Hands Off Venezuela campaign launch in Scotland
- 24 May 2006
Edinburgh, 24 May. Following the hugely successful visit to London by Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, where he addressed audiences of hundreds, the Hands Off Venezuela campaign is to be launched with a press conference at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, 31st May at 12.30am at Room MG02.
The meeting will be addressed by Jose Antonio Hernandez, a Venezuelan activist member of Revolutionary Socialist Youth and representative of the FRETECO (front of occupied factories). He is a member of Hands Off Venezuela in Venezuela. He has also been on a speaking tour in Austria and Germany in recent weeks. A number of MSPs will be in attendance.
This is a broad-based campaign that has drawn support from Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn MP and John McDonnell MP (Chair), who are part of the Steering Committee. The HOV campaign is supported and sponsored by the trade unions AMICUS, RMT, FBU, CWU, NUJ, BECTU, NATFHE amongst others, and political organisations like RESPECT and the Scottish Socialist Party are also affiliated. The TUC conference passed a motion supporting the social and political advances made by Chavez's government and Chavez himself thanked Hands Off Venezuela for the work that it has done. Influential journalist John Pilger has written condemning the attacks on the Chavez government and defended the progress made so far.
The HOV campaign seeks to generate awareness of Venezuela in Scotland and in the labour and trade union movement and the need for Scottish politicians to support the democratically elected government in its struggle to liberate the exploited and oppressed. The movement is being attacked from all sides, not only by the giant oil companies and the Bush administration and the CIA, but also from sections of big business in Spain. The Venezuelan people have struggled against all attacks on their democratic rights. A new trade union, the UNT, has been formed and is the authentic voice of the Bolivarian workers movement. Many lies and distortions have been published by those who hold democracy in contempt and the Venezuelan people are delighted to have the support and solidarity of the organised labour movement in Britain.
Over 100 MPs signed an early Day Motion in the Commons "Congratulating the progress made by the democratically elected government of Venezuela and its expansion of provisions in education, healthcare, housing, land, food and micro-credit facilities for those previously marginalised and excluded..." It calls for the UK government to "support Hugo Chavez in the face of unconstitutional and illegal threats from external and internal opponents..."
Recently the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) passed a resolution, inspired by a Hands Off Venezuela sympathiser, stating its "concerns for the lack of media coverage of events in Venezuela, and urges the General Council to establish relations with the National Union of Workers (UNT)" whose members are active in the FRETECO.
The public meetings will be in Glasgow on Tuesday 30th May at 7pm at Woodside Halls, Glenfarg St , Room 2. Nearest metro St. George's Cross and Edinburgh on
Thursday 1st June at 7pm CWU Club,15 Brunswick Street (Off Leith Walk).
More information:
E-mail: Pablo Sanchez (Scottish Organiser) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Adam Ley-lange This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (President of HOV society) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 0795 114 0380
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