“No sanctions, no coup, Venezuela we stand with you!” echoed from Monument Circle on a cold Indianapolis afternoon on March. 31. Organized by the newly formed Peace in Venezuela Coalition—of which the Party for Socialism and Liberation is a founding member—the protest was the third solidarity demonstration in the city since the U.S. coup attempt against Venezuela began late January.
The week earlier, the coalition held a teach-in at Butler University. The teach-in had an array of speakers who addressed imperialism, the history of U.S. intervention in Latin America, the gains of the Bolivarian Revolution as well as the tasks of the anti-war movement.
The day after the teach-in, a pro-intervention rally was called for Monument Circle. Not a single person showed up.
The March 31 anti-intervention rally, by contrast, drew over 30 people and three TV news stations. The primary demands were: no coups, no sanctions, and no war. The numbers of attendees have increased at each protest.
Conrad Thompson, who helped initiate the Peace in Venezuela Coalition, told Liberation News that he “Came out to protest to encourage others to do the same. I hope we reached people who sympathize with our cause who thought they were alone.”
Noah Leninger, co-coordinator of ANSWER Indiana (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), read a solidarity statement prepared by the Peace in Venezuela Coalition. Brad Lorton, of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Derek Ford, of the Indianapolis PSL also delivered speeches.
