Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (left) next to then-student leader Robert Serra (right) during a political rally. Photo: AFP/File photo.
On Sunday, at the General del Sur Cemetery in Caracas, young Venezuelans laid a floral offering commemorating the anniversary of the 2014 assassination of United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Deputy Robert Serra. A large number of youth spoke about their experiences of meeting Serra. He was known for his humility and as a great leader within the ranks of the Bolivarian Revolution.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, commemorated the ninth anniversary of the assassination of the young leader. “Nine years ago, the young Robert Serra and María Herrera were murdered by Colombian hitmen, a fascist operation that sought to stop the advance of the revolutionary youth,” wrote President Maduro on social media.
Hace 9 años fueron asesinados por sicarios colombianos los jóvenes Robert Serra y María Herrera, una operación fascista que pretendía frenar el avance de la juventud revolucionaria, pero los violentos fracasaron. El ejemplo de Robert y María renace todos los días, con la lucha… pic.twitter.com/ErZ9ji7rgB
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 1, 2023
“The fascists failed,” added President Maduro. “The example of Robert and María is reborn every day, through the brave struggle of our golden generation.”
During the Sunday morning commemoration ceremony, a speech by President Maduro was broadcast in the Plaza de La Pastora in Caracas.
President Maduro said that Robert Serra lives in each of the young people currently fighting and “guaranteeing the enduring nature of the Bolivarian Revolution through participation, conscience, and strength of youth forever… Nine years ago, the Colombian paramilitaries were ordered to murder him. Uribe ordered the murder, with his group of hitmen, of our boy Robert Serra, but Robert has multiplied by millions and lives in youth. Long live Robert Serra!”
Mi saludo a toda la juventud patriota que llenó las calles de La Pastora a medianoche, para honrar la memoria de María Herrera y Robert Serra, a 9 años de su vil y cobarde asesinato. Ellos siguen con su espíritu en ustedes, jóvenes que están al frente en la lucha del hoy y del… pic.twitter.com/FPsHrdKdf8
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 1, 2023
Nahum Fernández, vice president of mobilization and events for the PSUV, recalled the day that Robert Serra passed away and how difficult it has been for the family and the people to overcome that tragic night “when the enemy had planned and calculated a terrible murder.”
As part of the event in honor of Robert Serra and his partner María Herrera, a march was held on Saturday night that ended with fireworks in La Pastora, Caracas, where the young leader, Robert Serra, lived and carried out community work.
Serra was an outstanding leader of the Chavista student movement. He later become a lawyer, graduated from Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), and went on to acquire a postgraduate degree in criminology. At 23 years old, he already exhibited great political and social experience and leadership.
He was part of the Presidential Commission of Student Popular Power with direct responsibility for the states of Anzoátegui, Zulia, and Falcón. He was appointed to the leadership of the Youth of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (JPSUV) in Caracas. In 2010, he was elected deputy for the Great Patriotic Pole and continued his political work with the National Assembly on behalf of the Venezuelan people by training new political cadres for the construction of 21st-century socialism.
Serra was assassinated, along with his partner María Herrera, on October 1, 2014, when he was just 27 years old. He was a leader of a new wave of Chavista youth and his assassination was linked to then Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the far-right Venezuelan political leadership that has proven itself to be enemies of life, the people, and democracy.
(Últimas Noticias) by Larry Marquez with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DZ/SL
