Bolivarian revolution

Venezuela鈥檚 communes form the front line of a difficult revolutionary struggle

Building the Commune
By George Ciccariello-Maher
Verso Books, 2016

Every commune is different, George Ciccariello-Maher says in Building the Commune, but 鈥渢he coffee is always too sweet, and the process is always difficult, endlessly messy and unpredictable in its inescapable creativity鈥.

Media omits key information to demonise Venezuela as recall referendum suspended

The announcement from Venezuela's electoral authority on October 20 that it would head a court ruling and听听has unleashed yet another wave of critical articles and opinion pieces throughout the English-speaking media, labeling Venezuela government听as 鈥渁uthoritarian鈥 or even a 鈥渄ictatorship.鈥

Pro-revolution march on August 30

Venezuela's people and government need international solidarity

The statement below was released by the Philippines-Venezuela Solidarity Network (PhilVenSol) on August 31. It comes after calls from Venezuela for international solidarity against new US-backed destabilisation against the elected government and revolutionary movement.

Violent opposition protest in Caracas

Venezuela: Opposition, Chavistas march as right threatens violence

Thousands of Venezuela's right-wing opposition took to the streets in Caracas on September 1 in a menacing march labelled 鈥渢he taking of Caracas鈥.

Venezuela: Opposition unlikely to get referendum this year

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned his country鈥檚 right-wing opposition leaders on August 9 not to stir up violent unrest as the threat of a recall vote against him waned, the .

Venezuela: Slave labour or just growing more food?

Venezuelans taking part in a voluntary program to boost a slowly developing agricultural sector, described by the US media as "slavery". The United States media鈥檚 latest offensive against Venezuela鈥檚 socialist President Nicolas Maduro targets a new sustainability program that transplants urban workers to farmland. Some quarters of the mainstream media have equated it with slave labour.

Venezuelan indigenous communities march to support gov't, revolution

Indigenous communities representing various nationalities marched through the streets of Caracas on June 2 to show their support for the government of Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela鈥檚 Bolivarian Revolution. The groups taking part in the demonstration were responding to a call made by the government to develop grassroots solutions to the economic crisis the country is facing.
Nicolas Maduro at a demonstration in support of the government's emergency economic powers.

Corporate media seeking to tip Venezuela over the edge

听Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at a demonstration in support of the government's emergency economic measures emergency measures, Caracas, May 14. Photo via AVN.

Venezuelan rich eating well, Basque executive shows

Agustin Otxotorena, a Basque executive living in Caracas, grew tired of constant calls from friends and relatives in Spain telling him that there was no food in Venezuela. So on May 20, he began publishing photos on Facebook of supermarkets in upscale sectors of Caracas filled with goods.

Rafael Correa: 'The right wing want revenge'

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa spoke out on June 1 about efforts by right-wing political forces in Latin America to oust democratically-elected governments, saying that it would set a dangerous precedent for democracy in the region. 鈥淩ight-wing politicians don't just want to return to power, they want to return with a thirst for vengeance,鈥 said Correa during an interview with Ecuador Public Television.

Venezuela's Maduro orders closed factories handed over to workers; Chavistas march in support of emergency measures

Venezuela's socialist president Nicolas Maduro told a crowd of supporters on May 15 that to increase productivity and help alleviate scarcity of basic products facing the South American nation, all businesses and factories closed down by their owners would be seized and handed over to their workers so production could be restarted. 鈥淎 stopped factory [is] a factory turned over to the people,鈥 Maduro said. 鈥淭he moment to do it has come, I'm ready to do it to radicalise the Revolution.鈥

Venezuela: The commune or nothing!

Have you heard about Venezuela's communes? Have you heard that there are hundreds of thousands of people in nearly 1,500 communes struggling to take control of their territories, their labor, and their lives? If you haven't heard, you're not the only one. As the mainstream media howls about economic crisis and authoritarianism, there is little mention of the grassroots revolutionaries who have always been the backbone of the Bolivarian process.