The Articulation of Social Movements towards the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) was founded four years ago and is made up by grassroots organizations that share the principles of this integrationist proposal.

Venezuelan governmental authorities participated in the activity of the Continental Coordination, a decision-making space of this Articulation defined in its Constituent Assembly of May 2013, and will include a broadened space with several Venezuelan social organizations.

Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Elias Jaua participated in the meeting at Alba Caracas Hotel, one of the public buildings attacked by violent groups in the past weeks. Meanwhile, a meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday with President Nicolas Maduro.

The call for the meeting aims to analyze the social, political and economic situation in Latin America, follow the agreements reached in the 1st Continental Assembly and build a 2014 workplan.

Communications was highlighted by the movements as an important front, especially because of the current coverage by the media of Caracas about the situation of Venezuela and its Bolivarian Revolution, according to a report by Telesur.

In this context, new self-managed economy, communication, political training initiatives and struggles against extractive industries, in addition to the possibility to carry out a Global Social Movements Meeting are being analyzed.

“We, the movements, identify ourselves with the ALBA project” said Joao Pedro Stédile, of the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil (MST-Via Campesina) in a press conference. “We are over 1,000 social movements from the entire continent. We decided to hold our meeting here to express solidarity against the attacks by capitalists on the Venezuelan people. We represent the popular forces that believe that the Latin American problems will only be solved if all peoples are together”.

With reference to the media campaign around the world against Venezuela, Stedile said: “they make Goebbels seem like a little angel next to what the US media are doing. We know that the people want to move on in peace, and that´s why we are here, to look with our own eyes and warn the US media: do not meddle, because we, as popular forces, will be here showing solidarity in a concrete way and telling the truth, exposing the lies of what they are saying”.