Formation 2005 Secretary Dr Francisco Domínguez | ||
Headquarters 33-37 Moreland Street, London EC1V 8BB |
Venezuela Solidarity Campaign is a British political organisation which expresses solidarity with Venezuela and its Bolivarian Revolution and campaigns against threats to the Revolution. Its Scottish section is known as the Scottish Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (SVSC).
Contents
Aims
According to the campaign, its aims are:
Activities
The VSC was established in 2005 in response to an attempted military coup against the then President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. It sought to promote and strengthen links between trade unionists in Britain and Venezuela, organised solidarity tours to Venezuela, and promoted awareness of the Bolivarian Revolution through a DVD, The Revolution will not be Televised. From 2009 the group promoted another documentary DVD, Inside the Revolution: A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela, directed by Pablo Navarrete.
Following the death of Chávez in 2013, the campaign continued its work in support of his successor as President, Nicolás Maduro. The activities of the VSC and SVSC in 2015-16 included maintaining websites with extensive information about the situation in Venezuela; organising conferences, lectures and other events; publishing a magazine, Viva Venezuela!; maintaining a social media presence, and seeking to influence parliamentarians and others.
Honorary president
Patrons
Tony Benn was a patron until his death in 2014.
Affiliates
Trade union bodies affiliated to the VSC include the Southern and Eastern TUC (SERTUC), Yorkshire and Humberside TUC and Camden Trades Council. Individual unions affiliated include Unite the Union, the University and College Union, the National Union of Teachers, the Public and Commercial Services Union, ASLEF, BECTU, BFAWU, CWU, FBU, GMB, MU, Napo, NUM, PCS, RMT, TSSA, UCATT, UCU, Unite the Union and UNISON.
Trade union affiliates to the SVSC include the STUC, CWU, EIS, GMB, RMT, UNISON, Unite the Union, and Trades Councils in Dundee, Kilmarnock & Loudon and Midlothian.