By María Alejandra Londoño

The Libertarian Movement of Colombia held a successful encounter with local members during last Friday 12th of July with Liberty International Board Member Kyle Varner as the main guest. The event took place in a local pub in Bogota and the topic of the discussion was the future of liberty in Venezuela. The event brought together libertarians from different sectors such as university professors, entrepreneurs, students and members of Think Tanks; all of them, eager to learn how to contribute with the cause and hear Dr. Varner’s experiences and advice while enjoying a locally produced beer.

The Venezuelan situation is extremely relevant for Colombia, many of the justice and security issues related to the peace process are closely tied to freedom in Venezuela. That is why at the event many members of the Libertarian Movement of Venezuela attended to also discuss what both Colombians and Venezuelans could do to keep the fight for freedom alive.

Kyle is a fervent defender of liberty all around the world, and given his role as a volunteer near the border, the fight for freedom in Venezuela is very close to his heart. Back in 2010 when he was doing his residence in Puerto Rico, he learned Spanish, trough YouTube videos of Hugo Chavez he practiced his listening but, he realized then, that the ideas of Hugo Chavez were absolutely evil and despicable as well as his ideology Chavism. Since then, Kyle’s fight for freedom has only gotten stronger and because he also speaks Spanish his support to those who believe in liberty has surpass the boarders of his native country.

Chavism is now the cancer of Venezuela, the regime that has perpetuated violence and thousands of stories of suffering from millions of Venezuelans, that nowadays have to leave their country and their homes in order to survive. Becoming an example to all libertarians willing to join the cause, he recorded a video supporting the Libertarian Movement of Venezuela and the role of Maria Corina Machado from Vente Venezuela.

This video already has over 80.000 views. Nicholas Sarwark, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of the United States, also an advocate of the fight for freedom in Venezuela and the world, shared the video in the libertarian’s network, although not everyone was thrilled to see this message. Sadly, some attacks came not only from Chavism but also from the Ron Paul Institute, a libertarian Think Tank. To the surprise of many, some members of the institute and the Libertarian Party do not support the active fight for freedom in Venezuela, and believe that Americans or any other should not get involved in this situation advocating anti-war arguments, and what is worse, they endorse a version of libertarianism very closed, that advocates for closed borders where worldwide freedom is not relevant.

After this denouncement, Kyle asserted that is not possible to be libertarian and be against the fight for freedom in Venezuela, and urge Colombians not to take this same position because Venezuela today does not have a government, Venezuela is now taken by a Narco-State, an usurper regimen that has taken hostage millions of citizens, and therefore these usurpers need to be treated as what they really are: criminals.

Along the speech Kyle gave a look into possible solutions and gateways for freedom in Venezuela and Colombia. The first step, according to Kyle, is to prosecute people of interest such as Diosdado Cabello and Maduro for crimes against the United States of America, given that they are directly involved in violent drug trafficking activities through the Sol Cartel. After this, bounty hunters will be willing to bring these criminals to justice. Kyle also advice that the interim president Juan Guadió must activate 187, epigraph 11 that authorize foreign military missions within Venezuela territory. He also advised the Colombian government to close the Cuban embassy, as many now know the Cuban regimen is a big culprit in the socialist tragedy in Venezuela and Latin America.

Kyle is also making visible the situation of Venezuela by speaking with any person of the government of his country in order to increased pressure to the regime and demand that the government of the United States allows citizens to send armament to help the resistance. All of these tactics can also be foster by Colombian libertarians, giving space and hope to Venezuela. After the regime is brought to justice and prosecute as it should, then and only then, can Venezuela transition towards democratic elections, peace would be restored in Colombia and hopefully free markets would rule.

After his visit to Bogotá, Kyle went to Cúcuta, a city near the border with Venezuela to volunteer as medical expert, assisting Venezuelan patients in traumatic and difficult conditions. By the end of the week, Kyle attended a picnic there organized by María José Bernal, current director of Students for Liberty Colombia. This event was in the frame of a project held by the organization, called The liberty Caravan, which visits several cities where the ideas of liberty have not been deeply explored, through cultural activities as an excuse to promote liberty as a philosophy of life.

This time, the discussion focus on the importance of open borders and free markets for human development, freedom, and prosperity. Members of the Libertarian Movement of Venezuela also joined the picnic, enriching the conversation with their experiences and thoughts about how socialism has destroyed institutions and freedom in the Venezuelan society. Students from different domains participated in the discussion, and learned from Kyle’s experience and inspirational way of exposing challenging ideas. In this gathering he replicated the message he gave to libertarians in Bogotá, making the message more overwhelming given that the situation in the boarder shows all the devastation people of Venezuela are going through in the flesh.

The visit of Kyle Warner fueled with hope and optimism, he showed that there is a way to bring justice to Venezuela and peace to Colombia.

The help that people need to achieved freedom can come from libertarians from across the globe. As he said, the most important thing is to never forget that we are all human beings and that as human beings we demand freedom for everyone. That the least we can do is to treat Venezuelans with respect, even if is just to listen to their stories and thank them for their efforts in the fight for freedom, to assure them that they count on all of us to make the transition.

During both events Kyle remarked that liberty belongs to everyone, that is why the fight for freedom anywhere is the fight for freedom everywhere; he pointed out the importance to maintain libertarian movements around the world and therefore the role of Liberty International in supporting this movements and helping spread the ideas and philosophy. Now these movements are ready to help Venezuela transition towards democracy and freedom.

The Libertarian Movement of Colombia holds this type of events several times a month in order to raise money for different activities related to spreading the ideas of liberty. You can see the complete talk in Spanish on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/libertarioco/videos/570760146786993/

And if you are interested in donating to their cause you can reach out trough:

Facebook and Twitter: @LibertarioCo

Instagram: @MovimientoLibertarioCo

*Special thanks to María José Bernal, Director of Students of Liberty Colombia, for sharing their experience in Cúcuta.