Solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of imperialist aggression

Statement by Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC)

Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) denounces and condemns the military aggression of the United States, which violates the sovereignty and self-determination of the Venezuelan people. The political-military intervention that took place in the early hours of 3 January in Venezuela violates international law in terms of the principles enshrined in the United Nations (UN), which explicitly prohibits any threat or use of force against the political independence of states and demands the peaceful resolution of any conflict between different countries. 

ATALC stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of this violation of their sovereignty and calls on democratic governments around the world to take a stand and repudiate the invasion, demanding guarantees to maintain the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples, and to demand that multilateral organisations reject the aggression and prevent an escalation in the region, considering the threats that US imperialism, led by Donald Trump, has made against various countries, and the military advance and control it has achieved in the Caribbean as a theatre of operations for its invasion strategies. 

The defence of Latin America as a region of peace must be a priority for democratic governments, understanding also that military intervention and imperialist aggression have among their main objectives the strategic control of natural resources such as oil and minerals, which are essential assets of the peoples and their territories. It will not be possible to maintain peace in the region while imperialist aggressions that threaten social, environmental, economic and gender justice are allowed to continue and consolidate, and which may spread to other countries under threat and in possession of natural resources coveted by the United States.

We will not cease to denounce and accompany the Venezuelan people, and to coordinate our organisations and movements for the defence of democracy and peace in the region.