Home > Vancouver Celebrates the Anniversary of the Referendum Victory in Venezuela

Vancouver Celebrates the Anniversary of the Referendum Victory in Venezuela

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 18 August 2005

Governments Referendum Canada-Québec South/Latin America

By Miriam Martin
Hands Off Venezuela
Vancouver, Canada

It has been one year since the majority of Venezuelans
voted in favour of President Chavez in the
opposition-led recall referendum. The Vancouver
Internationalist Bolivarian Circle “Bob Everton”
teamed up with Hands Off Venezuela to throw a Victory
Fiesta on Saturday August 13th to celebrate this
important anniversary. Eighty people attended the
celebration, representing a good number of Vancouver’s
Latin American solidarity groups, including the FMLN,
La Surda, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with
Cuba, and the Chilean Co-op. The event was also
announced several times on the Latin American
community radio program Al Día.

Special guest, Vancouver City Councillor Tim Louis
gave an inspiring address, followed by a short
documentary about the referendum, called Venezuela
Canta, produced by the Californian activist Katherine
Lahey. Jay Hartling from the Bolivarian Circle spoke
briefly about the participation of the group Súmate in
the referendum and other imperialist efforts to
undermine the Bolivarian Revolution. The rest of the
evening was spent dancing and enjoying good company
and the fabulous homemade arepas and agua de Jamaica
of the Bolivarian Circle.

The spirit was one of celebration, solidarity and
internationalism. Many ties between groups and
individuals were made and strengthened in preparation
for big battles to come, as the working people of
Latin America are increasingly at the forefront of
organized opposition to a system that benefits a few
at the expense of the majority.

For more information on getting involved in your area,
contact vancouver@handsoffvenezuela.org or
canada@handsoffvenezuela.org.

http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org