PRESS RELEASE: LABOUR MP, ANTI-WAR CAMPAIGNS, TRADE UNIONS & OTHERS SUPPORT LONDON PROTEST AGAINST U.S. WAR ON VENEZUELA

A protest supported by MPs, trade unions, Labour Party activists, Latin American solidarity campaigners and others will take place this Saturday in central London demanding that the British government learns the lessons of the disastrous wars in Iraq and Libya by not following the Trump administration into any military intervention in Venezuela.

Supporting the protest, Chris Williamson, Labour MP, said, “The evidence is clear that Trump is building up to an illegal war on Venezuela.

A key reason Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader is because Labour members didn’t want a repeat of the disastrous Iraq war – and neither do the British public.

Please join this important protest to loudly say no blood for oil.”

Rachel Garnham, Labour Party NEC member, said, ”Like many Labour members and our leader Jeremy Corbyn, I protested against Britain following the US into a disastrous war for oil in Iraq. Now we must, again, all oppose the threat of a new US war for oil, this time on Venezuela.”

Myriam Kane, National Union of Students NEC and Black Student Committee, said, “We have seen the catastrophic carnage that resulted from the US intervening into Iraq for its oil war. Their ‘humanitarian intervention’ ended with blood on their hands. We must not let Trump start another war for oil on Venezuela – the Bank of England grabbing its gold is a throw back to colonial times. I fully support this protest and say no war on Venezuela!”

Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND, said, “This century’s wars show the disaster of military interventionism – from death and destruction to humanitarian crisis and population displacement. To think that such a course of action is a solution to complex economic problems in Latin America is criminal folly.”

Chris Nineham of the Stop the War Coalition said, “The US is backing its illegal policy of regime change in Venezuela with open threats of military intervention. There needs to be the strongest possible protest.”

The demonstration is taking place at the Bank of England because the Bank is withholding over $1bn of Venezuela’s gold from the country, in a move widely regarded as being due to the UK backing Trump’s illegal ‘regime change’ agenda in Venezuela.

Commenting on this element General Federation of Trade Unions General Secretary, and Venezuela Solidarity Campaign Vice-Chair, Doug Nicholls said, “VSC has played an important role in highlighting the unjustified political act of the Bank of England in its refusal to release over $1bn worth of Venezuela’s gold. It’s modern piracy. If the Bank of England wants to claim political independence in this country it could start by respecting the independence of Venezuela and returning its gold now.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  • The protest will take place from 13.00-14.30 on Saturday 23 outside the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AH.
  • 14 different labour movement organisations, anti-war campaigns, Latin American solidarity groups and others are supporting the protest – a full list can be found here.
  • For media comment please email info@venezuelasolidarity.co.uk with your contact details.