To the US State Department, the AFL-CIO, the ILO and major media outlets:

Women in Venezuela, overwhelmingly women of color, who have suffered discrimination and poverty, were central to reversing the April 11 military coup against elected President Hugo Chávez Frias. They have called a "permanent mobilization" to defend their "peaceful and democratic revolution" and their elected government. The coup, supported by the US, the only country to recognize its installed dictatorship, tried to return power to the rich and racist elite, its corrupt running of the oil industry, the corporate media and the corrupt leadership of the CTV trade union that acts for the employers and the US against the workers.

Responding to the appeal of grassroots women in Venezuela, we condemn any attempt to threaten and undermine what women and therefore every community have won through their revolution and its anti-sexist anti-racist pro-worker Constitution.

We condemn US intervention --- subtle, covert or overt --- aimed at overthrowing the government of President Chavez that was elected to carry out economic and social reforms to rid the country of poverty and corruption.

We demand that:

• The Bush administration stop its attempts to bring down the elected government of Venezuela, financing and sheltering those trying to destabilize the economy.

• The AFL-CIO stop hosting, funding and defending the pro-coup trade union federation CTV.

• The ILO end its silence on the corruption of the CTV.

• The media stop spreading lies and panic in order to create an excuse for US intervention.

(The Global Women's Strike takes action in over 60 countries every March 8 since the year 2000. We demand that the world "invest in caring not killing." We sent a women’s truth-finding mission to Venezuela in July 2002. Findings can be found on our website: http://womenstrike8m.server101.com )