STOP coup attempts against Maduro in Venezuela! says National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) general secretary Irvin Jim.
A statement issued on Sunday: NUMSA defends the Bolivarian revolution: Stop coup attempts in Venezuela!, said:
‘The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) congratulates the people of Venezuela for holding free and fair elections and we warmly welcome the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro.
‘Maduro won by 51% of the national vote against the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez who received 44% of the vote according to the national electorate body, the National Electoral Council (CNE).
‘However, NUMSA is deeply concerned about attempts to undermine the democratic process in Venezuela following the elections on Sunday, 28 July 2024, and we have noted the false reports emanating from some media outlets claiming that there was electoral fraud.
‘These media houses are not neutral. Their role is to advance the interests of capital, and to promote United States imperialism and hegemony. It is not in the interest of Western powers to endorse the elections in Venezuela.
‘As a union, we are resolute that every country, including Venezuela, deserves equitable and unbiased media coverage from international and local media houses, and we insist that this coverage must be balanced and based on facts.
‘We are deeply concerned that US propaganda is being reproduced by many media houses that have sadly been trapped into reinforcing attempts at a coup by imperialism against the will of the Venezuelan people.
‘Reflecting on our own struggle for self-determination and liberation from the brutal Apartheid regime, which was supported by capitalist and imperialist interests, we recognise troubling similarities between how our own liberation movements were discredited by the centres of imperialism and their media houses and the current de-legitimisation of the democratic will of the Venezuelan people.
‘The United States does not have a commendable history in defending the dignity of most people. Today, we can take one look at the US-backed genocide against the Palestinian people to know this. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the right-wing opposition coup leader in Venezuela is a Zionist.
‘The South African people endured a prolonged struggle for freedom against the US and Western interests that supported white minority rule in our country, much like the people of Chile had to endure the brutal dictatorship of Pinochet that was imposed on them following the US-led coup against the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende.
‘NUMSA also recalls the aftermath of the 2019 Venezuelan elections when the United States-led Western imperialist forces recognised an individual, Juan Guaidó, who had not even contested the election as president, leading to extreme suffering for the Venezuelan people.
‘NUMSA echoes calls for the respect of Venezuela’s democratic process and demands that all governments worldwide honour the will of the Venezuelan people. We also urge media outlets to provide factual information and informed analysis instead of uncritically repeating Western narratives that allege election fraud in Venezuela without any independently verifiable evidence.
‘As a union, we note that Venezuela and its people control the world’s largest crude oil deposits.
‘This mineral wealth must benefit the Venezuelan people, and these resources must be used to develop that country.
‘Instead, the US has set its sights on the enormous mineral wealth of Venezuela and seems determined to expropriate it through the imposition of a puppet regime under the leadership of Eduardo Gonzales.
‘Against this backdrop, all progressive forces must reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the sovereignty of Venezuela. We call on our own government, media, governments, and media houses worldwide to uphold the principles of peace, democracy, and national self-determination by acknowledging the outcomes of the Venezuelan election.
‘The economic crisis that has gripped Venezuela was triggered by US sanctions that have choked the economy. America will not allow the oil rich country to sell its oil on the international market and this brutal blockade has collapsed the economy, triggering hyperinflation.
‘The cost of food and medicine is extremely high and the population often experiences severe shortages of basic goods. This scarcity is manufactured because Venezuela is in reality, a very wealthy country. The US has interfered in its economic development by imposing sanctions.
‘We reject the false narrative peddled by right wingers that Socialism has destroyed Venezuela, this is not true, American sanctions are destroying Venezuela.
‘The US is hoping that the population will become enraged by the poor economic conditions caused by its deliberate sabotage, so that they will rise up and overthrow the government.
‘And this is why the US has, for years, openly backed opposition leaders in Venezuela, including backing the current opposition led by Gonzalez, who has, without facts, falsely claimed that there were irregularities in the election.
‘We condemn attempts by right wing forces to overthrow democratically elected President Maduro. The current coup attempt is one of many that America has sponsored against the government.
‘Back in 2002 the US government backed a coup against Chavez but it failed. The people of Venezuela took to the streets to defend their leader, and defend their sovereignty and reinstated him, and Chavez continued the Bolivarian revolution.
‘The Guardian newspaper reports that the administration of George Bush played a role in that coup and even held a “series of meetings with Venezuelan military officers and opposition activists” a few weeks before the coup.
‘This is why NUMSA rejects with contempt the allegations made by Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, that the elections were rigged. The US has no moral authority to talk about democracy when they have interfered in democracies all over the world.
‘They have backed some of the vilest dictators and they even supported the Apartheid government and viewed leaders of the liberation struggle as terrorists. They are currently enabling the Zionist Apartheid state of Israel in its genocidal mission to eliminate Palestinians from the face of this earth. We will not be lectured by America about democratic principles.
‘NUMSA supports the people of Venezuela and their right to choose freely for themselves, who should govern them. We wish the Venezuelan people success in building a prosperous country that ensures dignity for all its citizens.
‘NUMSA further demands that all nations respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and calls for an immediate and necessary end to the brutal blockade and sanctions imposed on both Venezuela and Cuba.’
- Venezuelan far-right’s ‘Small Commandos’ are linked to murders, says Venezuela’s Attorney General.
These criminal structures are linked to opposition politicians such as Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, asserted that the so-called ‘Small Commandos’ are implicated in at least 20 murders during the protests led by the far-right after the 2024 presidential elections.
In an interview on the TV programme ‘Situational Analysis’, Saab provided details about the violent protests called for by far-right leader Maria Corina Machado and former presidential candidate of the Unitary Platform, Edmundo Gonzalez.
The Attorney General reported that investigations carried out by his office have gathered sufficient evidence to charge the Small Commandos with serious crimes, such as murder.
‘We were able to confirm that organised crime groups, like the Del Llano Train, which supported Gonzalez, said they would take action if the police or security forces repressed the (right wing) protesters,’ Saab said.
‘This is proven and confessed… I already have the data. Almost all of them have criminal records. The deaths of around twenty people are absolutely attributable to these terrorist criminal groups using the name “Small Commandos”.
Saab also mentioned that the far-right’s website, where alleged electoral records were published, is part of an attempt to recreate fraudulent results of the 2023 election records and incite hatred against Venezuelan institutions in the international community.
‘The mercenaries who have advised various US governments are trying to distort information about our national reality,’ he said.
