The Communist Party USA condemns in the strongest terms the U.S. government’s illegal seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker. Reports indicate it was en route to Cuba. This is an act of piracy and a brazen escalation of imperialist aggression against the people of Latin America.

Under the fraudulent pretext of combating “terrorism” and “drugs,” this criminal action has two clear purposes. First, it is to provoke a conflict with the people of Venezuela, green-lighting a long-sought operation in order to seize the nation’s vast oil resources for the profits of Big Oil. Secondly, this attack is also a deliberate assault on the people of Cuba, who are another target of U.S. imperialism.

By stealing oil desperately needed to sustain Cuba’s economy, the Trump administration is weaponizing the illegitimate and bankrupt “State Sponsor of Terrorism” designation to inflict maximum suffering on the Cuban people. The admission by Trump that “we keep” the stolen cargo further exposes their motives of plunder and imperial domination.

This act of piracy follows a massive military buildup in the region, including the murder of 87 people in the Caribbean Sea, and direct calls by war-hawks in the U.S. for a ground assault on Venezuela. These actions explicitly serve to enforce the so-called “Trump Corollary,” which seeks to violently reassert the Monroe Doctrine and U.S. hegemony in its supposed “sphere of influence.” The U.S. people, 70% of whom oppose intervention in Venezuela, must see this act as a dangerous provocation toward another war of aggression.

We stand in solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba against U.S. imperialism. We call on the working class and all peace-loving people in the United States to demand an immediate end to all sanctions, blockades, and criminal acts of aggression, and to militantly oppose this criminal drive toward war.

 

Image: U.S. and Pirate Flag by Second Story Images (Creative Commons).