The US Economic and Media War on Venezuela and Cuba: US Regime Change and Organizing Against it

Wilmer Omar Barrientos Fernández, Ambassador of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Canada
Eva, Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos
Stan Smith, Chicago ALBA Solidarity
Tamara Hansen, Fire This Time newspaper
Alison Bodine, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba

Montreal World Social Forum  workshop

Aug 10 2016 13:00 – 15:30

The Bolivarian government of Venezuela has been a major target of “regime change” and subject to a continuous economic and media war, combined with the collapse of the price of oil,. We explore this and how the Chavista movement has been combating the economic war. The achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution – empowering people at the grassroots, social programs to fight poverty and international solidarity initiatives are at stake. The rightwing elite seeks to end the Bolivarian process and establish a neocolonial and neoliberal regime. We review the work the North American Venezuela solidarity movement has been engaged in, and the role the Latin America solidarity and the anti-war movements can play to combat the Obama administration’s efforts to overturn the progressive governments in Latin America.Despite Cuba’s victory in forcing the US government to admit defeat and restore diplomatic relations, the US blockade of Cuba remains in force. We present the current state of the US blockade, how Cubans are organizing to survive under it, the economic changes in Cuba today, and what the North American solidarity movement can do to organize to end the blockade.