UPDATED HOV National Conference 2011 and anti-Uribe picket

On 21st May the 2011 National Conference of Hands Off Venezuela in
Britain will be taking place in London. Free to members, or join on the
day, and hear speakers coming from Venezuela as well as debate and wider
discussion in solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution. After the conference we will be joining a picket against the visit of Alvaro Uribe (the former
Colombian president) who is here to speak at a meeting of "investors" looking to make a quick buck at the expense of working people.

We have now confirmed the speaker from Venezuela: Julio Bañez,
a Caracas firefighter, heavily involved in the relief efforts for the
flood victims in December 2010, revolutionary activist of the Socialist
United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and part of an attempt to set up a
Firefighters Union. The flood relief efforts in Bolivarian Venezuela
included the government requisitioning empty flats and empty hotel rooms
to temporarily house those affected, some where also temporarily lodged
in ministries and even the Miraflores presidential palace.

Also speaking will be John McDonnell, MP, the Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada, Alan Woods, Jeremy Dear (National Union of Journalists)
and others. We will have a session on what lessons can be learnt from
the revolutionary movements in Latin America for the struggle against
cuts in Britain, with speakers from the Latin American Coordination
Against Cuts (COLACOR) and the Latin American Workers Association (LAWAS).

On the same day of our conference, a picket has been called against Alvaro Uribe (former
Colombian president) who will be speaking at a meeting of "investors"
(read looters). As soon as we finish the conference we plan to go
together and join this action, as Uribe was prominent in all the
attempts to destroy the Venezuelan revolution while he was in power.
More details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=166783623381315 (4pm-7pm Saturday 21st May, 27 Sussex Place, Regent’s Park, NW1 Nearest tube: Baker Street)

There will be another anti-Uribe picket on Monday 23,
when he will be speaking at LSE: 5pm-8pm Monday 23 May LSE Campus,
Houghton Street, WC2 Nearest tubes: Covent Garden, Holborn, Temple

As advanced capitalist countries embark on austerity programs,
cutting spending on health care, education, increasing tuition fees,
etc. Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution has massively increased spending
in health care, created hundreds of thousands of free university
places and stood up to the pressures of imperialism.

As a
result, it has earned the wrath of Washington and the local oligarchy
who organised several attempts to remove the democratically elected
president Hugo Chavez through military coup, economic sabotage, bosses
lock out, etc.

The September 26, 2010 elections gave the
Socialist United Party of Venezuela (PSUV) a renewed majority in the
National Assembly, but with a reduced vote. Next year’s presidential
elections will be crucial for the future of the revolution.

Come
and hear more about Venezuela’s revolution. Speakers from Venezuela and
Britain. Plenty of time for debate and discussion.