EDITORIAL
Imperialism versus humanity
The fight is not between "democracy" and "fascism"
The political crisis in Venezuela once again exposes the central struggle of our time: the clash between imperialism and humanity. The siege against Nicolás Maduro’s government is the clear expression of a global offensive against all peoples who dare to stand up for their sovereignty.
Faced with this situation, the Lula government’s stance has been, to say the least, vacillating. While countries such as Iran and Russia stand firmly by Venezuela and denounce the coup attempts and the economic blockade imposed by the US, Brazil is content with an ambiguous position. Lula, instead of aligning himself with the countries that openly challenge imperialist domination, seeks to contemporise with those who oppress Latin America.
This political cowardice is the result of a disastrous strategic choice made by the PT government: the illusion that it would be possible to defend Brazilian “democracy” by supporting the institutions of the coup regime, such as the judiciary and repressive bodies, in the name of fighting Bolsonaro. The problem is that this “democracy” sold by imperialism is, in practice, a disguise for maintaining domination over peoples. When the Brazilian government decides to side with “democracy” against “fascism”, it ends up holding hands with the US government, NATO and the capitalist press – all of whom are complicit in strangling Venezuela.
The truth is that this is not a dispute between democracy and fascism. It is a confrontation between imperialism and the oppressed peoples of the world. The same imperialism that is bombing Gaza, arming the Nazi regime in Ukraine, trying to isolate Cuba and destroy Nicaragua, is now threatening Venezuela with new sanctions, economic sabotage and possibly armed intervention.
The only realistic and consistent way out of this situation is popular mobilisation. It’s up to grassroots organisations, trade unions, left-wing parties and, above all, organised workers to stand up against the imperialist campaign. We need to denounce the farcical propaganda against “narco-terrorism”, debunk the lies of the coup press and organise a broad campaign in defence of the Venezuelan people.
