Anti-imperialist organisations, civil society activists, workers, and religious leaders staged a picket outside the United States Consulate on Thursday afternoon, protesting what they describe as the invasion of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by the US and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The protest was led by the ANC, the SACP, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).

Referring to themselves as the Revolutionary Alliance in the Western Cape, organisers said the mass action was held in solidarity with the people of Venezuela and in opposition to the US sanctions and military intervention.

The alliance also condemned the killing of 32 Cuban nationals, reportedly members of President Maduro’s Presidential Guard.

In a joint statement, the group said it believed the actions of the US constituted “a criminal and flagrant violation of Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of the United Nations”, which uphold national sovereignty, the equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force.

Provincial secretary Malvern du Bruyn said it was critical that the events in Venezuela be accurately described.

“The sad reality is that people are calling it a capturing, but it was a kidnapping. We can’t allow these things to keep happening. We are also calling on our president to close all embassies. We cannot have these people in our country who are a threat to the peace of the world. We cannot allow this.”

Du Bruyn warned that continued foreign intervention posed a threat beyond Venezuela.

“If he can kidnap presidents and invade countries, which country is next? They have military bases set up in other smaller African countries. We can’t allow this to happen in South Africa.”

Chants from the various groups echoed throughout the protest, “Hands off Venezuela! Hands off Cuba! Hands off Congo! Hands off Iran! Hands off South Africa! Shut down American imperialism!”

Professor Yusuf Chikte from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said the organisation stood in firm opposition to imperialism and criticised the role of the US Consulate in South Africa.

“This consulate has allowed a person by the name of Brent Bozell to be appointed even though his purpose is to stop us from going to the ICJ to stop the case we brought against Israel, and we say no to Bozell!”

Chikte further accused the consulate of failing to correct the false narratives about South Africa.

“By not correcting the false news about a fake white genocide narrative in South Africa and holding him accountable for that, the PSC is saying that Bozell is not welcome here.”

He added that President Cyril Ramaphosa should not accept Bozell’s credentials.

“We don’t want him here. We are also saying that Bozell is fostering division and fragmentation in South Africa by not dismantling the fake narratives about our country.”

Addressing the crowd on behalf of the SACP, Barry Mitchell called for the immediate release of the Venezuelan president and first lady. He warned that the United States foreign policy posed a threat to South Africa’s sovereignty.

“They will be using policies to undermine our democracy and hard-earned sovereignty.”

He also claimed that foreign interests fund political parties that oppose democracy and seek to control the country’s means of production through privatisation.

“To protect our sovereignty and progressive policies, let’s build state capacity,” he said.

SANCO representative Thando Dedeza said the growth of the anti-imperialist movement was necessary, particularly in the Western Cape.

“The Western Cape is the entry point for imperialism,” he said.

Dedeza pointed to the heavy law-enforcement presence at the picket as evidence of the protection afforded to the consulate.

“If we do not grow our numbers, we will find ourselves in a predicament with the imperialists living among us and doing all sorts of intelligence work.”

The alliance submitted a memorandum with a list of demands, including the immediate and unconditional release of President Maduro and First Lady Flores, the cessation of all military operations in Venezuela, and an end to efforts to delegitimise or overthrow the Venezuelan government.

Organisers said the US Consulate has been given a two-week deadline to respond to the demands.

lilita.gcwabe@inl.co.za

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