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Catherina

(35,568 posts)
Thu Apr 18, 2013, 11:43 AM Apr 2013

Statement of Lucha de Clases, Marxist Tendency of the PSUV

Venezuela: fight attempted coup with revolutionary mobilisation

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Statement of Lucha de Clases (Class Strugge), Marxist Tendency of the PSUV. What we have witnessed in recent days is a developing coup as correctly described by Comrade President Nicolas Maduro.These are not just peaceful protests of fellow Venezuelans who believe that there has been fraud, but an orchestrated plan to overthrow the Bolivarian government and smash the revolution. How can we fight it?


The private media, the U.S., the OAS and the Spanish government of the PP, the local oligarchy (capitalists, bankers and landowners), they are all involved in the plan.

What we have witnessed is a concerted campaign of attacks on the symbols of the Bolivarian revolution and its achievements: CDI health centres, Simoncito nurseries, of PDVALes and Mercal state run popular supermarkets, state and community media outlets, PDVSA oil company, PSUV offices, Petrocasa, as well as buildings of the CNE (National Electoral Council) and the private residences of state officials and Bolivarian leaders and their families.

Since the day of the closing rally of Maduro's campaign in Caracas we have also seen a new factor, the presence of gunmen, often on motorbikes, shooting randomly against revolutionary activists. Seven socialist militants were killed on the night of Monday to Tuesday in several parts of the country while defending the revolution.

The combination of public statements with wide media coverage, international pressure, marches in the streets, systematic violence and organized blackouts, shortages, economic sabotage, the threat of a bosses lockout , etc.. is calculated to create a state of anxiety and lawlessness that could force sectors of the state apparatus to intervene against the legitimate government.

How do we respond to this coup attempt?



The only way to respond to a threat of this kind, as evidenced by all the previous experience of the revolution, is through revolutionary mobilization. The bourgeoisie has correctly understood that the class struggle ultimately cannot resolved within the framework of bourgeois legality, but in open confrontation. We should draw the same conclusion. That does not mean falling into provocations, but rather the need for organized and conscious mobilization of the revolutionary people and the working class. This is what has begun to happen in the last days in neighborhoods and cities across the country, when revolutionary activists have taken back and defended VTV state channel facilities, regional CNE centers, defended CDI health clinics, etc.. This spontaneous mobilization need to be given an organized and coordinated character.

Committees against the coup must be set up in every neighborhood and in every factory, to organize revolutionary vigilance with self-defence patrols to protect the conquests of the Bolivarian revolution (Simoncitos, CDIs, state and community media, revolutionaries headquarters, etc.).These committees must be composed of all revolutionary organisations, the organised motorbike groups, class struggle trade unions, workers councils, community media, CTU (Urban Land Communittes), communal councils, socialist communes, etc. which are active in each neighbourhood or workplace.

The oligarchy is threatening with a national bosses lockout. Workers at POLAR company (food production and distribution monopoly) have reported the existence of secret warehouses being used for hoarding. Merida Governor Vielma Mora reported that cattle ranchers were organizing the sabotage of the distribution of milk and meat.These threats can only be answered with workers' control.

If there is a lockout or an attempt to sabotage the economy the slogan of 2002 must be applied, as correctly explained by Comrade Blanca Eekhout , "factory closed , factory occupied" and we would add "and expropriated".

In all factories, workplaces and state institutions we must organize mass workers' assemblies to discuss the situation and set up workers' control and revolutionary vigilance committees. These committees should be accountable to the workers' assembly and exercise vigilance against employers and against the bureaucrats and infiltrators in state companies and institutions.

At the first sign of sabotage of the economy the government must expropriate the companies responsible and put them under workers control. The threat that Comrade Maduro issued against Repsol and other Spanish companies, should also be applied to the "national" bourgeoisie.

Faced with the sabotage of the electricity supply we must answer with rank and file workers' control. We cannot allow that infiltrated elements within these institutions organise sabotage of power supply in these crucial moments. To declare electricity as a national security institution is correct, but nothing can replace the role of electricity workers who know the situation of the company and can operate it and have been denouncing sabotage for months.Against electricity sabotage, revolutionary workers' control and cleaning of the institutions from traitors and infiltrators.

Faced with imperialist interference the ambassadors of the countries involved should be expelled and the multinationals from those countries expropriated. Venezuela should be respected. You have to combine these measures with an internationalist appeal to the peoples and workers of the world to mobilize actively in defence of the Bolivarian revolution to disable any attempt of external aggression.

The oligarchy is not strong in the streets. In recent months the revolutionary people has shown that on many occasions. But we should not give them a chance to organize. Now Capriles has retreated and called off the march to the CNE, but a show of strength of the revolutionary people in the streets is needed. It is not enough to organise concerts and vigils for peace. The revolutionaries are for peace, but in order to get peace we must first disarm the oligarchy. A mass revolutionary demonstration is needed, in order to make clear to the oligarchy what is at stake.


Funeral for Jose Luis Ponce, La Limonera

Only the people can save the people, as demonstrated in many previous occasions. Now all we are all Chavez, there is no need to wait for instructions from above. The rank and file should be activated in each neighborhood, factory, school and poor parish. The committees against the coup in every factory, workplace, neighbourhood, parish and rural community, should be coordinated through democratically elected and recallable spokespersons in every parish, industrial area, municipality, state and at a national level.

Faced with the random assassination of revolutionary activists, committees against the coup should give themselves the necessary means for self-defence to repel such attacks, and develop popular intelligence to identify the culprits.

The oligarchy and imperialism are working to win over sections of the army high command to their plans for a coup. The revolutionary people must counter this campaign with organized political work in the army and the militia. We need to establish close links between revolutionary activists and ordinary soldiers and officers of proven revolutionary loyalty . Committees of soldiers and Bolivarian officers should be set up in all barracks to exercise revolutionary vigilance. A socialist and Bolivarian armed force can only be guaranteed with a revolutionary political work within it.

The fight against the coup is primarily a political battle. We have to win over to the revolution those sections of the people and the middle class who have been won over by the counter-revolution. This is only possible by solving the most pressing problems of the population, including shortages, insecurity and inflation. All these problems stem ultimately from the continued existence of a capitalist economy and capitalist state bureaucracy.

As Comrade Maduro said, "what is coming is not a pact with the bourgeoisie but the radicalization of the revolution." That should mean the expropriation of the means of production, banking and large landed estates, which are where the oligarchy derives its power from, in order to bring them under the democratic control of the working class. We also have to abolish the old bourgeois state apparatus and replace it with new revolutionary institutions based on the workers' councils and communal councils so that people shall rule.

Iron fist against the coup plotters!
Revolutionary mobilization of the people against the offensive of the oligarchy!
Against electricity sabotage, revolutionary workers' control and vigilance!
Against the bosses' lockout, factory closed, factory occupied!
Against the killings, organized self-defence of the people!
Committees against the coup in every factory and neighborhood!
Revolutionary Committees of soldiers and Bolivarian officers!
Against imperialist interference, proletarian internationalism!
No pact with the bourgeoisie, radicalize the revolution!
Expropriate the oligarchy, so we can plan the economy!

http://www.marxist.com/venezuela-attempted-coup-statement.htm
8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Statement of Lucha de Clases, Marxist Tendency of the PSUV (Original Post) Catherina Apr 2013 OP
Kicked and Recommended Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #1
"Only the people can save the people". No Volverán! Catherina Apr 2013 #2
This will no doubt make the US very nervous ... Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #3
It's obscene and astounding how many trillions we've spent Catherina Apr 2013 #4
For shame, indeed. Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #5
That Catherina Apr 2013 #6
I love that quote. Fantastic Anarchist Apr 2013 #7
The government is not your friend. Flatulo Apr 2013 #8

Catherina

(35,568 posts)
2. "Only the people can save the people". No Volverán!
Thu Apr 18, 2013, 01:25 PM
Apr 2013

Last edited Thu Apr 18, 2013, 02:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Imagine how far the US worker, we all would be, if we hadn't kept making "pacts" with the other half, year after year, to the point that now they even dare steal our social security money! Steal our homes! Use our hard-earned money to pay for war, war and more war! If we had remained united and vigilant against thieves and liars!



My quick translation:

"I refuse their constraints, there are no pacts with the bourgeoisie, they proposed a pact between the two campaign managers, like the rightwing pact of AD and COPEI, which agreed to give results who knows when, who is anyone in this country to be above the Constitution?! No one, not I who am President elected by the people, in transparent elections, constitutional, legitimate, internationally verified! No one is above the Constitution. The only pact we can agree on is that I do not betray my people or the people of Venezuela, making a pact with a bourgeois, for what, to violate the election results, to change the people's will? , Don't you dare tell me that bourgeois (Capriles), there's no pact with the bourgeoisie here, what we have here is revolution, revolution, socialist revolution is what comes out of here from now on.

And if the violence continues, what we can is to radicalize the revolution, I'm willing to radicalize the revolution, go deep, go to the root the causes of poverty, dependence, economic destruction and I have the support of a people and of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.

(Applause, shouts of "No Volverán!) "



No Volverán!

Fantastic Anarchist

(7,309 posts)
3. This will no doubt make the US very nervous ...
Thu Apr 18, 2013, 02:19 PM
Apr 2013

... if we happen to see that there exists a more equitable alternative to our corporatist structure.

Ideas are more dangerous than guns.

Catherina

(35,568 posts)
4. It's obscene and astounding how many trillions we've spent
Thu Apr 18, 2013, 02:29 PM
Apr 2013

to put down Leftist governments because they might give our people the dangerous idea that capital can indeed be used on providing for basic human needs and that chasing the latest Ipod, made from the miserable tears of cobalt workers in exploited countries, ain't all that.

Ideas....

Meanwhile in the US, just now "The President's budget, Among Other Things, Cuts the Home Heating Program by 14%."

but we have enough money to go destabilize a country that gives our poor free heating oil so they won't freeze to death in the winter. There's so much money for wars, and bankers, and bigger, shinier yachts but not a penny for the poor.

Why?

For shame.

Fantastic Anarchist

(7,309 posts)
7. I love that quote.
Thu Apr 18, 2013, 03:20 PM
Apr 2013

It's so arousingly subversive!

I also like "Bread, work, or lead!" ~ Worker Uprising in 1883 Paris (it all seems to happen in Paris)!

 

Flatulo

(5,005 posts)
8. The government is not your friend.
Fri Apr 19, 2013, 12:30 AM
Apr 2013

When one relies on the government for food, shelter, housing etc, it robs you of your freedom and makes you a slave.

I would much rather make do on my own. That's freedom, not begging for scraps from beaurocrats.

Just my own $.02.

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