Popular movements participated on Monday (23) in a meeting in Buenos Aires in parallel to the 7th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The first CELAC Social Summit took place in a former torture center of the Argentine military dictatorship in Buenos Aires, the former School of Mechanics of the Navy, which is now a human rights center. Former Bolivian President Evo Morales attended the agenda.
“If we want to be revolutionaries, we have to be anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist,” Evo emphasized. “The doctrine of the empire says that trade unionists and social activists have to be apolitical. In Bolivia, with unity, we were able to establish an economic model different from the one imposed by imperialism, mainly with the nationalization of basic services and natural resources. Plurinationality is our tool in diversity to fight against adversity”, he said, and highlighted the importance of Brazil in this regional process. “With Lula, without a doubt hope is reborn, but it is also a responsibility of the social movements.”
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The former Bolivian president also stressed the popular support of the summit. “Now, social movements have come together to accompany different presidents, something that didn't happen before. Times have changed. It is the best time to accompany the integration processes of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said. “Several countries ruled by the right wanted Celac to die, but today we are coming back, despite everything. The social movements must guarantee peace and the integration of Latin America.”
On Tuesday (24), the resolution of the meeting will be presented to the heads of state and delegates of the CELAC presidential summit, also held in Buenos Aires. The document synthesizes common anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist agendas among the countries of the region, and highlights the sovereign right of the countries, focusing on economic independence, social justice and denounces usurped territories and the presence of imperialist military bases in different parts of the region.
The Celac Social meeting took place one day before the summit between heads of state in Buenos Aires / CTAA
“The Malvinas are part of our struggle against imperialism, it is our identity,” stressed Edgardo Esteban, journalist, veteran of the Malvinas war and director of the museum where the meeting took place. “We are very close to the [anniversary of] 200 years of the usurpation [of the territory by the British]. The museum and the debates must be accompanied by deep policies to recover what belongs to us,” he said during the opening of the meeting.
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto attended the CELAC Social and pointed out the absence of President Nicolás Maduro, who canceled his trip to Buenos Aires. According to a statement from the Venezuelan government, the decision comes after the discovery of “a fascist plan of aggression” against the president. Right-wing political forces in Argentina have publicly repudiated Maduro's possible presence in Argentina, especially the Republican Proposal party, with criticism from former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and former President Mauricio Macri.
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“The CELAC was created in 2011 with one goal: to promote the development and sovereignty of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, but it has been attacked by the right wing and imperialism on a constant basis,” the chancellor said, highlighting how the failure of neoliberal policies “opened the door to fascist forces.”
The meeting also had the presence and interventions of Kaira Reece, from the Union Confederation of Workers of the Americas (CSA, in Spanish), Mônica Valente, executive secretary of the Foro de São Paulo, and Flora Aguilar, from the Bartolina Sisa organization.
The participants of the Celac Social marched on Tuesday (24), downtown, towards the Sheraton hotel, where the summit of heads of state began this morning. A gathering is scheduled for noon in front of Sheraton in support of the summit and Latin American integration. There are also demonstrations in support of President Maduro and Cuban President Migual Díaz-Canel, and against repression in Peru and the permanence of President Dina Boluarte.
*With information from Resumen Latinoamericano and CTAA
Edited by: Thales Schmidt
