Over a period of two months spanning January to March in 2006, I backpacked through Venezuela in a reckless manner The Civil War in Venezuela on behalf of the Red & Anarchist Action Network (RAAN), in search of first-hand information regarding the country's Socialism to the Highest Bidder current political and social situation and in particular the Prepared by Nachie, "Bolivarian Revolution" proclaimed by incumbent president for the Red & Anarchist Action Network (RAAN). June 17th, 2006 Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. My goal was to use the VI World Social Forum, held in the capital city of Caracas during the last week in January, as a launchpad to make the kinds of contacts necessary for this study to be a success. As an autonomous communist and affiliate of RAAN, my ultimate aim was to specifically seek out the contradictions that lay within the institutionalized Bolivarian movement and, there- fore, to hopefully discover the sectors of Venezuelan society that were developing anti-capitalist critiques of Chávez's state-driven process. www.RedAnarchist.org 1. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION 13. THE SIXTH WORLD SOCIAL FORUM Page 1 Page 34 2. A (VERY) SHORT HISTORY OF VENZUELA 14. PARQUE CAOBOS Page 2 Page 39 3. NO HAY CAMINO HACIA LA 15. THE ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL FORUM AUTOGESTIÓN, Page 40 ¡LA AUTOGESTIÓN ES EL CAMINO! Page 13 16. RED & ANARCHIST SKIN HEADS Page 43 4. NINGUNA REVOLUCIÓN SE FINANCIA POR MEDIO DE LAS TRANSNACIONALES 17. ALIX SANTANA Y LOS ARTESANOES DE Page 15 CARABOBO Page 48 5. EN VENEZUELA, LA ALCA SE LLAMA IIRSA Page 18 18. MY EXPERIENCES IN VALENCIA Page 52 6. VENEZUELA: AHORA ES DE TODOS LAS TRANSNACIONALES 19. NOTES ON THE ANARCHIST MOVEMENT Page 20 IN CARACAS Page 56 7. EL CARBÓN ES MUERTE Page 22 20. LOS TUPAMAROS Page 65 8. CON EL PUEBLO TODO, CON EL PODER NADA 21. HANDS OFF VENEZUELA? Page 24 Page 72 9. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN 22. CONCLUSIONS VENZUELA Page 75 Page 28 23. RAAN INERVENTIONS AND BROADER 10. FIRST IMPRESSIONS PROPOSALS Page 29 Page 79 11. REVOLUCIÓN EN LA REVOLUCIÓN 24. IN THE NORTH AMERICAN MOVEMENT Page 30 Page 82 12. EL CENTRO ENDÓGENO FABRICIO OJEDA 25. FINAL THOUGHTS Page 32 Page 86 The Red & Anarchist Action Network is a loose organization of autonomous individuals and collectives who subscribe to revolutionary anarchist and libertarian (that is, anti- Published by the CLASH collective. Hartford, CT. state, anti- Leninist) communist ideals. The network was born out of a desire to bridge (A)nti-copyright 2006 the artificial gaps between segments of what might be described as the "anti-political Every text, every picture, every sound that you like is yours. left" and dismantle the elitist "sceneism" that has governed portions of the revolutionary Take it and use it as yours without asking permission. movement for far too long. It is our hope that a strong association based on shared revolutionary beliefs and a variety of tactics, driven by a serious practice of mutual aid, www.clash.8m.net will be able to make a serious and lasting contribution both to our world and the people www.ZineLibrary.net who are working to better it. compatible match) they can be useful in cases such as this one, where there is Over a period of two months spanning January to March in 2006, I backpacked so much riding on the continued credibility of one man, and the legitimacy of through Venezuela in a reckless manner on behalf of the Red & Anarchist Ac- the political structure itself is being questioned openly by vast sectors of the tion Network (RAAN), in search of first-hand information regarding the coun- revolutionary class. try's current political and social situation and in particular the "Bolivarian Support for the state, especially a "Bolivarian" one, is rooted in liberal doc- Revolution" proclaimed by incumbent president Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. trine, nationalism, and the Northern Left's search for a "painless My goal was to use the VI World Social Forum, held in the capital city of Ca- pill" (reformism) that will supposedly allow oppressed peoples to liberate racas during the last week in January, as a launchpad to make the kinds of con- themselves or "be" liberated without the occurrence of any fundamental rup- tacts necessary for this study to be a success. As an autonomous communist tures in the capitalist mode of production. To support Chávez - and only and affiliate of RAAN, my ultimate aim was to specifically seek out the contra- Chávez - is to deny the whole breadth and trajectory of the Venezuelan and dictions that lay within the institutionalized Bolivarian movement and, there- international revolution, effectively condemning class struggle to a supporting fore, to hopefully discover the sectors of Venezuelan society that were devel- role subjugated by - and in justification of - the State and its executive. In a oping anti-capitalist critiques of Chávez's state-driven process. text well over a century old that many in the movement would now do well to 1. BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION remember, Karl Marx encapsulated this issue rather succinctly: For RAAN, this whole affair began exactly a year ago when I distributed a text "But the working class cannot simply lay hold of the ready- entitled Bolivanarchism: The Venezuela Question in Our Movement to com- made state machinery, and wield it for its own purposes. The rades in the network and the North American "anti-authoritarian" tendency in centralized state power, with its ubiquitous organs of standing general. Written whilst I was on a short trip to Brazil over the point of which I army, police, bureaucracy, clergy, and judicature - organs had become particularly fascinated by the process in neighboring Venezuela, wrought after the plan of a systematic and hierarchic division of this exploratory essay laid the groundwork for everything that was to follow in labor - originates from the days of absolute monarchy, serving terms of our tendency's discussions on the issue. At the time I was criticized nascent middle class society as a mighty weapon in its struggle for showering attention on a situation seemingly directed exclusively by the against feudalism." - The Civil War in France Venezuelan State; and it was suggested that the network's time and energy Or to put it in simpler terms, there is no reason as to why the Venezuelan situa- would be much better spent elsewhere. I am now certain that this - at least for tion should call into question our core beliefs and strategies, especially in re- me personally - is not the case, and that this focus on Venezuela will prove to gards to non-participation in state politics and hierarchal organizations. If any- have been useful to both our network and the wider movement. thing, now is the time to enhance our A few things must be made absolutely clear: firstly, that without this follow- understanding of these anarchist/ up, the original Bolivanarchism essay would be considered, under RAAN's communist positions and, through "No-Bullshit Policy", to be more or less an exercise in useless ideological mas- exploring the material reality, reaf- turbation. Only this on-the-ground investigation and practical follow-through firm our commitment to both them on the tasks set out in that text could possibly justify it within our network's and their practical implementation. action-oriented culture. Furthermore, I must clearly state that my time in the This reflection has already been un- country has led me to seriously reconsider many of the positions I had toyed dertaken by every revolutionary with in that essay - as will be shown below. And finally, one of the essay's movement of the last century, par- main points has in particular shown itself to be quite outdated: that being my ticularly those that were routinely concern over the lack of attention and information on the situation. When sold out by Leninism, populism, and Common Ground Relief goes down to ask Chávez for cheap heating oil to New other forms of left-wing capitalism. Orleans and the mainstream Left starts riding Trotskyist coattails in an effort to We now have their shoulders and associate itself with the Bolivarian Revolution, I don't think we have to worry experiences to stand on, so the repeti- too much about any such neglect; Chávez is in the limelight and poised to be- tion of past mistakes is inexcusable - come the most important political figure in the world. Now all we need to fo- the decades of trial by fire which cus on is the quality of that information concerning Venezuela. have led us to this point have also As with all documents produced under the banner of RAAN, this essay strives produced as good and uncompromis- to be not merely an exercise in theoretical development or information sharing, ing a slogan as we'll ever need: but a full report concerning the interventions our network has made in the Que Se Vayan Todos! Venezuelan process and what we might further propose as points to act upon in 88 1 the future. That said, this study exists simply to fulfill the goals set forth last Many people have an unshakeable faith in Chávez, but my experience in the June and I, personally, have no intention of returning to Venezuela in the near United States has shown that the majority of homegrown "Chavistas" are really future, or organizing around the issue past the objectives lined out over the just looking for information and ways to support the Venezuelan people, and course of this text. Nevertheless my work has set the material foundation are usually incredibly receptive to anti-capitalist critiques of the government, through which other RAAN affiliates may become involved in this process, in particularly as most of the information contained in this report has not been accordance with their personal desires.