Hands Off Venezuela is a political

lobby group Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

with branches in other countries. The campaign was established in December 2002, following the

Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002 A failed coup d'état on 11 April 2002 saw the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, ousted from office for 47 hours before being restored to power. Chávez was aided in his return to power by popular support and mobilization against the coup b ...

, with the aim of increasing public and political awareness in the UK and elsewhere of the

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

government's

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and political reforms and to counter what Hands Off Venezuela sees as a " US-funded propaganda campaign" in the west to paint Chávez as a dictator and a threat to democracy.

History

The organisation was founded by the

International Marxist Tendency The Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) is a Trotskyist political international. It was founded as the Committee for a Marxist International (CMI) by British-based South African political theorist Ted Grant and his supporters after th ...

's Alan Woods, a Welsh

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

and political writer, who wrote an appeal, calling for "defense of the revolutionary process in Venezuela" and to defend the

Bolivarian Revolution The Bolivarian Revolution is a social revolution and ongoing political process in Venezuela that was started by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement and later the United Socialist Party of Venezuela ...

, to oppose US intervention in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, and to ensure that information about what was happening in Venezuela would reach the international labour movement.

Activity

The organisation issues press releases to counter unfavourable western media reports on the Chávez government, organises protests and participates in national anti-war demonstrations, and works in the British Trade Union Movement. It also has a presence on UK university campuses, where they hold regular lecture sessions on developments in Venezuela, organise visits by Venezuelan Trade Unionists, and screen documentaries. The organization participated in the visit by Hugo Chávez to London as a guest of Mayor

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English former politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was Local Government Act 1985, abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of Londo ...

. During this trip Chávez refused to meet UK Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

, who he described as a "pawn of Simperialism". HOV participated in the resolutions of official support passed by the British Trades Union Congress in 2005 (Motion 79) and 2007 (Motion 76), the

Scottish Trades Union Congress The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is the national trade union centre in Scotland. With 40 affiliated unions as of 2020, the STUC represents over 540,000 trade unionists. The STUC is a separate organisation from the English and Welsh ...

(Resolution 108) and an

Early Day Motion In the Westminster parliamentary system, an early day motion (EDM) is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by a member of Parliament, which the Government (in charge of parliamentary business) has not yet scheduled for debate. Hi ...

(EDM 487) raised in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

by supporter John McDonnell, MP. Other supporters include Jeremy Dear, former general secretary of the British

National Union of Journalists The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union supporting journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The NUJ was founded in 1907 and has 20,693 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Trades ...

, George Galloway and the

RESPECT Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

party. President Chávez officially thanked the organisation for their work.

2019

During the Venezuelan presidential crisis, disputed president

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

launched a "Hands Off Venezuela" petition and protested in Washington, D.C. Two weeks after thirty members of

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

's Venezuelan community twice demonstrated in favor of Juan Guaidó, twenty HOV demonstrators protested to "declare him a puppet of U.S. imperialism". The HOV message "contrasted with the message of the previous rally, held by Venezuelan immigrants, calling on the U.S. to support regime change."

Publications

In 2006, HOV launched a 24-page glossy promotional magazine, also called "Hands Off Venezuela", and put together an international delegation with members from around the world to observe the December 2006 Presidential Elections first hand. Year 2007 saw the campaign launch H.O.V FM, a monthly podcast available from its official website. The show features news, interviews, solidarity work, revolutionary music and features and is aimed at both activists and curious minds.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Hands Off Venezuela
Official Hands Off Venezuela website. * Articles on HOV
(PoliticalAffairs.Net)
* John McDonnell, MP (National Steering Committee of the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign), calls on

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...