Venezuela Solidarity Campaign


Venezuela Solidarity Campaign is a British political organisation which expresses support to the Bolivarian Revolution and campaigns against its threats. Its Scottish section is known as the Scottish Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

Aims

According to the campaign, its aims are:
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, , 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.

Key people

Honorary president

Trade union bodies affiliated to the VSC include the Southern and Eastern TUC, 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.