On October 19, the World Anti-imperialist Platform (Plarform) held a rally in El Panal Comuna (commune), Venezuela.
Following a march and rally in front of the Chávez mausoleum, the participants visited El Panal Comuna.
El Panal Comuna was built by resistance fighters who overthrew the military fascist regime of Pérez Jiménez in 1958. The El Panal resistance has historically been the first to organize militias to defend the homeland whenever Venezuela faced a crisis.
Participants held banners reading “¡Chávez vive, la luncha sigue! (Chávez lives, the struggle continues),” “¡Communa o Nada! (Commune or nothing),” and “¡Abajo el imperialismo! (Down with imperialism)” and chanted slogans with great energy.
Fidel Andia Guzman, Central Committee member of the Peruvian Communist Party, introduced himself by saying, “I come from Peru, a homeland liberated by Simón Bolívar,” and explained that he was here “to raise the banner of solidarity with the revolution that marked a historic turning point in Latin America—the Bolivarian Revolution.”
He emphasized, “We sincerely hope that this comuna will not only provide production and organization for the people but also become the first line of defense against the possible invasion and threats of US imperialism. We say from this trench that imperialism will never pass, for Latin America has historically been a land of peace, gradually building its own unity and security. The example of Venezuela is precisely a model that we must all follow.”
Camila Monge Pizarro, International Committee member of the Union for Communist Reconstruction, recalled, “The last time I came to Venezuela, a comrade said, ‘Venezuela is not just a country on the map. It is a beacon and living proof that another world is possible. Popular sovereignty can be built from below, from the comunas, from the communal councils, and from regional communities like El Panal.’”
She continued, “The Paris Commune was the first attempt at socialism in proletarian history. Although it was brutally suppressed, its legacy lives on today in Venezuela and in every comunas we visit. El Panal not only resists but also creates popular power, builds a communal economy, and practices labor justice. The living spirit of the Paris Commune is reborn in the heart of Venezuela, at the center of Latin America.”
Robert Longa, representative of the Alexis Vive Patriotic Front leading El Panal Commune, stated, “This is not only Venezuela’s struggle. It is the struggle of revolutionaries worldwide, the struggle of proletarian internationalism. It is the struggle against oppressive and murderous empires, against those who declared war on the world, the struggle of internationalists, the struggle of the proletariat.”
He also stressed, “The Venezuelan people defend their dignity and stand firmly under Bolivarian, anti-imperialist ideology, like Cuba and Nicaragua, the strongholds of the struggles of the peoples of the Americas.”
Pointing out that enemies misjudge Venezuelan resistance, he declared, “They will not divide us, they will not make us fail, they will not push us into civil war. In every case, these contradictions will deepen and rapidly evolve our revolution, leading first to a comuna-based state. As Che Guevara said, these contradictions will push us to rapidly strengthen international unity, promote international brigades, and once again launch a long-term all-people’s resistance.”
Pablo Gomez Acevedo, Central Committee member of Communist Party of the Galician Republic, read a statement confirming the legitimacy of the Venezuelan people’s anti-imperialist all-people’s resistance: “The Venezuelan People United through the Comunas Will Surely Triumph in the Anti-imperialist Resistance War.”
Following is the full text of the statement.
The Venezuelan People United through the Comunas Will Surely Triumph in the Anti-imperialist Resistance War
At present, the Comunas form the foundation of the anti-imperialist resistance war and the all-people’s resistance war. As communities of the people and by the people, the Comunas are the center that unites the Venezuelan people against the oppression and aggression of US imperialism. The Comunas as the people’s government is the force that has organized millions of militia members in a single sweep. The truth of Chávez’s “Comuna o Nada (Commune or Nothing)” blazes forth through the spirit of all-people’s resistance war that turns the danger of war into an opportunity for advance.
Comuna El Panal is a living symbol of the history of all-people’s resistance. In 1958, El Panal was built together with the resistance fighters who overthrew the military-fascist rule of Pérez Jiménez. The resistance fighters of El Panal, going beyond the January 23 neighborhood (23 de Enero), organized militias whenever Venezuela was in peril, and with arms in hand defended the motherland. Contained in the slogan “La Comuna es la Milicia (The Commune is the Militia)” is the Venezuelan people’s spirit of patriotism and their will for death-defying resistance.
Today, Venezuela stands at the very forefront of the anti-imperialist front, and the Venezuelan people are the spearhead of the all-people’s resistance war. The imperialists who have unleashed World War 3 are raving to drag Venezuela into this storm, to plunder its resources, and to collapse its anti-imperialist people’s government together with its foundation, the Comunas. In response, under the slogan “Barracks to the People,” the people’s government is uniting the regular army with the militia, arming local communities centered on the Comunas, and strengthening the preparations for all-people’s resistance war. The anti-imperialist resistance war of the Venezuelan people instills in the masses of Latin America and the entire world both the legitimacy of the anti-imperialist struggle and the certainty of its victory.
The just struggle of the anti-imperialist people, who have declared that they will no longer be slaves to imperialism, is receiving the heartfelt support of progressive humanity. Comuna o Nada means independence or nothing, socialism or nothing. The victory of Venezuela will be the victory of the anti-imperialist camp, the victory of people’s sovereignty, the victory of progressive humanity. The Venezuelan people, who have risen with the banner of anti-imperialism held high and entered the all-people’s resistance war, will surely triumph. Comuna o Nada. The people united will never be defeated.
Down with imperialism!
Victory to Venezuela!
Victory to the all-people’s resistance war!
