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Hands Off Venezuela condemns assassination attempt against president Maduro

Yesterday afternoon, August 4, there were a series of detonations near the rostrum from where Venezuelan president Maduro was addressing a parade at Bolivar Avenue in Caracas. The parade marked the 81st anniversary of the Bolivarian National Guard. Official sources have talked about explosive material carried by one or several drones. President Maduro was unharmed, but a number of military personnel were injured. In a televised address, the Venezuelan president blamed outgoing Colombian president Santos of being behind the attempt on his life. Far right Venezuelan oppositionist Patricia Poleo in Miami issued a statement claiming the attack had been carried out by a number of reactionary military officers.

 

More details will surely become known in the next hours and days. One thing is clear: ever since the beginning of the Bolivarian revolution 20 years ago there have been constant attempt by reactionary elements within the armed forces to overthrow the democratically elected government and crush the revolutionary movement by the force of arms. The reactionary and parasitical Venezuelan oligarchy never accepted that they no longer held direct control over the government. All of these plots, and there have been many, had the support and backing in one degree or another of US imperialism and it’s lackeys in the Colombian oligarchy.

This attack takes place after reliable media reports informed of the fact that US president Trump openly discussed organising a military invasion of the country. As well as this, Bloomberg reported on a foiled military coup last year, one variant of which involved an attempt to assassinate president Maduro during a military parade. Bloomberg reported these coup plots were being discussed with the full knowledge and tacit approval of Colombian and US security.

The Venezuelan revolution is facing many difficulties. But let us be absolutely clear on one question: the victory of a military coup would mean the end of the Bolivarian revolution, a brutal austerity package to make working people pay the full price of the economic crisis and the destruction of what is left of the conquests of the revolution. That would be enforced with a generalised clamp down on democratic rights with the aim of destroying the organisations of Venezuelan workers, peasants and the poor and crush any resistance.

Hands Off Venezuela categorically condemns this attack and rejects any imperialist interference in the country’s affairs, be that in the form of sanctions, coup plotting, diplomatic pressure, etc.

Hands off Venezuela! - no military coups, no foreign intervention!

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