Women members of Brazilâs Landless Rural Workersâ Movement (MST) hold their scythes and machetes aloft. Photo: Brasil Paralelo.
The national leader of Brazilâs Landless Rural Workersâ Movement (MST), JoĂŁo Pedro StĂ©dile, announced that popular movements across Latin America are coordinating to send brigades of activists to Venezuela in solidarity with the countryâs government and people, amid growing threats of a possible US military intervention. The statement was made in an interview with Radio BdF.
âWe, as movements in Latin America, are holding meetings and consultations to organize, as soon as possible, internationalist brigades of activists from each of our countries to go to Venezuela and stand alongside the government and the Venezuelan people,â said StĂ©dile. The decision was made during the World Congress in Defense of Mother Earth, held in Caracas last week, which gathered delegations from 65 countries.
According to him, the initiative seeks to echo the âhistoric epicâ of the international left during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), when volunteers from various countries went to Spain to defend the Republic. âAre we going into combat? Of course not! We have no military training, nor should we. The Venezuelan people know how to defend themselves. But our activists can do a thousand things, from planting beans and cooking for the soldiers to standing beside the people if a US invasion takes place,â he explained.
StĂ©dile criticized the administration of US President Donald Trump, which he described as having revived the âcoup offensiveâ against Venezuelan President NicolĂĄs Maduro. âItâs a mix of madness and fascism. He thinks brute force can overthrow Maduroâs government and hand it over on a silver platter to MarĂa Corina [Machado, the main opposition leader in Venezuela],â he said sarcastically. StĂ©dile emphasized that the Venezuelan government âhas never had such strong popular supportâ and âis not afraid of a US invasion.â
The MST leader also urged Brazilâs President Luiz InĂĄcio Lula da Silva to adopt a firmer stance in response to the escalating tensions. âI donât think the Lula government has realized the gravity of the situation. Itâs time to take a stronger position. If he doesnât want to stand alone, he could coordinate a joint statement with Mexico and Colombia, which have already spoken out against the U.S. aggressions,â StĂ©dile suggested.
