Event: International Meeting with Mothers Victims of Fascism / Encuentro Internacional de Madres Victimas del Fascismo
26 July 2025
Caracas, Venezuela
Written by: Dr. Nonkululeko Patricia Mantula
The great jubilation and determination to liberate people from fascism in Venezuela, and South America at large, was celebrated today at the International Meeting with Mothers Victims of Fascism (Encuentro Internacional de Madres Victimas del Fascismo) just a day ahead of the Caracas Mayoral elections taking place 27 July 2025.
The hall was packed to overflowing capacity to celebrate the great pursuit by mothers, community and the government to bring back youths who were kidnapped and taken to the USA. This was a tragic legacy which begun in 1959 were the harshness of Western imperialism pushed a propaganda against the government regime of that time and violated the human rights of South Americans.
The Regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba brought about the nationalization of foreign assets in Cuba, the increase on taxes for USA imports, and the streghthening of trade relations with The Soviet Union. All these efforts were clearly not in the favour of the USA and stripped it of its power withing Cuba.
In efforts to destabilise the Fidel regime, the USA implemented the clandestine Perter Pan Project / Operación Pedro Pan, which was well orchestrated and supported by the not only the USA government but the pious cloth of the Catholic Welfare Bureau. Two bodies that have for far too long created a narrative of false comfort to force their nefarious agenda onto the Global South. Religion and politics have been the age old tactics used to colonize and destabilize great nations. In this case, the spreading of fear of Fidel Castor’s Communist regime indoctrination was instilled in citizens by using media and the Catholic religious leaders to lure parents to send their minor children, aged 6 to 18 years from Cuba to the USA over a two year span in 1960 to 1962. The power of this campaign saw the biggest blindfolded exodus of over 14 000 unaccompanied minors to the USA. The facade of a better future and protection against Cuban Communism was the banner waved at unsuspecting families.
It was a dehumanizing project that has not only broken up families, destroyed the minds of the youth and created young people without a national identity.
In October 1962 the USA government halted the operation, but this didn’t stop the kidnapping of children to continue flowing from Latin America into the USA.
The atrocities systematically unleashed on generations in South America by the USA government have been disguised and unmentioned due to a lack of credible and authentic media voices from the Global South, the narrative has always been pro Western, to propagate its agenda on countries it seeks to have under its control for the plundering of resources and its people.
However today marked an incredibly liberating day of showing that decisive and compassionate leadership can bring change and healing to years of injustice.
Speaking at the Encuentro Internacional de Madres Victimas del Fascismo event were women with first hand experience of this mass exodus and the recent kidnappings of Venezuelan children to the USA, along side Ms Camilla Fabri, the Vice Minister of International Communications (Venezuela) and Mr. Rander Pñena, Executive Secretary for The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP).
The panelists spoke of the alarming history of the biggest exodus of unaccompanied minors in the western hemisphere, the harsh lived realities of the kidnapped children, and the agony of their families.
The victory over fascism was outlined in the communal unity that has see a total of 252 children, mainly boys, successfully rescued from the cruel grip that lured them into vulnerabilities in the USA and some even having been dumped by the US in prisons in Salvador and Guatemala.
It was made very clear that the revolution to this victory was sparked by the people on the ground. The grieving mothers, fathers and grandparents who lamented to their President to rescue their children.
A surprise call from President Nicolás Maduro, serving a third term in office, was received by the Mr. Rander Pñena as he was closing off the event. The president gave a public heart felt message of support to the audience.
He started off by thanking the people of Argentina and their leader for the support given during different times. He commended the unity of the victorious Latin American mothers’ of the 252 rescued boys.
He thanked God for His divine power displayed in rescuing the the young people.
President Maduro further saluted the Cuban government for the their celebration of the National Rebellion Day, commemorating the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barrack by Fidel Castro’s forces. which was being celebrated on this day 26 July. A day that the Cubans consider as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.
In his heart felt speech, he said “July 18 is declare as a day to commemorate the day of rescuing of the young people, to transform the pain into action, to construct a new Venezuela that needs to be built together. We have received messages from all over the world celebrating this great rescue. But after the celebration there needs to be justice against those who kidnapped, tortured and raped the young people, we need to see the arm of justice and they must receive punishment” In the victory he didn’t omit the fact that there is still more work to be done, he said “There are still 32 youngster to be rescue in the US… I swear that we will not rest until these children are rescued… I want to see an end to the kidnapping of Venezuelan children to USA.”