. Castro’s name, together with the namesake of the prize certifies who Hugo Chavez is and what he stands for.

    Next year the prize may go to a “soft” choice in Jimmy Carter unless the committee decides to give it to the only one that can top Castro, Gadhafi and Chavez: Robert Mugawe. The problem is, if Mugawe gets it, how can the prize top itself in the future? In fact, if Mugawe wins it, shouldn’t they change the name of the prize and name it after him?