We Remember: Fight racism. End Xenophobia. Remember the Holocaust

"It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere." - Primo Levi, 1986 The Drowned and the Saved

Today, January 27th is recognized by the United Nations as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and is observed around the world.  On this day in 1945, allied forces liberated Auschwitz.  It is important to recall that Soviet forces in 1939 had allied with the Nazis in invading and dividing up Poland in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that started WW2. They only changed sides after Germany invaded them on June 22, 1941.

Soviet soldier and Nazi soldiers fraternize after conquering Poland in 1939

We must never forget what happened and remain vigilant now and in the future to battle against the mass destruction of innocent human beings.  Unfortunately the international community has failed more than once since 1945 to prevent another mass slaughter. Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge murdered between one fourth and one third of its population between 1975 and 1979, civil libertarian Nat Hentoff pointed to another genocide that could have been stopped in Rwanda in 1994, and now we are witnessing another in Syria where religious minorities, including Christians are being targeted.

Holocaust memorial on Miami Beach

 It is also important to remember that antisemitism is on the rise world wide and people of the Jewish faith need our solidarity and support in confronting rising hatred and intolerance to ensure that what Nazi Germany did never be repeated. 

At the same time it is important to remember and honor the martyrs and heroes who resisted the Nazis.  They are exemplars in moral courage that are much needed today. In 2017 in the United States we saw Neo-Nazis on the march in Charlottesville, North Carolina first in a torchlight parade chanting anti-Semitic rants that the following day turned deadly in violent clashes that claimed an innocent life. We must remain vigilant and denounce this evil ideology wherever and whenever it arises. 

Let us begin by saying #WeRemember and committing to it never happening again.
 
"To forget the victims means to kill them a second time. So I couldn't prevent the first death. I surely must be capable of saving them from a second death." - Elie Wiesel
 

Civil Rights Icon? Angela Davis, Erich Honecker and the Wall

The wall that Angela does not want to talk about.

Angela Davis hosted by Erich Honecker in East Germany in 1972

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) rescinded the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, due to her controversial past. Following board resignations, and protests the Alabama Civil Rights Center decided to honor her after all citing their "commitment to learning from its mistakes and in order to stay true to the BCRI’s mission."

Fred L. Shuttlesworth was a civil rights icon who worked with Martin Luther King Jr., and courageously risked his life numerous times while maintaining a commitment to nonviolence to combat racism and segregation.

According to BCRI recipients of the Shuttlesworth award must embody the principles that guided the American Civil Rights Movement and characterized the life of Fred L. Shuttlesworth:

• A philosophy of non-violence and reconciliation
• Courage, both moral and physical, in the face of great odds
• Humility
• Leadership by example
• An established commitment to human-rights activities

This blog has documented Angela Davis's embrace of revolutionary violence and communism which are inconsistent with "a philosophy of non-violence and reconciliation." Davis also hobnobbed with a dictator responsible for the murder of scores of East Germans.

Angela Davis paid two visits to East Germany (in 1965 and 1972).  During her 1972 visit she was received by Erich Honecker. She celebrated the East German communist regime and refused to criticize, or recognize their short comings on human rights. She refuses to make references to the Berlin Wall in her autobiography.

Angela Davis visited Cuba in 1972 and Fidel Castro made her an honorary member of the infamous Committee in the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). Neighborhood committees that spied on Cubans to ensure their loyalty to the dictatorship.



Angela Davis never reconsidered her admiration for Fidel Castro despite his terrible human rights record and racism. Fidel Castro also visited the Berlin Wall. During Castro's first visit to Berlin on June 13, 1972 the Cuban dictator addressed the border guards that policed the Berlin Wall. At Brandenburg gate on June 14 he addressed the men charged with shooting East Germans fleeing to West Germany as "the courageous and self-denying border guards of the GDR People's Army who stand guard in the front line of the entire-socialist community." Later in the evening Fidel Castro addressed the Nikolay Bezarin Barracks in East Berlin:

"It is very important to know that the people of the GDR have great confidence in you, that they are truly proud of you. The comrades of the party and the citizens of socialist Berlin have told us with great satisfaction about the activity of the border troops, speaking with great admiration for you and for your services."

The criminal nature of the East German regime was revealed in a "seven-page order, dated October 1, 1973 and found [in 2007] in the regional archive office in the eastern city of Magdeburg, shows that the Ministry for State Security, known as the Stasi, had told guards: "Do not hesitate to use your firearm, not even when the border is breached in the company of women and children, which is a tactic the traitors have often used."

Angela Davis's host Eric Honecker and four other co-defendants were put on trial in a Berlin regional court on November 12, 1992. They were charged with 68 counts of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter at the inner-German border [Berlin Wall], which Honecker had fashioned as an impassable armed and guarded 'death strip.'" The court ended the trial without a verdict because it said that Honecker was too ill to stand trial and that to force him to do so would be a human rights violation. Honecker fled to Chile and died in exile.

Erich Honecker and Angela Davis in 1972

It is important to also recall that Martin Luther King Jr. paid a visit to East Berlin in 1964. However  their visits were world's apart. King's message of nonviolent resistance to injustice, God's plan and the struggle for freedom rattled East German authorities. Reverend King upon seeing the Berlin Wall criticized it and called it "very depressing." Davis just had praise for the East German regime.

Whereas the Soviet Union engaged in active measures to destroy Martin Luther King Jr. the Russians spent considerable resources to assist Professor Davis. It was not surprising considering her communist background that she sided with the oppressors and not the oppressed when she traveled in the East Bloc. Nor did it go unnoticed. When the Russian writer and dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn visited the United States  and on July 9, 1975 addressed the AFL-CIO and spoke of her.

“There’s a certain woman here named Angela Davis. I don’t know if you are familiar with her in this country, but in our country, literally, for an entire year, we heard of nothing at all except Angela Davis. There was only Angela Davis in the whole world and she was suffering. We had our ears stuffed with Angela Davis. Little children in school were told to sign petitions in defense of Angela Davis. Little boys and girls, eight and nine years old, were asked to do this. She was set free, as you know. Although she didn’t have too difficult a time in this country’s jails, she came to recuperate in Soviet resorts. Some Soviet dissidents–but more important, a group of Czech dissidents–addressed an appeal to her: `Comrade Davis, you were in prison. You know how unpleasant it is to sit in prison, especially when you consider yourself innocent. You have such great authority now. Could you help our Czech prisoners? Could you stand up for those people in Czechoslovakia who are being persecuted by the state?’ Angela Davis answered: `They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison.’ That is the face of Communism. That is the heart of Communism for you.

On August 5, 1979 she received the Lenin Prize in Moscow from the Soviet Union. A dictatorship that was an enemy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Fred Shuttlesworth because they both advocated nonviolent resistance and reconciliation.


   
Cathy Young has written a thoughtful analysis that is required reading to place in greater context the controversy surrounding Angela Davis receiving a civil rights award. If one wanted to give her an award for being a "revolutionary icon" then that would fit what she has done, but "civil rights" icon does not.

BCRI's mistake was not rescinding the award, but announcing that they were giving the award to Angela Davis in the first place.

Angela Davis in East Germany

Down with Cuban Imperialism in Latin America.

"Amazing how everything the left accuses the U.S. of wanting to do in Venezuela —siphon off oil wealth, install a puppet dictator, run hundreds of spies, crush democratic institutions— is stuff Cuba is *actually* doing. And has been. For years."  - Caracas Chronicles

Down with Cuban Imperialism in Latin America. Let us save Latin America

The Cuban dictatorship beginning in 1959 had strategic designs on taking over Venezuela to exploit its natural resources in order to magnify its regional impact.

On January 23, 1963 Cuban Communist leader Blas Roca made it public when he told a Havana rally that when the communists gained full control in Venezuela and they “make themselves owners of the great riches in oil, aluminum and everything their earth imprisons, then all of America shall burn.”  A cache of three tons of weapons was found on a Venezuelan beach in November 1963 that was to be used to disrupt the democratic elections there.

Fidel Castro would continue to agitate for revolution in Venezuela. A well documented incident occurred on May 8, 1967 and was reported in The Washington Post that described how: "two small boats carrying a dozen heavily armed fighters made landfall near Machurucuto, a tiny fishing village 100 miles east of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Their plan was to march inland and recruit Venezuelan peasants to the cause of socialist revolution." An all night gun battle with the Venezuelan military led to nine guerrillas dead, two captured, and one who had escaped.

Venezuelans successfully defended themselves from repeated ventures, and the Castro regime relented pledging not to attempt the violent overthrow of the democracy, but years later they succeeded with Hugo Chavez at the ballot box what they had failed to do through force of arms.

The Castro regime turned Venezuela into their colony.

Caracas Chronicles is right when it observes: "Amazing how everything the left accuses the U.S. of wanting to do in Venezuela —siphon off oil wealth, install a puppet dictator, run hundreds of spies, crush democratic institutions— is stuff Cuba is *actually* doing. And has been. For years."

Thousands of Cuban military advisers and intelligence officials assisted the Chavez and Maduro regime's consolidate power to entrench the dictatorship in Venezuela. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro has described it as "being like an occupation army."

The Castro regime's personnel have been training the military, security services and pro-regime militias in tactics and strategies to terrorize and repress the citizenry in Venezuela. Many young Venezuelans have paid the ultimate price for standing up for freedom in their homeland.

Time for the international community to assist in dismantling Cuban imperialism in Latin America.

Use Your Voice: March in Europe for The Forbidden Cubans

“Darkness cannot drive out hate; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Actions speak louder than words. Let them speak on Saturday in The Hague, in Madrid, and in Geneva. #FreeCuba #CubaLibre #NotAnotherOne #losprohibidos

 

 

Free Venezuela: Time for Maduro and the Castro regime's occupation force to leave

There is a new president in Venezuela. Time for Maduro to go.

Venezuela's constitutional president, Juan Guaido

Opposition leader Juan Guaido swore himself in as Venezuela's rightful president today. He promised to lead a transition to a new government through free and fair elections. The Venezuelan people, the Venezuelan opposition, and the international community are uniting in support of the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.

Citizens of Venezuela today mobilized across their country and in their diaspora in a call for freedom. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Panama and  Peru responded by recognizing the new president. The list grows longer by the hour.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has also recognized President Juan Guaido and Secretary General Almagro has issued a formal statement. The Special Council of the OAS will hold a special meeting tomorrow at 11:00am to consider recent developments in Venezuela.

Message from #OAS Secretary General @Almagro_OEA2015 on historic day in #Venezuela #23Ene #OEAconVzla pic.twitter.com/vZsQC5nlLE

— OAS (@OAS_official) January 24, 2019

Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal reports more than 70 arrested in Caracas protests.

Foro Penal reporta más de 70 detenidos por protestas en Caracas https://t.co/JntgcglB39

— Noticia al Día (@noticiaaldia) January 24, 2019

Nicolas Maduro is an “usurper” who on May 20, 2018 stole an election and committed a massive fraud calling himself the president of Venezuela. The Venezuelan opposition boycotted the election and it understood that it only served to further consolidate the Maduro dictatorship.

Worse yet to hang to power the usurper has committed crimes against humanity in Venezuela. He has invited a foreign power to interfere in Venezuela's internal affairs.

Thousands of Cuban military advisers and intelligence officials assisted the Maduro regime further consolidate power to entrench the dictatorship in Venezuela. The OAS Secretary General described it as "being like an occupation army." The Castro regime's personnel have been training the military, security services and pro-regime militias in tactics and strategies to terrorize and repress the citizenry in Venezuela. Many young Venezuelans have paid the ultimate price for standing up for freedom in their homeland.

In 2019, 13 Venezuelans have been killed in protests, deaths registered by the Venezuelan human rights group PROVEA. In all 13 cases they were participating in nonviolent protests when they were attacked by either by the police and/or paramilitary groups.

En 13 de los casos de muertes en protestas 2019 registradas por Provea y @OVCSocial, los asesinados participaban en protestas pacíficas que fueron atacadas por agentes de la fuerza pública y/o agrupaciones paramilitares https://t.co/gFSMHA0mtL pic.twitter.com/GjJR5dx2Iy

— PROVEA (@_Provea) January 24, 2019

Tonight they continue to be murdered by Maduro's security forces across Venezuela. The national guard are firing on buildings.

#23ene Ataque de GNB disparando contra edificios en Calle 14 de El Valle pic.twitter.com/UcsPJW4i34

— PROVEA (@_Provea) January 24, 2019

Maduro's repressive forces are firing at homes and demonstrators tonight in Venezuela. The count of wounded and dead will climb through the night as this usurper desperately hangs on to power through the use of force and terror.

#23ene Así llegó el FAES esta noche al barrio El Amparo en Catia. Residentes reportaron disparos contra viviendas y manifestantes pic.twitter.com/QKByx8KNAg

— PROVEA (@_Provea) January 24, 2019

The countries supporting the Maduro regime in the Western Hemisphere are the usual suspects: Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador,  and Nicaragua. These are regimes ruled by Left Wing despots ( Cuba, Nicaragua), former communist guerillas (El Salvador), and a country on its way to becoming a despotism (Bolivia).

However there is one country that is supporting Maduro that is cause for great concern and that is Mexico.  Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, an admirer of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, is the new president of Mexico. He claims to be a democrat, who respects democratic norms, but this was the same line used by Hugo Chavez during the 1998 presidential election in Venezuela. Supporting Maduro is a worrying signal for democrats in the region.

Outside of the Americas, the support for Maduro is being registered by the world's authoritarians: Russia, China, Syria, Iran, and Turkey. Tell me who you associate and I will tell you who you are. Maduro is a dictator backed by other dictatorships.

Meanwhile the Canadian government has published the following statement (an unofficial translation to English) from the Lima Group, a collection of democratic countries in the Americas:

Declaration of the Lima Group

The governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru express the following:
1. They recognize and express their full support for the President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who has today accepted responsibility as interim President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in accordance with the constitutional norms and the illegitimacy of the Nicolás Maduro regime.
2. They support the beginning of the process of democratic transition in Venezuela within the framework of its constitution, in order to hold new elections, in the shortest time and with the participation of all political actors and the international guarantees and standards necessary for a democratic process.
3. They condemn the acts of violence that occurred in Venezuela and urge the Nicolás Maduro regime to adopt measures to guarantee the rule of law and the fundamental rights of the people and recover social peace, while the transition of government takes place.
4. They affirm their decision to continue strongly supporting the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.

Tonight at 9:25pm the President of Venezuela tweeted "I have no words to express the pain I feel as I continue to learn that Venezuelans have been killed during the protests in the last few hours. To their families, I can only guarantee that Justice and Peace will reign in our homeland.".

No tengo palabras para expresar el dolor que siento al seguir enterandome que venezolanos han sido asesinados durante las protestas en las últimas horas.

A sus familias, solo les puedo garantizar que la Justicia y la Paz reinará en nuestra patria.

— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) January 24, 2019

There have been calls for dialogue with Maduro. This is a mistake. Now is the time for nonviolent mobilization and for Venezuelans to free themselves of this dictator. Gene Sharp, the strategic nonviolence expert, understood this when he explained: "Dictator's will not negotiate themselves out of power." Let no one fool themselves, Venezuela is a militarized narco-dictatorship that will not be negotiated out of power.  However, Gene Sharp also understood that nonviolent resistance used strategically can force him out of power.

#MaduroIllegitimate #MaduroDictator #MaduroUsurper