Statue of Salvador Allende in Caracas. Photo by Silvana Silva / Flickr

President Nicolás Maduro organizes conference with political and cultural activities to pay tribute to former leader Salvador Allende and the 40 year-anniversary of the coup.

A number of events will be organized from Sept. 11-13 in Caracas following Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s announcement of a multinational event against “fascism.” It will be organized in memory of Chile’s former President Salvador Allende, and will start on the 40 year-anniversary of the military coup that overthrew him.
 
“I invite you this week to Caracas to attend the world conference against fascism, reminding [sic] President Salvador Allende,” Maduro said on Twitter. “40 years after the coup against Chile, we’ll remind [sic] the giant of the South and sing.”

The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Elías Jaua indicated that activities would be organized for the occasion, with participants from a number of European, South and Central American countries. Latin America’s first democratically elected Marxist president will be at the forefront of the commemoration.
 
“This coming week, on Sept. 11, we will celebrate the 40 years of comrade president Salvador Allende’s overthrow and sacrifice,” Jaua said on Unión Radio. “We will organize a series of activities, amongst which, an international encounter against fascism as a tribute to comrade Salvador Allende.”
 
Jaua emphasized that one the main events would be a march Wednesday. The rendezvous has been set for 9 a.m. at Plaza Salvador Allende. After the government’s floral tribute to the Chilean president’s statue, the march will proceed through Caracas toward the presidential palace.  

At the end of the march, musical performances by Venezuelan and Chilean artists and political speeches will take place. The lead event will be a speech by Venezuela’s President of the Republic Nicolás Maduro.
 
In the following days, forums about fascist ideology and its principal characteristics will run alongside other related cultural activities. The forum entitled “Expression of Fascism in Latin America” will mark the closing ceremony of political activity on Friday 13. Unofficial social mobilizations will continue throughout the weekend, with the establishment of camp sites in the park Los Caobos.

By Clémence Douchez-Lortet (clemmie@santiagotimes.cl)
Copyright 2013 – The Santiago Times

Categories: Chile, Government, Imperialism, International, Reactionary Watch, Statements, U.S. Military, U.S. News, Venezuela, Workers Struggle