In these hours of mourning and suffering for the Venezuelan people, struck by a devastating earthquake that has claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands injured, we express our deepest solidarity with the Communist Party of Venezuela, the working class and the popular masses of the country.
We extend our fraternal greetings to the members and cadres of the Communist Party of Venezuela, who have always been committed to organising and defending the interests of the proletariat, and we express our sympathy to the families of the victims, to the injured, and to all those involved in rescue and relief efforts.
This tragedy has struck a people who for years have been confronted with severe economic and social difficulties, aggravated by US imperialist interference, unilateral coercive measures and attacks on Venezuela’s sovereignty, all of which have had particularly harsh consequences for the living conditions of the popular masses.
Once again, a natural disaster demonstrates that it is the workers and the popular strata who pay the highest price. The devastating effects of such events are intensified by inadequate investment in territorial safety, public infrastructure, and systems of prevention and civil protection, which are too often sacrificed to the logic of profit and the interests of the major economic groups. Only workers’ power and the centralised planning of the economy can meet human needs in terms of safety and protection, including against natural disasters of such magnitude.
We are confident that the Venezuelan people, drawing strength from their history of struggle and resistance, will confront this ordeal as well with courage, solidarity and a collective spirit. At times like these, the value of mutual aid and of unity among workers and peoples emerges with even greater force.
To the Communist Party of Venezuela and to the entire Venezuelan people, we extend our warmest internationalist solidarity. We share your grief and reaffirm our closeness in the common struggle to defend the interests of the working class, for the sovereignty of peoples, and against every form of exploitation, interference and imperialist domination.
Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Front (Italy)
