Bernie Sanders speaks out as Bolivia’s coup reveals its fascist face

Bernie Sanders and Bolivian fascists doing Nazi salute


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For almost 14 years, Bolivia’s government has been an example of how democratic socialism can be successful. And precisely for that reason, the US and its local allies have conspired to overthrow it. Fortunately, democratic socialists elsewhere are calling out the current coup – just as it’s revealing its fascist face.

US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, for example, has openly called for a return to democracy in Bolivia:

Fellow progressive politicians have also spoken out:

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In the UK, meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn led the way in condemning the coup.

The US and its corporate allies can’t allow successful left-wing governments to exist

Morales was the first member of Bolivia’s large Indigenous population to become president, and he remains deeply popular among many Bolivians. While no government is perfect, many people considered Morales’s administration to be perhaps the “most successful” left-of-centre government in Latin America – and perhaps even the world. As The Canary previously reported, his government lifted “millions of people out of poverty” and oversaw very impressive economic growth despite “deep economic crises and an economic slowdown elsewhere in Latin America”. For these reasons, Bolivians recently re-elected his government (though with a reduced majority).

Because Morales supports nationalisation and opposes the terror of US imperialism, he has been very unpopular in Washington. And as the coup took shape in Bolivia, intellectuals Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad pointed firmly to US involvement. Many other analysts said the same:

The fascist face of the coup

Mexico has now granted Morales political asylum. But in Bolivia, things are rapidly deteriorating.

The Grayzone has done an in-depth report on the fascist links of one of the coup’s key figures:

Numerous videos, meanwhile, revealed the anti-Indigenous racism among coup members and supporters:

Author Naomi Klein stressed how this behaviour shows the dark alliance between fascists and corporatists:

There were also reports of authorities and right-wing mobs rounding up left-wingers:

If we want to stop the US / fascist alliance, we must denounce this disgusting coup

As these worrying events unfolded, former US presidential candidate Jill Stein poignantly asked:

She also stressed:

Indeed, anyone who believes in democracy, social justice, and human rights must stand up now in condemnation against Bolivia’s fascist coup.

It is not OK that, in the 21st century, rich and powerful elites in the US and elsewhere can still get rid of governments just because they dare to serve the interests of working people. And we must raise our voices as loud as we can if we want that to change.

Featured image via Flickr – Gage Skidmore / Twitter – The Grayzone

Get involved

  • Attend the “No to the coup in Bolivia – no more Pinochets in Latin America” event in London on 13 November, organised by Labour Friends of Progressive Latin America.

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