For some time the situation in Venezuela has been a cause of serious concern to the international community because of economic difficulties, the high rate of violence and high levels of inflation that put the country's stability in serious difficulties. Another phenomenon is a growing impunity and the violation of people's rights and institutions by groups close to the government.
For the past few months the Salesian community has been a victim of these abuses, which were denounced in a public statement: "We express categorically our concern over the illegal occupation of our school" the statement says. It also makes clear that "there are no administrative or legal procedures by the National Institute of Lands (INTI), as the highest authority on the subject" or any other body which calls into question the ownership of land.
The acts of violence that took place a few months ago and the continuing attacks of these groups on the school staff make the situation worse and endanger the physical and psychological well-being of the students. For this reason the Salesians have called for an immediate withdrawal: "we demand the immediate evacuation by the occupants of the lands of the 'San Jose' Salesian Agricultural Technical School, in order to ensure the full functioning of our institution, the right to educate and to produce, as established by the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."
However, there still appears no way out of this situation in the short term and, unfortunately, other activist groups are joining this illegal usurpation of the land.
