Manifestation on December 9th at 5:00 PM in front of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, protesting against the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado. Location: Oslo, Henrik Ibsens gate 60 A.
“A peace prize must be awarded to actors who genuinely work for peace, dialogue, and justice. When the prize is given to a politician who supports military interference and actions contrary to international law, it breaks with the very purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize,” says Gro Standnes, President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and a board member of the Norwegian Peace Council.
“Trump is now openly threatening Venezuela with a war of aggression in violation of Article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter. Both the threats and the illegal attacks in the Caribbean endanger the civilian population, jeopardize national sovereignty, and may contribute to destabilizing the entire region. It is unacceptable for the Peace Prize to be used to legitimize Trump’s illegal use of force in Latin America. U.S. military interventions have never brought peace or prosperity to the region,” says Lina Álvarez Reyes, Information Advisor at The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America.
Background and sources
● Contradicts the intention of the Peace Prize: According to Albert Nobel’s will, the prize should be awarded to those who work for disarmament and peace, not to those who support military escalation.
● Legitimization of actions contrary to international law: Machado has dedicated the prize to Trump. At the same time the United States is carrying out attacks that four UN bodies have characterized as extrajudicial executions and violations of international law. Machado has not distanced herself from these actions and instead places responsibility for the illegal U.S. attacks on the Venezuelan authorities.
● Support for Trump’s war propaganda: Machado actively reinforces Trump’s false accusations that Venezuela is run by a drug cartel and poses a threat to the United States, while Trump threatens the country with military intervention. These accusations have been disproven by U.S. intelligence services and by leaders of the Venezuelan right wing. Machado has confirmed her support for the U.S. line both before and after the awarding of the Peace Prize, most recently in an interview with Norwegian Boardcaster NRK on December 2nd.
● Support for Israel’s genocide: Machado praised Israel’s “decisive action” in the context of the war in Gaza in the week following the announcement of her as the Peace Prize laureate and had previously signed, on behalf of her party, a cooperation agreement with Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Main slogans of the demonstration:
● No Peace Prize for warmongers!
● US – Hands off Latin America!
Contacts for the demonstration:
● The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America: Lina Álvarez Reyes, phone: +47 992 64 908, email: info@lagnorge.no
● Affiliated peace organizations: Gro Standnes, phone: +47 901 82 040, email: gro.standnes@icloud.com
Speakers at the manifestation:
● Geir Jørgensen, Member of Parliament (The red party - Rødt)
● Gjermund Skaar, President of SV’s International Committee (Socialist left party - Sosialistisk venstreparti)
● Juan Grajales, President of the The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America
● Kari Anne Næss, President of the Norwegian Peace Association
● Rami Samandar, Palestinian social scientist
Organizers:
● The Norwegian Solidarity Committee for Latin America (LAG Norway)
● International League of Women for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
● Norwegian Peace Association (Norges Fredslag)
● Stop NATO (Stopp NATO)
● Anti-War Initiative (AKI)
● Peace Initiative 2022 (Fredsinitiativet 2022)
● Cuba Association (Cubaforeningen)