The Venezuela Solidarity campaign logo. Photo: Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.
Caracas, August 11, 2020 (OrinocoTribune.com).- In this new episode of Chavista Chronicles from Caracas we had the pleasure and honor to interview Francisco Dominguez in London, UK. Dominguez is a Chilean academic and political refugee devoted to building solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution not only in the UK but also all over Europe.
The Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign UK (VSC) is -according to solidarity experts from different countries- the most articulated and structured solidarity movement in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution in Europe and internationally. Francisco Dominguez is currently the National Secretary of the VSC for the UK.
We asked Dominguez four questions and at the end he raised two questions/remarks that we value in the constructive way the VSC has developed over the years. Our questions were:
1- What European solidarity initiatives VSC is part of and how do they interconnect?
Francisco Dominguez told us about two very successful initiatives they are running at the moment, the first is the campaign to collect signatures demanding Boris Johnson give Venezuela’s gold back. The campaign has surpassed 10,000 signatures and at the moment the VSC is focused on reaching 20,000. For more information, please visit and share: https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-mp-give-venezuela-back-its-gold
The second project running at the moment is a campaign to create support in Europe against the illegal US and European sanctions. For more information visit and share: https://observatoriodetrabajadores.wordpress.com/2020/06/30/european-campaign-suspension-of-sanctions-against-the-bolivarian-republic-of-venezuela/
All these initiatives require a high level of interaction and coordination with social movements in other countries in Europe and all of that has been possible due to the strength of the VSC. They wish to improve interactions with movements in France and Germany.
2- How do you see the Bank of England looting of Venezuela’s gold? What is going to happen, what should be the outcome?
Adding to his comments in relation to the initiative of collecting signatures demanding the release of the Venezuelan gold, Dominguez added that the whole situation can only be called “colonial pillage” due to the hypocrisy behind UK authorities’ refusal to deliver the gold even when the UK has normal diplomatic relations with President Nicolas Maduro, regardless of the argument the UK authorities allegedly recognize the fake government of deputy Juan Guaido.
3- How do you see the International Criminal Court (ICC) process initiated by Venezuela and the sanctions against Venezuela from the European perspective?
After acknowledging the strength of Venezuelan diplomacy currently run by Chancellor Jorge Arreaza, Dominguez said his impression is that a strong campaign against US and European illegal sanctions would have a big impact and result due to the fact that many diplomats in the United Nation system quietly support all measures tending to get rid of the current state of international affairs that goes against most of the norms of international diplomacy and peace. Venezuela’s case against US aggression is so overwhelming that it might score a moral and political victory, he added.
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In this sense he also highlights the important of initiatives like the one he mentioned demanding the suspension of sanctions against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
4- How might Covid-19, Brexit and the US decline have an impact in the European imperialism, specially towards Venezuela, and Alba countries?
“Dominguez highlighted the pragmatism and hypocrisy of European countries and mentioned that many have de facto almost normal relations with President Maduro’s administration. But while doing so, they avoid confronting or opposing US imperial aggression.
In the case of the UK and how hard they are affected by Covid-19, Brexit and its economical implications, Dominguez stresses that the UK is in troubled waters and will choose under the current circumstances to align with the US, disregarding that they don’t necessarily agree 100% with its policies.
At the same time he highlights the reality of China as a new real axis of power that together with Russia may force European countries to rethink their slavish submission to the US and there is a possibility they switch to adopting a more independent stance.
In the last part of the interview Francisco Dominguez had the chance to present some questions/remarks to Orinoco Tribune.
His remarks focused on the importance they see in counting on an agency in Venezuela similar to the Cuban ICAP (Cuban Institute of Friendship Between the Peoples) to strengthen the solidarity work. The last one referred to Orinoco Tribune and their willingness (as well as ours) to cooperate in reaching broader audiences with fact-sheets and an exchange of information about Venezuela and the UK to reach English speaking audiences worldwide.
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