New Yorkers protest in solidarity with Venezuela
New York, NY – On the afternoon of January 31, over 50 New Yorkers gathered in Times Square to stand in solidarity with Venezuela. The crowd was fired up and rowdy, despite below freezing temperatures.
The leading chant, “Viva viva Venezuela! Lucha lucha Venezuela!” could be heard throughout the plaza.
The rally was part of a week of action in solidarity with Venezuela called by the United National Antiwar Coalition. The principal demands were to free President Maduro and First Lady Flores, who were kidnapped by the United States government on January 3 of this year.
There were speeches throughout the rally and march. At the first location, Michela Martinazzi from Brooklyn Against War spoke and she said, “We are close to the one-month anniversary of when The Trump administration bombed Caracas and kidnapped President Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores. This is a damn shame! The greedy Trump administration went into Venezuela, claiming he was there for democracy, when we know it's for oil!”
The march continued to an Exxon Mobil-owned building in Midtown for another round of speeches. The final stop was at the Simon Bolivar statue at the edge of Central Park.