The African Socialist International and the Uhuru Movement expresses our deepest revolutionary condolences to the people of Venezuela for the passing of President Hugo Frias Chavez. The international revolutionary struggle of colonized and oppressed peoples has lost a powerful force. Chavez was 58 years old.
Chavez was widely beloved by the Venezuelan people and by oppressed peoples around the world for his bold opposition to U.S. imperialism.
Chavez reduced poverty in half in his country and nationalized Venezuela’s oil resources for the benefit of the people. He exemplified genuine revolutionary international solidarity as evidenced in his defense of Libya and Syria against U.S. colonial invasion.
Chavez emerged from the African and Indigenous working class communities of Venezuela. He often spoke proudly of his African ancestry, saying, “We love Africa. And every day, we are more aware of the roots we had in Africa.”
Chavez had been receiving cancer treatment, but returned to Venezuela to fight for his life and his people.
The US had attempted to reverse the revolutionary trajectory in Venezuela by multiple coup and assassination attempts against the Bolivarian Revolution led by Chavez.
It is widely believed that Chavez was poisoned by agents of U.S. imperialism. The U.S. government is already busy sowing chaos and divisions among the people, necessitating Venezuela's recent expulsion of two U.S. military spies.
LONG LIVE CHAVEZ AND THE REVOLUTION!
DEATH TO U.S. IMPERIALISM!
