[Peace-discuss] Several organizations organized a protest Monday to denounce U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.

[David Johnson via Peace-discuss]

Several organizations organized a protest Monday to denounce U.S. sanctions
against Venezuela.

Latin American solidarity and community organizations in Los Angeles
protested Monday to denounce President Barack Obama's decision to sign
sanctions into law against Venezuela.

The protest was organized by the Simon Bolivar Association, Union de Barrio,
Witness for Peace Southwest, and School of the Americas Watch Los Angeles.

"Our goals for the protest today is to tell our Congress and the president
that we want no more U.S. embargoes in Latin America," Tanya Cole, regional
organizer for Witness for Peace, told teleSUR.

Cole explained, "We also hold responsible media outlets like the Los Angeles
Times who continue to have biased and unfair reporting on Venezuela. That is
why we are holding our protest at the LA Times building, then we will march
to Senator Barbara Boxer's office who allowed this vote to happen without
any dissent. We want the United States to treat our neighbors in Latin
America as allies and with respect."

The groups said that "The passing of U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela at the
height of U.S. police brutality protests and CIA torture reports is case in
point of U.S. hypocrisy and interventionist policies in Latin America, while
ignoring glaring human rights abuses at home and among key U.S. allies like
Mexico, Honduras and Colombia."

Witness for Peace's Cole added, "The U.S. government here goes as far to
pass sanctions against Venezuela and turn the other way when Mexican police
hand over
<http://www.telesurtv.net/english/telesuragenda/Justice-for-Ayotzinapa-20141
014-0077.html> 43 students of Ayozinapa to be burned to death. The U.S.
looks the other way when
<http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/teleSUR-Investigation-The-Human-R
ights-Crisis-in-Honduras-20141023-0023.html> hundreds of political activists
are killed in Honduras and Columbia leading to the highest death rate among
journalists and Union activists in the world."

The U.S. is in no moral or ethical position to place sanctions on any
country; especially after the CIA torture report was released. The U.S.
cannot point the finger at Venezuela for their alleged attack on protesters
and at the same time be a silent accomplice of the narco-government in
Mexico that has been denounced around the world for the disappearance of the
43 students and thousands of others," one of the protest organizers, Ron
Gochez from Union del Barrio, told teleSUR.

Furthermore, the groups
<http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-US-Sanctions-Give-Free-Rein
-to-Right-Wing-Violence---20141219-0039.html> questioned U.S. motives for
the sanctions, affirming that the violent right-wing opposition protests
earlier this year "sought to accomplish through extralegal means what the
opposition has been unable to accomplish at the ballot box."

U.S. Congress approved sanctions on Venezuela early last week and Obama
signed the bill into law Thursday. The bill, the Venezuela Defense of Human
Rights and Civil Society Act, was authored by Cuban-American Congress
members Senator Bob Menendez and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

 
<http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuelas-Maduro-Rejects-Obamas-Sign
ing-of-Sanctions-20141218-0032.html> Venezuelan government officials, as
well as social movements in the country, have denounced the U.S. actions
against the South American nation.

The Ecuadorean National Assembly has approved an official resolution of
solidarity with Venezuela in opposition to sanctions imposed by the United
States.

Meeting Monday for the
<http://telesurtv.net/english/news/Ecuadorean-Government-to-Support-Venezuel
a-Oppose-US-Sanctions-20141228-0007.html>  final session of 2014, 66 out of
88 assembly members voted to reject U.S. interference in Latin America.

 

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