Global Support Floods In for 'Venezuela, Heart of America' Campaign

Popular social movements from around the world have rallied behind a Twitter campaign Monday called #VenezuelaCorazonDeAmerica or "VenezuelaHeartofAmerica," to support Venezuela's call for a National Constituent Assembly and to condemn attacks against the country's sovereignty.

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Messages of support flooded in from Ecuador, Panama, Bolivia and Spain, with users sharing photos and videos in solidarity with Venezuela and Maduro's plan for a National Constituent Assembly.

The campaign launch coincides with the birth of Simon Bolivar, the independence leader of South American countries colonized by Spain, which is now the Day of Integration of Latin America.

The campaign's main goal is to support Venezuela's right to self-determination by unifying the online and social media battle, inviting individuals from all over the world to post photos, videos and testimonies on what Bolivarian Venezuela means to them, in addition to encouraging cultural activities and mobilizations internationally.

"I don't know about you, but am going out to defend the revolution."

"This is a campaign that has no owner, just the desire to join forces," said Gonzalo Armua, member of the operating secretariat of ALBA Movimientos, adding that the original proposal came from the Colombian chapter of ALBA Movimientos.

"As we did 200 years ago, in Latin America and the Caribbean, we are still struggling for our independence. What's happening in Venezuela today has to do with that same struggle," Armua continued.

He emphasized that the struggle is now centered around repelling “American and European imperialism, which operates in a more complex way than the colonialism of the 19th and 20th centuries, but with the same objective: to control our territories, to dominate the population and to appropriate our wealth.”

In addition to Monday, the Twitter campaign will also take place on Friday, July 28, just ahead of the ANC election vote on Sunday, July 30. The hashtag #VamosConLaConstituyente will also be used.

Armua affirmed that the Bolivarian Revolutionary government of Venezuela is a victim of multiple attacks, including economic boycotts, communication sieges, and diplomatic hostilities, all of which are “articulated with the action of terrorists groups that even burn people alive.”

According to Red58.org, at least 23 people have been burned alive by opposition supporters targeting Afro-Venezuelans and working class people, including innocent bystanders, government supporters and officials.

"In the midst of this unprecedented siege, on July 30 the Venezuelan people will go to the polls to choose the composition of the National Constituent Assembly," Armua continued. "In this context, it seems to us key to unify communication efforts to make a different voice visible in international public opinion."

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“Everything is fostered by the interference of the United States,” Armua explained, “which wants to install an allied government, end the example of sovereignty represented by the Bolivarian Revolution and appropriate its oil.”

Armua stressed, "Venezuela plays a major role in the destiny of Latin America and the Caribbean,” concluding that this is why “all the artillery of the conservative sectors, in particular, the means of communication,” is centered around providing support to those seeking to destabilize the country.

As proof, Armua cited recent statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, and continued destabilization plans elaborated by the right-wing opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable.

He noted that these acts clearly indicate that the groundwork for a “civil war and forcibly obtaining political power,” is underway. In this context, he explained, it is fundamental to “unify communication efforts to produce an alternative voice that international public opinion can support.”