Venezuelans Remember the 1958 Popular Uprising
Popular uprising in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 1958. Photo: VTV
January 23, 2025 Hour: 2:16 pm
On January 23, 1958, the end of the U.S.-backed dictatorship opened the way to the fight for social justice in Venezuela.
On Thursday, Venezuela is celebrating the anniversary of the 1958 popular insurrection, a historic milestone that marked the end of the dictatorship of Gen. Marcos Perez Jimenez (1952–1958).
RELATED:
Venezuelan Far Right, Aragua Train, and the U.S. Are Linked: Minister Cabello
“Long live January 23! Today Venezuela commemorates 67 years since the 1958 popular insurrection that sought to reclaim true democracy and the sovereignty of the homeland,” President Nicolas Maduro said.
“We remember the rebellious spirit of the great Fabricio Ojeda and the martyred men and women who took to the streets in a civic-military union,” he added, referring to the key figures in the social struggle of that time.
“They represented the hope of a people who today, thanks to the Revolution, are no longer defenseless and are resisting with the original banners of January 23. The struggle of the people will never be betrayed again!” the Bolivarian leader emphasized.
“The Venezuelan people have taken political power and will continue making the revolution for many years to come in this 21st century,” he added.
Fabricio Ojeda (1929–1966) was a journalist, politician, and guerrilla leader. He served as the president of the Patriotic Junta that organized the movement to overthrow the Perez Jimenez regime.
Later, he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives for the Democratic Republican Union (URD) before becoming a leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN). He died in custody in 1966
On Thursday, President Maduro also evoked the words of the late Commander Hugo Chavez, who described Ojeda as a leader “who awakened the men and women who took up arms and went to the mountains to fight against the dictatorship of Betancourt, Leoni, and Caldera.”
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil paid tribute to the students, workers, and women who were part of the civic-military movement of 1958.
“After the Perez Jimenez’s dictatorship, Venezuela faced a period of neoliberal governments that culminated with the arrival of Commander Chavez and the triumph of the Bolivarian emancipatory project,” he recalled.
Diosdado Cabello, the vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), emphasized that Bolivarian revolutionary forces will be in the streets defending their homeland’s sovereignty with love.
In Caracas, a march commemorating the 1958 insurrection will depart from various points in the metropolitan area toward the Miraflores Palace. Similar mobilizations will also take place in other states, including Portuguesa, Monagas, Trujillo, and Cojedes.
teleSUR/ JF Source: teleSUR – VTV