HUNDREDS of activists gathered at the headquarters of the National Education Union in London for the annual “Adelante” Latin America conference on Saturday.

Activists took part in plenary sessions and more than 20 workshops organised by the Cuba, Venezuela, Colombian and Nicaraguan solidarity campaigns, to support the progressive movements of Latin America.

Chair of the opening plenary Bernard Regan, the national secretary of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC), placed the conference within “the spirit of anti-imperialism and the right to self-determination.” 

Among the plenary speakers was Kate Hudson, the vice-president of CND, Dr Irene Velez-Torres, the consul general of the Colombian embassy and Felix Plasencia, the Venezuelan ambassador to Britain.

Ambassador Plasencia reminded the conference that his country had been hit with “more than 1,000 unilateral and coercive measures,” during which Venezuela has lost 99 per cent of its income over a 12-year period.

Cuban ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter said: “The future of Latin America must not be written by external forces.”

Despite the challenges posed by the illegal blockade, she added: “Cuba stands ready to continue to show solidarity with our neighbours.”

Vijay Prashad, the executive director of Tricontinental, insisted that “the US is no longer the centre of the world.”

He condemned the US as an “irrelevant declining society” and said that “the centre of world gravity has now shifted to Asia.”

Mr Prashad added: “The world was rising up … and we should recognise the importance of developments such as the Alliance of Sahel States.

“We need more of this defiance. We need more people to rise up. We need to rise up here.”

After a day of workshops with speakers from across the world, the closing rally heard CSC chairman Kevin Courtney remind the conference that it was not just about coming and listening: “we all need to go away and do something.”

The rally included Labour NEC member Jess Bernard, who described Latin America as “a beacon of resistance,” and Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard, who quoted Guyanese historian and political activist Walter Rodney’s advice for activism “to be grounded in the experiences of the common people.”

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “We need to redouble our efforts in the face of the imperialist Trump regime.”

Dr Aleida Guevara, daughter of Che, said we have to continually ask ourselves “what sort of world are we going to leave for the next generation.”

She told the conference we must say no to war before leading the conference in singing the Internationale.

Closing the conference, independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said: “We must never concede ground to the far right.

“The road to concessions to the far right leads to a very dark place.”