Spanish Intellectuals Defend Venezuela's Constituent Assembly

To counter Spain's obsession with criticizing the Bolivarian government intellectuals, and defend the Constituent Assembly.

A group of Spanish analysts, sociologists, and politicians announced their complete support for President Nicolas Maduro’s National Constituent Assembly, calling it a “democratic gesture of solidarity,” praising the president for allowing Venezuelans to take their destiny into their own hands.

"From Catalonia, Spain, where the Spanish state through the Popular Party government does not let the people decide their destiny, we look with pride, satisfaction and healthy envy on how the Venezuelan people can decide their destiny and their future with the Constituent Assembly under the power of the whole society," said Spanish sociologist Anibal Garzon, a collaborator of La Radio del Sur.

The secretary of the Spanish organization of international solidarity, Jorge Martin said the group supports keeping their “Hands off Venezuela,” stating that interference from foreign governments, particularly their own, "will not only destroy the achievements, but the missions... and would also privatize great social advances to launch an offensive against the democratic rights of the people."

"The Spanish sociologist, Anibal Garzón, says: we see with envy healthy the constituent because the people can decide their destiny."

The overwhelming support from the group of intellectuals contrasts with the opinion of Spain’s former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, who spoke with Antena3 reporters Tuesday saying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had “turned Venezuela into a failed state.”

The politician said the Venezuelan armed forces "must be obedient to the constitutional mandate. If someone violates this mandate, the Armed Forces have no obligation to obey."

Spain's obsession with criticizing the Bolivarian government is well-documented. Pablo Iglesias, from Spain's anti-austerity Podemos party accused members of the Popular Party of using Venezuela's situation as a "smoke screen," to take attention away from corruption charges.

“I am going to be very sincere: I doubt very much that the leaders of the PP are concerned about the situation in Venezuela, basically because the instability in other countries is absolutely indifferent to them,” Iglesias said.

He urged the Popular Party to behave responsibly, “It’s prudent to not use the internal situation of a region to do your politics.”

Additionally, past claims by the Spanish right-wing lack validity after the posting of a video last year claiming it represented clashes between the opposition supporters and the police.

It was later revealed that the video was actually from a protest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.