We have two Hands Off Venezuela-related events this Wednesday 12th October:

From 4pm to 6pm there is a picket of the Colombian embassy in solidarity with terrorised workers on general strike. 3 Hans Crescent (behind Harrods) SW1, nearest tube Knightsbridge.

Then from 7pm, a booksigning of "Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution" by Richard Gott plus photo exhibition of the Alberdi School in Caracas by Jason Harris, followed by Venezuelan food & music. NUJ headquarters, 308 Gray's Inn Rd WC1, nearest tube King's Cross.

12th October 2005: On this day 513 years ago, Christopher Columbus "discovered" America. According to the official story, he spread the benefits of civilisation across the continent; in reality, his arrival heralded a new age of terror and genocide which took the lives of over 100 million native Americans. All this has been erased from popular consciousness, but in Venezuela the schools are now finally teaching the truth about this mass-murderer. President Chávez has described Columbus as being "worse than Hitler" and renamed October 12th as "Day of Indigenous Resistance". Last year in Caracas a statue of Columbus was toppled after a "popular trial" and actions against the "conquistadors of today" also took place in London and Bogota.

This year we shall be outside the Colombian embassy from 4pm to 6pm in solidarity with workers in Colombia who are on general strike. The poor majority in that country want a president like Chávez, while the rich in neighbouring Venezuela would prefer a right-wing fascist like Colombia's Uribe. Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be an activist. On average, three trade unionists are assassinated there each week by right-wing death-squads, often in collusion with the official military and protected by the Colombian government. Left-wing campaigners and journalists are labelled "guerrilla-sympathisers" and targeted by paramilitaries.

Students in Colombia also face deadly repression. On September 22nd this year, police and security forces opened fire on a peaceful protest in Cali (against water being cut off in neighbouring Candelaria) killing one student and wounding many others. Kidnapping, torture and death-threats are commonplace but despite this heavy intimidation increasing numbers are organising to defend the rights - and lives - of workers and peasants. Indigenous people are driven off their land by soldiers and paramilitaries to make way for multinational exploitation, and in February this year a Peace Community (who reject both sides of the country's vicious civil war) was attacked by the army. Eight people (including three children) were massacred, but the British government refuse to admit how much military "aid" they continue to give to these murderers.

On October 12th the Colombian social movements will be out on strike to demonstrate against the terror and repression they face from the state. They are also opposed to Uribe tampering with the constitution, allowing him to run for a second term, and are risking their lives to stand up for basic human rights. International solidarity is vital and has had a real effect in the past. Please help put pressure on the Colombian government and let our brothers and sisters there know that they are not alone.

After the demo, from 7pm, the National Union of Journalists (Central London branch) is holding a "Venezuela night" social event at the NUJ headquarters to which all supporters and friends of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign are invited. Richard Gott, long-time leading journalistic authority on Latin America, will be signing copies of his new book on Chávez, Jason Harris will be exhibiting his photos of the occupied Alberdi school in Caracas, and there will be Venezuelan food and music later on. This is an opportunity to find out more about the extraordinary transformation taking place there with the poor majority finally getting a share of Venezuela's vast oil wealth, which is now being spent on new schools, hospitals and houses. Learn how the US government has tried and failed to overthrow Chávez on at least three separate occasions and is still plotting against this democratically-elected and popular leader of the "Bolivarian" mass-movement. Get involved to defend Venezuela's peaceful and democratic revolution and help bring it here to the UK!

More info: www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk - www.justiceforcolombia.org - www.boliviasc.org.uk - www.handsoffvenezuela.org