Affected people from five continents unite in solidaridade with the people of Venezuela, Haiti, Palestine and Cuba

Last night (November 7), people affected from all over the world united in an Act of Internationalist Solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela, Haiti, Palestine and Cuba. The activity expressed, in a symbolic and mystical way, the resistance of the peoples against human rights violations and aggressions imposed by capital. The meeting, which precedes COP30 and the People’s Summit, brings together more than 200 delegates from 45 countries on five continents – America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania – in the city of Belém, in Pará, the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.

The opening ceremony depicted how the “imperialist eagle” spread its claws across the world, causing territories to bleed as their riches are plundered and people fighting for self-determination are exterminated. In response, workers worldwide unite in a struggle marked by internationalist solidarity, joining forces to confront tyranny through popular organization. This ceremony set the tone for the task of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAR) for the coming period: the revolutionary practice of solidarity and compassion among peoples.

For Mai al Bayoumi Jouda, of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Spain (PFLP), the Israeli occupation aims to exterminate the Palestinian people, who have been confronting imperialism and fascism for almost 80 years. The majority of victims are children and women, who suffer systematic human rights violations, torture, and the denial of access to water, energy, and minimum conditions for survival in a televised genocide, live and in color. The smokescreen disseminated by Israel and its allies attempts to hide the real objective of the occupation: the theft of natural resources, such as water and land, and the erasure of the culture, language, and religion of the Palestinian people.

“For us, internationalist solidarity is very important. Today, we are all aware that Palestine must be free, sovereign, democratic, secular, anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-colonial. We ask all peoples who fight for a Free Palestine to continue fighting and say NO to the State of Israel,” she stated

For Maynara Nafe, Secretary of Institutional Relations of the Arab Palestinian Federation of Brazil (FEPAL), “the system that drops bombs on Gaza is the same one that finances the war on drugs and the selective extermination in the favelas of Brazil, and that stains our history with toxic mud. It is our urgent task to transform pain into political struggle. Therefore, all struggles for survival, for life, and for dignity are sister struggles, and at the International Meeting, our pains and struggles meet.”

João Aguiar, from the coordination of the Brazilian delegation of the Global Flotilla Sumud and the Palestinian Nucleus of the Workers’ Party (PT), highlighted:

“We are peoples who carry on our backs the weight of injustices and the flames of resistance. The fight against dams is, above all, a fight for life, for dignity, for memory, and for the right to exist in harmony with nature. To speak of life requires courage to look at the wounds of our society. The climate crisis is not only environmental, but also a matter of territorial justice and human dignity. At this COP30, held on sacred Amazonian soil, it is fundamental to discuss the expulsion of the Israeli delegation and the company that steals Palestinian water.”

The event also included the participation of Guiomar Rodríguez, from the National Ecosocialist Front for Life of Venezuela. “This warmth we feel here in Belém is not only physical, it’s spiritual; it’s the warmth of a people united in organization, solidarity, and struggle.” Gilmar recalled that, since Commander Chávez began the process of recovering sovereignty and oil reserves, Venezuela has suffered attacks and sanctions from the United States, which sees the Venezuelan people as a threat to its plans for domination.

“With great determination, the Venezuelan people have taken the Bolivarian project into their own hands, advancing in literacy, professional training, housing conditions, and the fight against poverty. This year, we have faced great difficulties, but the will of our people is extremely strong. Hand in hand with our government, we continue to confront fascism in our homes and streets. We will not give up: the people hold everything in their hands to exercise international solidarity,” affirms Guiomar.

Mitchet Santana, from the Network of Popular Educators of Cuba, shared the Cuban experience, which promotes the Martin Luther King Memorial Center: “We have solidarity as a conscious and transformative political project. Cuba’s struggle is a struggle for just causes, for sovereignty, and for the right to a dignified future. For more than 60 years, we have suffered from the trade blockade, an undeclared economic war that affects the Cuban people and constitutes a form of genocide by denying access to basic resources.”

Cuba and Jamaica have faced the effects of the climate crisis, with hurricanes and natural disasters, and yet the Cuban people remain standing, joining hands with their Haitian brothers and sisters who live in serious political and economic insecurity. “In times of falsehood and demonstrations of neoliberal and capitalist strength, Cuba remains firm, in solidarity, humane, and socialist. Socialism is the political name for love. So, let us sow love on our planet,” concluded Miguel.

The participants of the International Meeting expressed solidarity with their comrades from Haiti, who were unable to attend in Belém due to the difficulties they faced in their country; with the people of Kurdistan, victims of colonialism; and with their comrades from Colombia and Mexico, who continue to resist the attacks of imperialism.