On Saturday, August 10th, 2019, different social and cultural groups in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines met outside the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in SVG to forcefully condemn the financial economic blockade carried out by the US administration against the Venezuelan people.
Within the framework of the # NoMásTrump #NoMoreTrump global campaign, social movements and organizations, farmers, artists, representatives of the Vincentian Government, students of the Venezuelan Institute for Culture and Cooperation, the Cuban doctors brigade, among others, expressed their categorical support for the Government and the Bolivarian people in the face of this new imperial attack that seeks to undermine the will of Venezuelans.
On behalf of the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the entire Vincentian people , the Hon Camillo Gonsalves, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, expressed support for the people of Venezuela and stated;”the Executive order of the government of Donald Trump is criminal, no country should violate international law; colonialism, imperialism sees Latin America and the Caribbean as social experiments in its quest for power, and its ambition to dominate the region” he explained that this US decree of total blockade against Venezuela “does not only affect the Venezuelan people, this order affects all the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and violates international laws; we stand firm and in solidarity with Venezuela”.
Mike Browne, President of the Venezuelan-Vincentian Friendship Association and member of the Solidarity Group explained “this Executive Order translated into sanctions towards the Government of Venezuela by the United States Government implies that no company can make transactions with the Venezuelan State preventing the Venezuelan people from receiving food, medicine and other resources for their development, violating international laws. Today the legacy of Liberator Simón Bolívar is more valid than ever and José Martí said it in that epic phrase: “And that is how Bolivar is in the sky of America: vigilant and frowning…still wearing his campaign boots; because what he did not do, still remains undone today: because Bolivar still has things to do in the Americas.” .
The Solidarity Group delivered a formal statement condemning the actions of the US Government; Ms Shenika Davina Roberts, member of this movement read the document «The Solidarity Group of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines reaffirms its support with the government and the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela before the legalization of the imperialist attacks executed against this sister Nation and its legitimate President Nicolás Maduro Moros, being once again victims of the arbitrary actions of economic terrorism against the people of Venezuela ”.
For her part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, H. E Vilma Reyes Valdespino condemned the criminal blockade that the Trump administration has executed against the Bolivarian people, pointing out that, like Cuba, the Venezuelan people will know how to resist and defend their dignity. “It must be clear, the blockade is an act of war, and it is described as a genocide, because what it seeks is famine and disease in the population struggling to resist,” said Reyes. The Cuban ambassador reaffirmed the unconditional support with the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its president Nicolás Maduro and thanked the SVG government and its people for all the manifestations of support and solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela.
Representatives of the Solidarity Group attended the event; the Cuban doctors brigade in SVG; the cultural group “Resistant Heartbeat Drummers”, the Association of Venezuelan and Vincentian Friendship (VENVIFA); representing the Vincentian Government were: Hon Camilo Gonsalves; Hon Julian Francis, Hon Frederick Stephenson, and Hon Cecil Mckie.
As a special activity, Laura Dublin of VENVIFA and a member of the Solidarity Group performed some songs by the Bob Marley to pay tribute to the struggle waged by the Venezuelan people. Marlon Joseph, also a member of VENVIFA was responsible for reading the letter sent by the Venezuelan people to the UN Secretary condemning the criminal sanctions imposed by the US government.
The head of the Venezuelan diplomatic mission at SVG, Francisco Pérez Santana, thanked those present for their solidarity and strong support for the Bolivarian Revolution, while condemning and denouncing the US government for imposing coercive and unilateral measures against the people of Bolívar and Chávez.
