Venezuelan People March to Commemorate ‘Anti-colonial’ Indigenous Resistance Day
Caracas, October 12, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan people marched on Saturday to commemorate Indigenous Resistance Day and to reject Spanish interference in the Caribbean country’s internal affairs.
The march went from Chacaíto to the Indigenous Resistance Monument— which replaced a Christopher Columbus statue taken down by the people in 2004— in Plaza Venezuela, center of Caracas. The mobilization was led by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and National Assembly (AN) President Jorge Rodríguez.
Rodríguez— a high-ranking official of the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV)— took to the stage to denounce “the greatest genocide in the history of mankind.” He also criticized Spain’s refusal to recognize the crimes committed against indigenous populations while continuing to celebrate October 12 as a holiday and meddling in Venezuelan affairs.
In front of the crowd, Venezuelan Indigenous deputy Kariela Aray read a resolution approved by the AN on Tuesday urging President Nicolás Maduro to evaluate “in a timely manner” the break of diplomatic, consular and trade relations with Spain.
The bill came in response to a proposal adopted in the Spanish Congress of Deputies to recognize former US-backed far-right candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as Venezuelan president-elect. Last month, 75-year-old González self-exiled in Madrid after losing the July 28 election to Maduro.
In the document, the Venezuelan parliament demanded that the Spanish government respect “the decision of the Venezuelan people who sovereignly re-elected President Maduro.”
The AN also exhorted Spain to abolish the monarchy, calling it “a ridiculous institution based on blood rights” and currently a hub for “corruption, chaos and the expression of the far right.”
For its part, President Maduro joined the march via phone call and drew parallels between the indigenous and African people’s resistance against Spanish colonization with the present plight of the peoples of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria against colonizing powers.
“Fascism is the heir and direct expression of colonialism. Today’s fascism is the heir of the worst in the history of humanity,” Maduro said. “In contrast, we inherit the noblest and most beautiful resistance: the heirs of [Indigenous leader] Guaicaipuro who represents our dignity.”
The president called for renewed efforts to rescue native languages and provide housing, healthcare and education plans to indigenous communities across the country. Maduro likewise urged the creation of an indigenous youth organization and militia.
For its part, Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a communique early Saturday to commemorate the “anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist tradition” and the legacy of struggle and dignity inherited from the country’s indigenous populations.
“Today, as the world confronts new fascist and racist currents that seek to impose historical revisionism by minimizing the atrocities of the invasion, occupation, colonization, and slavery processes in the Americas, Venezuela reiterates the importance of keeping alive the history of struggle and resistance of our Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples,” read the statement.
The communique emphasized that “the complicity and silence of the European elites and the rest of the world” during the current Israeli onslaught against the Palestinian people serve as “a reminder of the need to defend historical memory.” International law experts have classed Israeli actions as genocide.
Indigenous Resistance Day was established in 2002 by President Hugo Chávez as a means to challenge the traditional “Columbus Day” or “Day of the Race.” These labels are viewed as racially insensitive and obscuring the crimes against Indigenous peoples and their enduring struggle against colonization over the centuries.
The milestone is also meant to celebrate Indigenous peoples’ history, culture and identity. Under the Chávez government, the Venezuelan aboriginal populations gained constitutional rights to ancestral lands, cultural preservation and political participation, although they continue to face many challenges to access these rights.
On October 12, 1492, European colonizer Christopher Columbus reached the American continents marking the beginning of Spanish colonization. Venezuela declared its independence in 1811 and the war against Spain ended in 1823.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz.
