00:00And as the first date of the anti-fascist youth and students world congress is underway
00:04in Caracas, we go live with our correspondent Belen De Los Santos.
00:08Hi Belen, share with us all the details you have from today.
00:11Hello Ana, how are you?
00:15Exactly as you were saying, this congress that summons the youth in their struggle against
00:21fascism is underway in Caracas.
00:22This was the first date that is still going on.
00:25We have working tables underway that are debating some of the topics that are most relevant
00:31in the struggle against fascism.
00:34And the youth from over 70 countries are debating topics such as the environment.
00:39They are also debating topics on women and gender around the world.
00:43They are also, because it's the youth in particular, they are debating topics related, for example,
00:49to the student movement around the world.
00:53And also, of course, the ways in which internationally to cope with things that are going on right
01:00now in our world, like an ongoing genocide in the Middle East, affecting in particular,
01:05but not only the Palestinian people.
01:08So to continue on that topic, we have with us today Bandar al-Sharif.
01:13He is the spokesperson for the Association Against Zionism and Racism in Jordan.
01:19So Mr. al-Sharif, thank you for joining us here in Tell Us Your English.
01:24And I would like to start by asking you, we live in such a world in which most of the
01:30world is witnessing an ongoing genocide right now.
01:34And the international organizations seem to be either helpless or accomplices to such crimes.
01:42So what does, in that context, what does this congress, the possibility of the youth coming
01:47together to debate their common struggle, what does that mean in that context?
01:52Actually, this is a speech with no limit, basically.
02:01Venezuela, in this conference, is providing us with a platform with no limits.
02:07We, as youth from all over the world, Palestine and many countries, coming here to speak about
02:16our causes with no limits, with no rules, with no introduction from any power.
02:25So the level of freedom that we witness here in Venezuela, we didn't witness it anywhere
02:31else in our countries and anywhere else in the world.
02:35Right.
02:36And that is something so important to point out, right?
02:41In the face of a global media that sometimes takes for its own the word freedom and applies
02:48it only for some certain liberal policies, and they say that that is freedom.
02:54And I really like to highlight what you were saying, the possibility of discussing these
02:59topics and really trying to build common strategies.
03:04So in that case, and speaking about the struggle that the people from the Middle East are carrying
03:12out in solidarity with people from all over the world, what do you think that could come
03:17out of a congress like this in terms of international solidarity?
03:22I think the international solidarity playing a basic role in supporting us as Palestinians
03:29and supporting the Palestinian issue in general.
03:33Because the Palestinian issue is the international issue.
03:37It's not only humanitarian.
03:39It's the last occupation, direct occupation in the 21st century.
03:45We are, for example, in Jordan living the third generation of refugees.
03:51And we are speaking up all over the world, looking for platforms or countries or media
03:59to adopt us and adopt our thoughts.
04:03What we are witnessing here is a huge solidarity, especially I think number one issue in this
04:12conference is the Palestinian issue, because it's crucial to talk about it, because we
04:20are witnessing a genocide happening on our bare eyes right now, regardless the genocide
04:29happening 100 years ago.
04:32So we are talking about generations of struggle.
04:37Venezuela now is on our side.
04:41Venezuela is collecting 500 people from around 100 countries.
04:49These participants are leaders in their countries, are leaders of groups, leaders of parties.
04:56They can push in their groups, in their countries to push the international community towards
05:05stopping the genocide and cease fire.
05:09This is what the Palestinian people need right now.
05:13And for the long term, of course, Palestine needs liberation.
05:18Right.
05:19And you were saying that maybe the key topic in this Congress has to do with the Palestinian
05:26struggle and the need for Palestinian freedom.
05:29And that doesn't, it doesn't have to be in a poster.
05:33It doesn't have to be a topic of the debate.
05:35You can see it in the T-shirts of many of the youth around us.
05:38You can see it in the cupillas and Palestinian flags that are really all over the Congress.
05:45And it has, of course, because of the context, become a central topic.
05:50And we've seen it throughout the year, how the youth from all over the world, maybe even
05:56youth that before were not as involved and did not have as much knowledge about the Palestinian
06:04history and struggle, how that fiber was very touched, was really moving for a lot of the
06:11youth and peoples of the world.
06:13Do you think that there is a possibility of common struggle, a possibility that the people
06:20of the Global South can see that this is not just a fight of one people in particular,
06:25but it's a fight against imperialism, against colonialism, and finally unite under one cause,
06:32and that is the Palestinian cause?
06:34Actually, it can help in two ways, in the short term and the long term.
06:39In the short term, the youth, the people, participants, they're all youth people.
06:44They can push on their governments, on their communities towards the Palestinian demand.
06:51In the long term, we can say that these young people, they have a high awareness and they
06:59are leaders in their communities, in their groups.
07:02So, we expect that these participants today, the youth who is participating in this conference
07:09today, will be the leaders of their countries on the long term, and then we'll see much
07:16more solidarity, not only from groups and parties and individuals and people.
07:21We will see a solidarity, a real solidarity, from different governments in the world who
07:27is not supporting us right now, and we are depending on that for future.
07:31And we hope that we are the last generation of refuge, and we will witness the liberation
07:39of Palestine from the river to the sea as the limit that Venezuela is taking officially
07:48and governmentally.
07:49It's definitely a hope of all of us in the Global South.
07:54So, thank you, Mr. Al-Sharif, for joining us in Telesur English.
07:58That was Vandar Al-Sharif, spokesperson for the Association Against Zionism and Racism
08:04in Jordan.
08:05And that, Ana, was just another one of the testimonies from the delegates that have come
08:11here to Caracas to share their experiences and continue building a roadmap for the future
08:17in the fight against fascism, understanding that this is a common struggle.
08:22This does not have to do with one country alone.
08:25It has to do with something that is happening worldwide, and only a worldwide response can
08:31be viable in that sense.
08:33In one of the tables earlier, one of the delegates was saying something very similar to what
08:39we were just discussing.
08:40They were saying, well, the youth that are in the streets today will be the politicians
08:44of tomorrow.
08:45So that is the hope of this Congress, that tomorrow a future is built in which all this
08:51Palestinian flags and flags from all over the global south are standing high, and we
08:57really build a future that is a future against fascism.
09:01So that is a little bit from what is happening here in Caracas.
09:04We will continue to bring you all the information.
09:06As usual, now I go back to you.
09:08Thank you, Valen.
Comments