In the last few hours (early morning of January 3) a statement by Donald Trump announcing the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife has been released. Following this, multiple videos of U.S. military attacks on Venezuelan soil emerged. So far, attacks have been confirmed on the main Venezuelan military bases (La Carlota, Catia La Mar, Hatillo, Fuerte N3, Miranda, Fuerte Tiuna, etc.) and other strategic points such as the Hugo Chávez Mausoleum (Cuartel de Montaña 4F) and the Federal Legislative Palace of Caracas. Along with that there are reports of U.S. special troops operating on Venezuelan soil.
This constitutes a flagrant imperialist military intervention that has not been seen in Latin America for years. It takes us back to the worst moments in which the Yankee flag intervened militarily to try to impose governments and policies in Latin America such as in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Panama and the Bay of Pigs attempt in Cuba. After Trump’s speeches, concrete actions have been taken to return to these nefarious policies that have already been rejected by workers and Latin American peoples.
Defeat U.S. Intervention
From the IRC we call to confront and defeat this military intervention and U.S. meddling in Venezuela. The broadest unity of action is necessary from all peoples of Latin America and the world.
Trump’s attack is not only against Venezuela, it is against the sovereignty of all Latin American countries, only a fierce response will prevent him from advancing even more.
In the face of an imperialist attack, Trotskyists have no doubt which side to take: against the aggression and with the Venezuelan people, without ceasing to point out our differences with the Maduro regime.
It should be clear that the proclamations of «fight against terrorism and drug trafficking» as well as the «establishment of a democratic regime» are part of the U.S. siren call to justify the invasion and appropriate the natural resources of Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserve.
With liberal democracy or dictatorship, Trump is only interested in plundering semi-colonies resources, and for that he needs to have total control over the Venezuelan government, while Maduro also negotiated those resources with other economic powers, to the detriment of the more general u.s. interests.
Confronting imperialism without any support for Maduro’s dictatorship
The 30 years of dictatorship in Venezuela where opponents have been persecuted and murdered, political parties outlawed and almost 8 million Venezuelans exiled while their families are subjected to misery, cannot be defended or supported. The Bolibourgeoisie which has lined its pockets by plundering Venezuelan oil and handing over the riches to the highest bidder (including Chevron) has weakened the capacity of the Venezuelan people to respond.
Resistance to U.S. intervention involves first of all granting workers and people maximum democratic freedoms, organized arming by labor federations and neighborhoods without restriction of political parties or groups, the rupture of all relations with nations that support the intervention and the need for an international call for support to resist imperialism.
None of these measures have been adopted by Maduro’s regime, on the contrary, its policy has been to negotiate until the end with Trump, relying on alleged Russian support (which has already shown how it treats its «allies» in Syria and Armenia among others) and in negotiations with China, which has been a large buyer of oil. In other words, it has been secretly negotiating, hoping that some agreement will save it. Just six hours before the armed intervention, Maduro met with a Chinese delegation. The results are visible.
The actions of Maduro’s dictatorship for decades have inspired righteous hatred in millions of Venezuelans, many of them forced into economic exile. Even so, it is wrong to believe that the liberation of the people can come from the actions of the United States. This will only bring more looting, hunger, misery and new dictatorships against the people. Only the workers and organized Venezuelan people can and should define their future.
As expected, Netanyahu and Milei supported the Yankee intervention, however, there are several countries that have come out against Trump’s military attack, most likely that will only remain in statements. The attack on Venezuela, with the kidnapping of its president, has the same magnitude as the Russian attack on Ukraine. These countries must move from statements to actions and deliver weapons to the Venezuelan people for their defense against the Yankee attack.
The working people must take to the streets and demand at this moment the armament for the defense against imperialism and at the same time fight for their political independence.
We call for mobilization in all countries against this aggression, especially the Latin American peoples and workers, poor and immigrants of the United States.
In the face of the U.S. intervention in Venezuela:
Venezuela belongs to Venezuelans! Trump out!
End the bombings, Yankee troops out of Venezuela and its territorial waters!
End all agreement with nations that support intervention, international call to confront the United States!
To defeat imperialism:
End all persecution of opponents, freedom for the political prisoners of Maduro’s dictatorship!
Urgent formation of armed workers’ and neighborhood militias throughout the territory regardless of their political affiliation! Release of the armament to be distributed to the entire population without restrictions!
Full freedom of action for popular workers, political and student organizations!
Permanent assemblies in factories, schools, hospitals and neighborhoods!
Mobilization and organization of all workers and the Venezuelan people to resist the intervention!
Mobilizations of all the peoples of Latin America and the world!
May the workers and people of the U.S. rise up as they have historically done, in the face of military interventions by their government!
