Tallahassee, FL – On January 26 dozens gathered at the Florida State Capitol building in protest of Donald Trump's recognition of the right-wing self-appointed presidency of Juan Guaido in Venezuela. The democratically-elected president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, has called this a coup attempt ordered by the U.S. government.

“We should value the voices of the people. Juan Guaido did not run in the previous election and was not voted in. It’s imperative to recognize leaders who were democratically elected, not political figures who seek to undermine the masses and simply declare themselves president,” said Isabela Casanova, a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and organizer of the rally. Casanova continued, “Donald Trump does not care about the people of Venezuela, he only wants to take their oil and help his friends on Wall Street.”

Protesters held a banner stating, “Hands off Venezuela: Say no to Trump’s coup!” and signs reading “Respect Venezuelan sovereignty” and “No blood for oil.” Jamila Lorde, a member of SDS, led the crowd in chants including “No wall, no detention, no U.S. intervention” and “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil, hands off Venezuelan soil.”

“I protested because I’m fed up with the interventionism and destruction the U.S. causes in their never-ending quest for money and power,” said Denzel Pierre, an FSU student who spoke at the rally. “I think people in the U.S. should know the similarities between U.S. intervention in Venezuela and U.S. intervention in the past. I wish more people understood the damage of U.S. sanctions to the Venezuelan people and how the U.S.’s past policies have helped sabotage Venezuela.”

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