Hands Off Venezuela

Hands Off Venezuela is a political lobby group based in the United Kingdom with branches in other countries.[1] The campaign was established in December 2002, following the Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002, with the aim of increasing public and political awareness in the UK and elsewhere of the Hugo Chávez government's social and political reforms[2] and to counter what Hands Off Venezuela sees as a "US-funded propaganda campaign" in the west to paint Chávez as a dictator and a threat to democracy.[3]

Hands Off Venezuela
Formation2002
TypePolitical pressure group
PurposeTo build support for Hugo Chavez's Bolivarian revolution
HeadquartersLondon, England
National Secretary
Jorge Martin
Websitehttp://www.handsoffvenezuela.org

History

The organisation was founded by the International Marxist Tendency's Alan Woods, a Welsh Trotskyist and political writer, who wrote an appeal,[4] calling for "defense of the revolutionary process in Venezuela" and to defend the Bolivarian Revolution, to oppose US intervention in Venezuela, and to ensure that information about what was happening in Venezuela would reach the international labour movement.

Activity
Some Venezuelan HOV supporters welcome Chávez to London, May 2006

The organisation issues press releases to counter unfavourable western media reports on the Chávez government, organises protests and participates in national anti-war demonstrations, and works in the British Trade Union Movement. It also has a presence on UK university campuses, where they hold regular lecture sessions on developments in Venezuela, organise visits by Venezuelan Trade Unionists, and screen documentaries.

The organization participated in the visit by Hugo Chávez to London as a guest of Mayor Ken Livingstone. During this trip Chávez refused to meet UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who he described as a "pawn of [US] imperialism".[5] HOV participated in the resolutions of official support passed by the British Trades Union Congress in 2005 (Motion 79[6]) and 2007 (Motion 76[7]), the Scottish Trades Union Congress (Resolution 108[8]) and an Early Day Motion (EDM 487[9]) raised in the House of Commons by supporter John McDonnell, MP.

Other supporters include Jeremy Dear, former general secretary of the British National Union of Journalists, George Galloway and the RESPECT party.[10] President Chávez officially thanked the organisation for their work.[11]

2019

During the Venezuelan presidential crisis, disputed president Nicolás Maduro launched a "Hands Off Venezuela" petition and protested in Washington, D.C.[12]

Two weeks after thirty members of New Haven, Connecticut's Venezuelan community twice demonstrated in favor of Juan Guaidó, twenty HOV demonstrators protested to "declare him a puppet of U.S. imperialism". The HOV message "contrasted with the message of the previous rally, held by Venezuelan immigrants, calling on the U.S. to support regime change."[13][14]

Publications

In 2006, HOV launched a 24-page glossy promotional magazine, also called "Hands Off Venezuela", and put together an international delegation with members from around the world to observe the December 2006 Presidential Elections first hand.

Year 2007 saw the campaign launch H.O.V FM, a monthly podcast available from its official website. The show features news, interviews, solidarity work, revolutionary music and features and is aimed at both activists and curious minds.

See also

References
  1. Launch statement of the Iranian Hand Off Venezuela Campaign, (link) Archived 2006-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, HOV, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  2. About Hands Off Venezuela, (link) Archived 2006-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, HOV, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  3. The Independent labels Hugo Chávez a "dictator", (link) Archived 2006-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, Letter to Editor, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  4. Original HoV appeal, (link), URL accessed 27 July 2006
  5. "Hugo Chávez to Meet With London Leftists, But No Gov't Bigs", (link), FoxNews, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  6. "Global Solidarity" (scroll down to motion 79), (link) Archived 2007-11-17 at the Wayback Machine, TUC, accessed 16 October 2007
  7. "Global Solidarity" (scroll down to motion 76), (link) Archived 2007-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, TUC, accessed 16 October 2007
  8. "Resolution 108", (link) Archived 2006-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, HOV, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  9. "Early Day Motion 487", (link) Archived 2006-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, Parliament.uk, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  10. "Old Labour: Hugo Chávez's UK propagandists" by Aleksander Boyd, (link) Archived 2020-11-11 at the Wayback Machine, Vcrisis.com, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  11. "Chavez praises Marxist.com and backs Hands off Venezuela campaign", (Press Release) Archived 2006-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, HOV, URL accessed 27 July 2006
  12. Llano, Fernando (16 March 2019). "Venezuelan opposition leader takes campaign to northern city". AP News. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  13. Montgomery, Molly (15 February 2019). "This Time, Pro-Maduro Protesters Rally At City Hall". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  14. Montgomery, Molly (3 February 2019). "'Mi Presidente Es Guaidó!'". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
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