British Hands Off Venezuela Electoral Delegation 2006

Dear Friends,

The December 3^rd Presidential elections in Venezuela are already the target of a mass campaign of lies and deception sponsored by the U.S. State Department and its allies. The revolutionary movement in Venezuela, with massive health and education programmes funded by the democratically elected Chavez government, has succeeded in providing free health care for millions, in eradicating illiteracy, and in redistributing land and wealth to the poor. But in so doing the people of Venezuela have challenged the interests of the local and foreign business elite, especially in the United States, who have responded with a vicious and illegal campaign of sabotage. This campaign will only intensify, as we get closer to the election.

We therefore call on all those who support the social movements in Venezuela, and oppose the U.S. backed acts of sabotage, to help present the truth about the Bolivarian Revolution to the people of Britain.

The British Hands Off Venezuela (HOV) campaign has organised hundreds of public events around the country over the last three years to help build links between the workers in Venezuela and the workers here in Britain, and to counter the disinformation circulated by our right-wing press.

We are now pleased to announce that we are sending a delegation to Venezuela to coincide with the Presidential elections. The weeklong tour will begin on Monday, November 27^th and finish on Sunday December 3^rd - election day. We have arranged low cost accommodation in Caracas, and encourage people to stay longer if they can, as there are sure to be mass rallies with President Hugo Chavez speaking before and after the December 3^rd elections, as well as many other opportunities to see the Bolivarian Revolution up close.

We will be part of an international HOV delegation, working with HOV Venezuela and we hope to link up with other similar delegations from Australia and Ireland. We will be bringing our message of opposition to U.S. intervention, while building stronger ties between British and Venezuelan working people and activists.

We will focus our delegation on meeting with state and community media representatives (ViveTV, CatiaTV, Radio Ali Primera and the recently established AvilaTV), labour activists, and workers in the occupied factories of Inveval and SelFex, and the Calle y Media collective, whose films "Venezuela Bolivariana" and "The Old Man and Jesus" have helped educate tens of thousands around the world.

However, we will not be visiting Venezuela as "revolutionary tourists" - we will be building solidarity with Venezuela before and after the delegation itself, through a series of educational events, fundraisers, and report-backs across the UK. All those joining this delegation must be dedicated defenders of the Venezuelan revolution, and committed to building solidarity.

Following on from the successful visit of Orlando Chirino to London, and more recently by Hugo Chavez himself, we will be making connections for other prominent Bolivarian Revolutionary activists to visit throughout 2007.

We ask our supporters to help make this delegation a success. Keep an eye out for local events and activities, or consider hosting a local educational event or fundraiser for the campaign yourself. We have several films available which make it easy to organise even a small gathering to discuss events in Venezuela.

Please consider making a donation to Hands Off Venezuela in order to make this delegation possible. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated.

If you would like to arrange for a member of HOV to speak at your local event, please get in touch.