The temperature in Boston was 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 Celsius), with strong wind gusts, which made it feel even colder. But, there we stood with our sisters and brothers of the Committee for Peace and Human Rights (holding a vigil here every Saturday since 1998), demanding an end to the attacks to the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution by the United States. Attacks that begun with Obama and are now being expanded by Trump.

We, from the Committee in Solidarity with Venezuela, marked one year of work on March 5 and honored the 4th anniversary of the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. We also informed the public about our people-to-people campaign, Seeds of Solidarity for Venezuela.
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To: The friends who contributed seeds from the Seeds of Solidarity for Venezuela project.
From: Gaudy María García, Person Responsible for the Family Seed Reservoir La Paspasa

Women and men, peasants of Monte Carmelo, Sanare, Municipality Andrés Eloy Blanco, Lara State, Venezuela, send you conservation and agro-ecological greetings. Here we will provide a brief account of what we have been developing in recent months in terms of rescue and reproduction of seeds in our project “Seeds for Life”.
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The Seeds of Solidarity for Venezuela project was officially launched last Saturday 12/3/2016, with a great panel of presenters, which included Lisa Sullivan, international coordinator, liaison and inspiration to get this program going. We also had a report back from Ausra Kubilius, Seymour Kellerman, Emily Sedgwick, and Robert Schwartz, who travelled to Venezuela recently to witness the effort for food sovereignty and eco-socialism being developed in the Lara state. Likewise, we had a presentation by NY resident Quincy Saul, from the organization Ecosocialist Horizons, who is working to organize the first ecosocialist international in Venezuela next year October-November 2017. The event was well attended. Now forward with the collection of heirloom, non-GMO seeds! If you would like to donate please contact us at vensol2016@gmail.com.From l-r, Sergio Reyes, co-coordinator of US-Venezuela Solidarity Committee, Emily Sedgwick, Robert Schwartz, Quincy Saul, Seymour Kellerman, and Ausra Kubilius.

11/28/2016 — The VSC co-signed the following letter of solidarity with Colombian people. This was an initiative of Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ).

Dear Sisters, Brothers, Friends and Comrades,

It is with deep sorrow that we write to express our condolences for the recent assaults against your organizations and against the entire process for peace. We have learned that 72 human and labor rights defenders, peace activists, indigenous leaders and environmentalists were assassinated in 2016 alone. In the four years of its existence, 125 members of the Marcha Patriótica (Patriotic March) popular movement for peace have lost their lives. We are dismayed by the campaign of paramilitary violence that has occurred leading up to and following the October 2nd Peace Referendum. We are especially shocked by Operation Extermination, carried out by death squads between November 17 and 20. Five persons were murdered and attempts were made against three others. All of those targeted were members of the Marcha Patriótica, and all but one were affiliated with the National Unitary Federation of Agricultural Workers Unions (Fensuagro), the largest labor organization within the Marcha Patriótica. We are also deeply concerned to learn that two insurgents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Peoples Army (FARC-EP) were killed November 13 in a non-combat situation by Colombian Armed Forces snipers. This is a violation of the ceasefire and a provocation against the peace process. Meanwhile, we have received new notices of a series of new paramilitary threats directed against leaders and members of the Marcha Patriótica, Fensuagro and various similar popular organizations.
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A well crafted plan to “take over Venezuela” will take place today, starting at 9AM in Caracas and larger cities throughout the country. People are asked to meet at pre-determined points in Caracas to finally converge at the Fajardo Highway for a demonstration with speakers from the right-wing opposition. These speakers will give directives for actions they are asking their supporters to take the day after. The public leader for these actions is the Governor of Miranda State, Henrique Capriles, who is also the head of MUD, Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (Table for Democratic Unity).
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