Over 100 Cities around the World Show Solidarity with Venezuela’s Revolution
On Wednesday Venezuela celebrated the 229th anniversary of the birth of Liberator Simon Bolivar, while around the world over 100 cities showed their solidarity with President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution.
Mérida, July 25th 2012 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – On Wednesday Venezuela celebrated the 229th anniversary of the birth of Liberator Simon Bolivar, while around the world over 100 cities showed their solidarity with President Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian revolution.
Bolivar, born on 24 July 1783 in Caracas, received the title of ‘Liberator’ in 1813 after he fought for the American continent’s freedom from the Spanish empire. He is recognised as the liberator of five American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, and was president of Gran Colombia, which included Panama.
Venezuela marked the anniversary with ceremonies around the country and a public holiday.
Also as part of the commemoration the government revealed a digitalised, 3-dimensional version of Bolivar’s face. The reconstruction is part of its investigation into the “humanity behind the heroic figure”. The portrait was based on scientific and technological studies made after the government exhumed Bolivar’s remains in 2010.
“Knowledge of the truth through the study of the science of history is a subversive action,” said Chavez during the main commemorative act. “When one discovers the historical truth, one trembles,” he added, describing the new portrait of Bolivar as “part of his resurrection”.
Global solidarity
Coinciding with Bolivar’s birthday, cities around the world held events to show their solidarity with Venezuela’s revolutionary process.
The day was called by the 18th Sao Paulo Forum, held in Caracas earlier this month. It aimed to “combat the campaign of disrepute against Venezuela by right wing media around the world” through ceremonies, debates, press conferences, and cultural activities organised by progressive organisations around the world.
The forum created a group called The Peoples of the World United for Venezuela, which unites progressive political parties, organisations, social movements, and personalities who support the Bolivarian revolution and is “preparing to provide solidarity in defence of the Venezuelan people …and against the strategies aimed at not recognising Chavez’s inevitable triumph on 7 October”.
The president of Bolivia’s senate, Gabriela Montano said that Chavez’s victory in the presidential elections would be “a victory for Bolivia and all peoples who have woken up in search of their definitive independence”. Likewise, Jose Balguer, head of international relations for the Cuban Communist Party said, “Chavez, your victory will be our victory!”
In Spain, groups such as United Left and the Communist Party expressed their solidarity with a ceremony in front of the statue of Bolivar in Madrid. In Pernambuco state, Brazil, the Manoel Lisboa Culture Centre and the Paudalho Popular Education and Study Centre also organised an activity in Plaza Sao Jose where Bolivar’s bust as well as others are. According to AVN over 20 left wing movements from the state attended.
In El Salvador, social organisations and political parties created a Salvadorian Network of Solidarity with Venezuela, which aims to organise events to promote Venezuela’s achievements and counter the lies spread by the US state department and by media companies.
According to the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico, 1,500 movement representatives, rural workers, students, and political party members filled the Theatre of the People in Mexico City to watch cultural performances and films celebrating Simon Bolivar’s birth and the Venezuelan revolution.
Other cities which held activities include Canberra, Australia; Vieques, Puerto Rico; Brussels, Belgium; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Barcelona, Spain; Bogota, Colombia; Montreal, Canada; Lima, Peru; Houston, United States; Montevideo, Uruguay; Ottawa, Canada; Managua, Nicaragua; Santiago, Chile; Jena, Germany; Funchal, Portugal; Athens, Greece; Suriname, Guatemala; and Vienna, Austria.
“This show of solidarity that we are seeing today … around the world shows us that the revolution isn’t alone, but rather it is accompanied by world public opinion that is alert to what will happen in Venezuela on 7 October and hopes for a victory of the revolutionary forces,” said Rodrigo Cabezas, coordinator of international relations for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).