Across the globe, protests are breaking out to denounce US imperialist aggression against Venezuela and to demand the immediate release of President Maduro and his spouse.
Immediately following the bombings, kidnappings, and arrests on January 3, the citizens of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, gathered on Urdaneta Avenue near the Miraflores Palace. They expressed their firm resolve to defend national sovereignty and reject US interference. One speaker emphasized, “The Bolivarian homeland is a place of peace, and the President elected by the Venezuelan people is prepared to defend this process of peace with his very life.” The speaker vehemently denounced US President Trump, calling him a “thief, a vulgar man, and a murderer.” He continued, “Here, we women and men have stepped forward to protect the Bolivarian homeland, the homeland of our children. ¡No pasarán! (They shall not pass!)” He further stressed, “Today’s action is a warning to Venezuela, but tomorrow it could target Colombia, the American continent, or any country in the world. Any president who does not submit to their interests is attacked, which is a violation of international law and the right to self-determination.”
On January 3, the Cuban people in Havana condemned the US military action against the Venezuelan government and its people. Protesters, chanting “Overthrow Imperialism,” strongly rejected the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, whom the US government has indicted on baseless charges of involvement in criminal organizations. At the same time, Cuban President Díaz-Canel asserted, “An attack on the Bolivarian land is an attack on all the dignified sons and daughters of the Americas. We are willing to give our blood and our lives for it.” He further declared, “The Venezuelan people are fully capable of defending their sovereignty, democracy, and their president, just as they did when the US attempted a coup in April 2022.” He emphasized that “all people of the American continent must unite to stop the brutal advance of the giant that threatens this region today.”
On January 4, anti-US protests also broke out in Honduras. Demonstrating in front of the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, protesters strongly condemned the US military invasion of Venezuela and the “kidnapping” of President Maduro and his spouse. González, president of the Honduras-Venezuela Solidarity and Friendship Association, raised his voice, stating, “These events are a serious and blatant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the principles of national sovereignty and self-determination.” He described the US aggression as “an aggression against all Latin American and Caribbean people who seek to forge a sovereign path,” expressing “unlimited solidarity” with the Venezuelan people, their legitimate government, and their “right to determine their own destiny without foreign interference.” The statement defined the invasion as “the progression of the so-called Trump-style amendment to the Monroe Doctrine, an open and blatant reproduction of the policy of colonial rule over Our America.” It concluded by emphasizing, “We demand the immediate cessation of US acts of aggression, absolute respect for the territorial integrity of Venezuela, and the guarantee of the sovereign rights of the Venezuelan people over their natural resources and public goods.”
According to reports on January 4, protesters in the United Kingdom held rallies in front of the Parliament in London and the US Embassy. Chanting anti-imperialist slogans, they condemned British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not denouncing the terrorist attack, accusing him of complicity with the US. Participants in an emergency protest organized by the “Stop the War Coalition” in front of Downing Street issued a statement emphasizing, “The British government should condemn the forced removal and attack for the aggression that it is and call for an immediate cessation of military action by the US, and the return of Maduro to his country.” In Canada, protesters gathered in front of the US Consulate in downtown Toronto to denounce the military aggression and the “kidnapping” of President Maduro. During the protest, which lasted over two hours in sub-zero temperatures, one participant expressed outrage, saying, “Venezuela has done nothing wrong to the US or Canada, yet they suffered a brutal attack at 2 a.m., and the President and the First Lady were kidnapped.” In Paris, France, at the Place de la République, protesters demonstrating in support of the Venezuelan people and against US aggression burned the US flag. In Berlin, Germany, demonstrators urged the German government to officially condemn Washington’s actions and demand the release of President Maduro. Similar active protests were also reported in Stockholm (Sweden), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy), and Athens (Greece).
Denunciation protests are also breaking out extensively within the US. Large-scale demonstrations have taken place in cities across the nation, including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles. Protesters, carrying slogans such as “Hands Off Venezuela” and “No More War for Oil,” likened President Trump’s actions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The New York Police Department reported that thousands gathered in front of the UN Headquarters to demand the release of President Maduro. According to reports on January 4, a protest was held near federal buildings in Washington D.C., calling for an end to the forced ousting of the Venezuelan president and the immediate cessation of US military actions. In Chicago, demonstrators gathered at Federal Plaza with placards reading “No Blood for Oil,” “Hands Off Latin America,” and “No US War on Venezuela,” accusing the Trump administration of starting an unconstitutional war. In Seattle, citizens marched along the waterfront chanting, “The people united will never be defeated!” (¡El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!). Meanwhile, protesters in Philadelphia marched from City Hall to the US Army Recruiting Station on Spring Garden Street, holding signs that read “Long Live Venezuela,” “No to War,” and “End US Imperialism.” More than 80 such protests have been reported across the entire US.
