New Orleans, LA – Hundreds of student activists from across the country will arrive in New Orleans this Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, for the 20th National Convention of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). October 3 will also mark nine months since the United States shamefully invaded and attacked Venezuela, kidnapping President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), a partner of the national Anti-War Action Network, has led the local struggle against intervention in Venezuela. The intervention has accomplished nothing but more suffering. In particular, the June 24 earthquakes near the capital city of Caracas killed over 6000 people and injured nearly a quarter million more.
Austin, TX – Around 200 people protested outside the Texas Capitol on Monday evening, September 21, to demand justice for a Venezuelan man, Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, who was shot by ICE and left in critical condition in Austin on Sunday.
After several rounds of energetic chants from the crowd, Selena Jurado of La Frontera Unida gave a speech. Jurado explained that within hours of the shooting, ICE took Garcés Pérez into custody, stating, “They denied his lawyer access. They denied his wife access to her husband. This is modern-day terrorism.”
Brooklyn, NY – On September 14, Brooklyn Against War hosted a documentary screening and letter-writing event in support of its campaign to free Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
At a local Brooklyn bar and community space, the activist group showed Oliver Stone’s 2009 documentary South of the Border. The film centers around interviews with then-Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, alongside many other progressive and left-wing contemporary Latin American leaders, such as Evo Morales. The film challenges the mainstream American media narratives, which vilified these leaders for standing up for their people’s interests against American imperialist exploitation.
At the end of August, Venezuela signed a major oil deal with the U.S. Because President Trump is widely viewed as a thief, liar and a braggart, the nature of the agreement is difficult to grasp at first glance. But we can and must seek truth from facts, which requires sifting through Trump and Rubio’s statements, the media’s framing, and the reality of the situation.
After a decade of punishing sanctions, Venezuela has endured invasion by the U.S., the bombing of its capital city, the kidnapping of its elected president and first lady, devastating earthquakes, and eight months of constant threats and blackmail. Delcy Rodríguez remains loyal to the Bolivarian Revolution, but she is locked in a delicate and existential negotiation for the future of Venezuela. It requires a sober grasp of reality to see that Venezuela is attempting to navigate an asymmetrical balance of power with a blood-thirsty pack of ghouls hell-bent on claiming dominance over the entire Western Hemisphere.
Salt Lake City, UT – On Saturday, August 29, Salt Lake City community members gathered at the Day-Riverside Branch library for a teach-in and letter-writing campaign for Venezuela. Organized by the Utah Anti-War Committee, attendees wrote letters to their senators demanding an end to U.S. sanctions of Venezuela, the unfreezing of Venezuelan assets in Western hands, and the release of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
New York, NY—On September 9, a motion was filed for Venezuela’s First Lady Cilia Flores, petitioning for her release from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), and for her to be instead placed under house arrest in New York City, due to the severity of her heart condition.
After she and President Nicolás Maduro were illegally kidnapped by the U.S. in January of this year, her health has rapidly deteriorated throughout her imprisonment.
New York, NY – 50 activists gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, on Thursday, September 3, to protest the ongoing detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. Attendees represented a broad coalition of New York organizations fighting against U.S. Intervention in Venezuela, including Brooklyn Against War, Workers World Party, Black Alliance for Peace, Venceremos Brigade, and the Venezuela Solidarity Network.
Attendees held signs demanding freedom for the kidnapped Venezuelan president and first lady and joined in chants like “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Maduro from these walls!” and “We will say it every time! U.S. sanctions are a crime!”
Jacksonville, FL – On September 3, over 20 supporters from around Jacksonville, Florida attended a pro-Venezuela film screening hosted by the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN). Attendees watched The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The documentary is a firsthand account of the failed 2002 CIA coup attempt against elected Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It was produced by Irish filmmakers Kim Bartley and Donnacha Ó Briain.
Brooklyn, NY – On August 3, at 5:30 p.m., anti-war activists gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, demanding freedom for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. This rally was part of a picket that takes place on the third day of every month, marking the anniversary of January 3 , when the United States bombed Venezuela and abducted the two political leaders.
The organizations in attendance, including Black Alliance for Peace NYC/NJ,Brooklyn Against War, Code Pink, and Workers World Party, have been on the front lines of the struggle to free Maduro and Flores for seven months.
New York City , NY – Early on the morning of Wednesday, July 22, dozens of anti-war activists and community members gathered facing the courthouse in downtown Manhattan for the federal hearing of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
This was the third hearing after the abduction of Maduro and Flores from their home in Caracas on January 3. The Trump administration carried out a bombing campaign that killed around 80 people in their pursuit of the president and first lady. They were brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where they are awaiting a sham trial.
NYC, NY—On July 22 at 8 a.m., protesters will rally to demand, “Free President Maduro and First Lady Flores!” outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York.
A growing coalition of groups and individuals, both in NYC and nationally, support freedom for the pair. Coalition members include Brooklyn Against War, the Anti-War Action Network, Workers World Party, International Action Center, Palaver Collective, Black Alliance for Peace, and the International League of People’s Struggle.
San Jose, CA – On Friday, July 3, around two dozen people gathered for a rally and march starting at Dr. MLK Jr. Library to stand against the U.S.’s endless investment and participation in war across the globe, currently including but not limited to, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine.
The crowd chanted, “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation” and “Israel bombs, U.S. pays, how many did they kill today?”
Brooklyn, NY – On July 3, dozens of activists rallied outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) to demand freedom for kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. The picket also marked six months since President Maduro and First Lady Flores were kidnapped from Caracas in a United States military operation which killed 100 people, including 32 Cuban bodyguards.
Brooklyn, NY – On Saturday, June 6, community members and activists with Brooklyn Against War [BAW] gathered at the Bedford Library for a panel and discussion regarding their ongoing campaign to free Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. Titled “What is Happening in Venezuela?”, the panel featured guest speaker Steve Ellner, an author, historian and political scientist who taught at the Universidad de Oriente for 26 years.
Brooklyn, NY – on the evening of June 3, around two dozen New Yorkers gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to stand in solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela and against the ongoing aggression from the United States.
Chicago, IL – On Thursday, April 30, over a dozen students gathered in the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) for a screening of the War on Democracy, and a guided discussion led by members of the Chicago district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).
Brooklyn, NY – On the afternoon of May 3, a dozen protesters gathered outside of the Metropolitan Denton Center, to mark the fourth month that President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have been detained in the federal walls.
Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, April 14 students gathered in the UIC Latino Cultural Center to watch and discuss the film The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003). The film was directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain and details the events of the US attempt to coup Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in April of 2002.
Brooklyn, NY – On the early evening of April 3, a dozen people gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center to observe Good Friday. The vigil was called by Black Alliance for Peace on what is also the three-month anniversary of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores’ kidnapping.
Chicago, IL – On Thursday, March 26, the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) held an online rally in support of Venezuela’s l President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores to coincide with their second court date in New York City.
