With the rise of a fascist opposition in the nation of Venezuela, “anti-imperialism” becomes a phrase that needs to be brought to the forefront. I understand that for many folks living day to day here in the Amerikan empire, the long-lasting and far-reaching effects of foreign policy don’t seem to matter much. You’re wrong. I have two messages - one for Western “leftists” who are hesitant to defend the Bolivarian Revolution, and one for the liberals who too easily fall for the mainstream media’s lies on the Venezuelan “dictatorship”. As always, I don’t really care what conservatives think about any given foreign policy situation involving the United States, considering that Donald Trump has the laughable gall to sanction countries, accusing them of being “undemocratic” when we have literal Nazis firebombing Black folks’ homes.

I’ll start with the liberals - namely, you folks who are still attached to Hillary Clinton’s slaveowning pantsuit and think that the Cold War Part Three is a Real Thing That is Definitely Happening: what is it that you think you are accomplishing by denouncing Maduro and Chavez before him? “Democracy” is one of the most abused words in the English language, deployed by everybody from John McCain and Mitch McConnell to Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders. Do you understand how Venezuela’s government works? Resisting right wingers does not come from supporting a political system bought and sold by corporations. Venezuela’s administration is elected by and for the people; they just held a National Constituent Assembly vote, which elects representatives in order to redraft the constitution. Your media lies to you. The so-called “opposition” is responsible for lynching Black folks and burning food, humanitarian crimes that should spark your anger and sympathy for the Chavista legacy. Moreover, unlike here in the States, the indigenous peoples of Venezuela have representation in this Assembly, whereas we still infringe upon the sovereignty of our First Nations after centuries of attempted genocide and cultural erasure. If you cannot stand with the people of Venezuela and condemn the US coup attempt, then you need to be silent. You’re speaking out of your range. It’s folks like you ignorantly championing regime change that led countless lives to be lost in the Iraq War, over what? To plunder oil and mineral wealth.

Strangely enough, my message to Western leftists is quite similar to what I have to say to liberals - support the Bolivarian Revolution. This shouldn’t be a question considering what we know of the downfall of the Chilean Revolution and the sabotage of Guatemalan democracy. Yet we have certain segments of “the Left” in the States (I say this with quotes because it is hard to identify any cohesive agenda between alternative media outlets and minor parties) repeating State Department talking points and whining that Maduro is too “authoritarian” and “repressive” of the opposition when that is demonstratively not the case. It may seem extreme to you not to offer any nuanced criticism along with your solidarity, but solidarity is not a stance one takes while simultaneously handing the CIA intellectual ammunition to overthrow the right of a people to self-determination. If you cannot condemn the lies of the United States media without trying to qualify your support for the Chavistas against the opposition, then you as well, should be silent.

Within these sentences, I’ve given you evidence to investigate the situation in Venezuela. It should be more than clear what your conclusion should be. Understand that we live in an empire, not as explicit as the Star Wars movies made it out to be, but this is the reality. Support Maduro, and you support the people. Support the opposition, and you support the inevitable consequences of coup d'états - genocide, war, famine, and disease---look at Guatemala, for example.