This weekend is the 6th anniversary of the April 2002 coup d'etat against President Hugo Chávez, financed by the current U.S. government.  The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State stated that, "…it is clear that NED, Department of Defense (DOD), and other U.S. assistance programs provided training, institution building, and other support to individuals and organizations understood to be actively involved in the brief ouster of the Chávez government…" - To read more, see:  "A Review of U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela"

Today, six years later, a small group of conservative U.S. members of Congress have introduced a resolution calling for Venezuela to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism. The resolution, H.Res. 1049, asks that the State Department place Venezuela on a list of countries that provide support to terrorist organizations, a designation that would impose a number of sanctions on Venezuela and U.S. companies that do business there.  Though various critics of President Hugo Chávez have accused Venezuela of supporting terrorist groups, no credible or verifiable evidence has ever been presented to substantiate those claims.

Mobilize!
Across the United States, local and national groups are calling their members of Congress to oppose H.Res.1049 and organizing events to commemorate April 11th and celebrate the return of democracy in Venezuela on April 13th. Take action by joining local events in your community.

Main events nationwide

Washington, DC:
April 11, Screening of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and discussion with the participation of Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez. On April 11th at 6pm at the Bolivarian Hall, 2443 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington. RSVP: (202) 342-6828.

April 13, Demonstration on Sunday April 13th at 12 noon at the Simón Bolívar Plaza, behind the OAS (17th Street & Constitution Ave., NW), where a caravan will take off around Washington DC, passing by the White House and ending at the Wesley United Methodist Church on 5312 Connecticut Ave NW.  Wear a white shirt symbolizing peace and democracy, and bring your vehicle, if you have one. Contact: natali@veninfo.org

New York City, NY:

April 11, Rally to defend and support Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution. On April 11th at 11am in front of the Venezuelan Consulate on 7 East 51ST St, NYC , NY
(Between Madison Ave & 5th Ave near St. Patrick's Cathedral). Contact: cbalbertolovera@gmail.com

Los Angeles, CA:

April 11, Showing of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and Public Forum on "Venezuela, Revolution, Democracy" with Venezuelan Delegate to the Andean Parliament, Janet Madriz; Dolores Huerta, Co-founder of the Agricultural Workers Association; Professor Miguel Thinker Salas; KPFK Director Armando Gudiño, and activists Nativo Lopez. Event starts at 6:30pm on Immanuel Presbyterian Church on 3300 Wilshire Blvd, Los Ángeles CA 90010.  Contact: rvenezolano@yahoo.com

There are other events happening nationwide in cities such as Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, St. Petersburg, Minneapolis, and Tucson. For information, please contact vio@veninfo.org

Reminder: Participate in the Venezuela Solidarity Network's national symposium on What's Up With Venezuela: Participatory Democracy or Democracy as Usual?  on April 18-20, 2008 at historic Howard University in Washington, DC.

VIO Team - www.veninfo.org