UK Labour Hold Solidarity Event For Bolivia And Venezuela

Labour Party members in the U.K. came together on Tuesday to celebrate the progressive gains made by Bolivia’s leftist government, which is led by the popular President Evo Morales. However, as the attempted coup in Venezuela unfolded, the speakers raised the importance of solidarity with the Bolivarian country.

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The event was organised by “Labour Friends Of A Progressive Latin America”, which is a campaign group within the party, headed by former Labour MP Colin Burgon. The central london event was titled; “Bolivia, Evo Morales and the Transformation of a Nation”. The speakers included Labour shadow International Development Secretary, Dan Carden, who would take over Britain’s international aid policy if Jeremy Corbyn were to be elected Prime Minister.

At the event, Carden said, “For the last 15 years Bolivia has been showing that a better world is possible through its clear rejection of neoliberal policies”, which is a reference to the fact Bolivia has achieved the highest growth in the region after nationalising much of it’s natural resources and strategic industries.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also sent a message to be read out at the meeting, remarking on “the social progress made in areas such as health and education, and reducing poverty is an inspiration to us all”

However, the discussion quickly shifted to Venezuela as news unfolded about the failed attack on the Carlota military base in eastern Caracas. Francisco Dominguez, head of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign said “Initiatives of solidarity are absolutely essential. If the US were able to enact regime change in Bolivia and Venezuela, it would turn back social  progress in Latin America by decades.”

Leader Jeremy Corbyn has rejected the U.S. backed coup attempt in Venezuela, in stark contrast to former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair who refused to meet the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez when he was in London in 2006.

At the event on Tuesday, Colin Burgon spoke exclusively to teleSUR correspondent Pablo Navarrete, commenting on the events in Venezuela and how “the western media, the pro opposition media is pumping out stuff showing the strength of the opposition and at the moment we’re not seeing the other side of it”. He continued, “look at the list of countries, what they said today is that they’ve welcomed an attempted military coup to overthrow a democratically elected government, and I’m afraid the British government really falls in with that kind of crowd.”