On 2 April the Revolutionary Communist Group held a protest outside the Bank of England, demanding the Bank to release the 31 tonnes of gold worth £1.2b which it has illegally
seized from the Venezuelan people. Despite Maduro’s legitimate victory in the Venezuelan presidential elections in July 2024, the British state refuses to recognise him as the
designated representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, completely disregarding the will and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people and through the blessing of the supreme
court, keeps its claws on Venezuelan gold.
We spoke out against this grave injustice, highlighting the Bank of England’s historic role in financing Britain’s colonial empire and linking that to its financing of Britain’s imperialist
endeavours today such as its aggression against the Bolivarian Republic. Comrades also spoke about the need to put pressure on the British state and its institutions given the vicious
attacks on Venezuelans by the Trump administration. This has involved ICE agents arbitrarily dragging Venezuelan nationals and migrants into detention centres, deporting 300
of them to El Salvador’s inhumane prisons in a deal with President Nayib Bukele and also threatening to impose a 25% tariff on any country importing Venezuelan oil.
While unions, ‘progressives’ and other self-proclaimed ‘socialists’ stand idly by, the Revolutionary Communist Group continues to uphold its steadfast solidarity with the people
of revolutionary Venezuela. In 2020, Alfred de Zayas, former UN special rapporteur estimated that sanctions on Venezuela had caused over 100,000 deaths due to shortages in
medicine and medical equipment. This US economic warfare is supported by Britain and there is blood on the hands of the British state. While opportunists divert all attention to
Trump, we must continue to hold the British state to account.
Hands off Venezuela! Give back the gold!