August 15th Referendum in Venezuela Between Empire and Revolution

Next Sunday, August 15th, a national referendum is scheduled to take place in
Venezuela to decide whether democratically-elected revolutionary president Hugo
Chávez should remain in office. However, what is happening in Venezuela, far from
being an electoral process determining the destiny of a leader, is a confrontation
between the popular movements of Venezuela against the Capitalist Empire. This
confrontation, however, won’t be decided on the ballots, but on the streets...

There is no doubt that Chávez has the support of the overwhelming majority of
the Venezuelan population. This support, more importantly, doesn’t manifests itself
just in terms of votes, but in a massive revolutionary offensive plan that, coming from
the grassroots, seeks not only to neutralize an Opposition fraud, but to deploy an
active process of insurgency to take this revolution to the next step: popular control
of the means of production and communication through the exercise of direct
democracy in assemblies.

The situation at the moment is complex, but we are mainly dealing with three
different scenarios that must be understood outside of Venezuela. This is the only
way we’ll have real possibilities of carrying out the international joint actions that can
support the anti-systemic rebellion that is being carried forth by the Venezuelan
people: *First, it must be clear that, in terms of real votes, Chávez wins without a doubt the
referendum. The problem comes, of course, with the high probabilities of fraud.

The imperialist Opposition has all the means to carry out a massive fraud that
can create three different scenarios:

1) To impose the victory of the "yes" (the question posed in the referendum is about
overriding Chávez’s government-The Bolivarians vote for the "No" while the
Opposition for the "Yes").

2) To bring the difference between "Yes" and "No" to a technical tie where the
negotiating tentacles of the bureaucracy are activated to seek governability pacts that
will try to halt the process of radicalization.

3) In the case that the fraud is too hard to carry out, the Opposition can unilaterally
announce its victory (massively amplified through the media) before the official results
are given. Then, once the Electoral Council recognizes Chávez’ victory, an aggressive
media campaign will point to the "chavista fraud" to try to take the middle class to the
streets.

Of course, they would immediately deploy a plan of unprecedented violence
(there are colombian paramilitary elements all over venezuela, in addition to the
recent theft of explosives and weapons) trying to create chaos and massacres that
could justify a coup d`Ètat or multinational "peacekeeping" forces in Venezuela.

These are the three main scenarios, although there are other possibilities (some more
calmed others more chaotic). There might be an attempt of the Opposition, for
example, to cancel the referendum by prompting terrorist actions before the 15th;
again, looking for massacres and chaos.

At any rate, there is a general consensus amongst the popular movement that no
fraud will be accepted (even if legitimized by the "revolutionary" bureaucracies) and
that, if it happens, we will immediately activate, autonomously, our revolutionary
offensive of radicalization, inviting president Chávez to command this process of
insurgeny. This is, of course, a very difficult and complex situation that immediately
transcends the boundaries of Venezuela. In that sense, this confrontation between
Empire and Revolution will be decided on the streets... but not just on the streets of
Venezuela as a Nation-State-since that would imply our defeat-but on the streets of
the Pachamerica and the rest of this rebel Pachamama, our Mother Earth.
Sisters and brothers, we make a call to all of you involved in libertarian struggles
around this world, to join us in this crucial hour! This is not just about Venezuela, and
even less about Hugo Chávez!

This is a matter of autonomy or colony! liberty or
slavery! life or death!... and we need you fighting along, from the local to the global to
the local!
We make an open call to decentralized, direct actions in support of the autonomous
struggle of the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela and the Pachamerican rebellions!

Actions are already being planned across all Our America and sister Europe... and we
need you all there. If there is nothing happening in your city, town, community... plan it compañer@s!

From the rebel streets of Caracas

Proyecto Nuestra América ­ Movimiento 13 de Abril ­ ANMCLA (Asociación Nacional
de Medios Comunitarios Libres y Alternativos) ­ OIR (OPCIÓN DE Izquierda
Rolucionaria ­ “Calle y Media” collective.