New York, NY – A group of eight activists attended the October 15 arraignment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in a show of support for the kidnapped Venezuelan leaders. The activists included representatives of the Anti-War Action Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and leaders of the New York City Latin American community.

At the hearing, President Maduro and Cilia Flores both entered the courtroom with chains shackled to their feet. Maduro waved to the crowd watching the trial, knowing a plurality of the crowd were U.S. federal agents and escualidos who supported his kidnapping and U.S. invasion.

The judge presiding over their case, Alvin Hellerstein, who is 92 years old, struggled to sit on his chair and to even read aloud the new charges of terrorism. Maduro and Flores confidently declared their innocence – claiming these charges as completely false and bogus.

Although the court documents do not name the alleged victims who are cited throughout the indictment, the descriptions given match some well-known figures who have worked to undermine the Maduro government. The person identified as “Official-3” matches the description of ex-General Raúl Baduel, arrested in 2017 along with two co-conspirators in a plot to massacre civilians at a political rally and blame the government in order to destabilize the Maduro administration. “Victim-3” matches far-right leader Leopoldo López, who attempted to organize coups against the Venezuelan government in 2002, 2014 and 2019. Finally, “Victim-7” matches Osman Khan, an American citizen who, since his release in 2022, has built a career speaking for pro-regime-change think tanks like the Atlantic Council.

One of the activists in attendance at Thursday’s arraignment, Ebtesham Ahmed of the Freedom Road Socialist Organizations, traveled to Venezuela for the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of our Americas in December 2025, shortly before the U.S. kidnapped Maduro and Flores in an illegal raid on January 3, 2026.

“When I was in Venezuela, I talked to people there from all different sectors – from students to workers to indigenous people and more – all of them demanded the U.S. respect their sovereignty and to take its hands off their country!” said Ahmed.

Lucy Pagoada-Quesada, a Honduran activist living in the U.S. and a retired NYC teacher added, “The case of the U.S. government against the constitutional President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros and the First Lady Cilia Flores has no legal grounds. It’s a clear case of lawfare, judicialization of politics. It’s a political case that has two major reasons: To take over Venezuelan oil and other natural resources and to destroy the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution. The kidnapping of a president violates all international law, U.S. law and Venezuelan law. We, as taxpayers, cannot allow the government to perpetrate this or any other illegality or violation of the law.”

The activists reiterated their demand that the U.S. government drop the charges against Maduro and Flores and return the President and First Lady to Venezuela. They also shared that a New York City-based coalition of progressive organizations opposed to U.S. intervention abroad plans to rally outside the next hearing, scheduled for December 17, when Judge Alvin Hellerstein will hear oral arguments on the motion to dismiss the charges.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #Maduro

New York, NY – On October 8, protesters gathered outside of the Southern District Court to demand the release of Cilia Flores. Chants of “Cilia, listen! The people are resisting!” rang throughout the courthouse plaza.

Participating organizations included Brooklyn Against War, Workers World Party, Code Pink, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). The small but steadfast rally of around 30 people lasted from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., closing with a press conference.

Briony Smith, an organizer with Brooklyn Against War and an Anti-War Action Network steering committee member, witnessed as the motion for Cilia Flores’ release to home detention was denied.

Smith stated, “Cilia Flores is facing immense gendered violence. What I witnessed inside the courtroom was a room full of men making medical decisions for a woman.”

Smith continued, “We heard in the arguments today that she has suffered a probable heart attack. Now the judge seems to be under the impression that a heart attack, a heart catheterization, and the procedures that will follow are something that can be recovered from in general population detention among 40 other women, when Cilia is getting three to hours of sleep.”

Tom Burke of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization was also in the courtroom Thursday morning. Burke stated, “Trump is trying to kill the first lady of Venezuela here. He doesn’t care about her life. He doesn’t care about President Maduro. Trump doesn’t care about the Venezuelan people! He just wants their oil. If you think you’re going to find justice in a U.S. federal courtroom, you better think again.”

Speakers at the press conference continued to emphasize the inability of the Trump administration to grant Flores a fair trial.

Not only was Cilia Flores’ motion to be released on house arrest denied, but U.S. prosecutors also brought forward new charges of “conspiracy to commit torture” against Flores and Maduro. The original indictment of narcoterrorism conspiracy, for which there is no evidence, was used by the U.S. government to justify the illegal kidnapping of Flores and Maduro on January 3.

The conspiracy to commit torture indictment alleged torture of U.S. citizens. Five of these citizens include oil executives who were arrested for corruption, and two of them were U.S. special forces members who attempted to raid and overthrow the Venezuelan government. They were all freed later in deals with the U.S.

Ignoring this important context, the court is content to paint Maduro and Flores as dictators who torture U.S. citizens, all while the U.S. is subjecting them to a notoriously inhumane prison and refusing medical treatment to Cilia Flores. It is the goal of the prosecution to obscure who Flores and Maduro really are – leaders who refuse to sell out the resources of their country to the United States.

Despite the second indictment and the outcome of the motion for house arrest, activists remain ready to take to the streets to defend Flores and Maduro, and plan to be at the Metropolitan Detention Center on November 3, for the tenth month in a row, to demand their release.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #NicolasMaduro #Feature

Seattle, WA – On October 3, activists from Seattle Against War rallied in solidarity with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores for the Anti-War Action Network’s day of action. Activists canvassed passersby and collected petition signatures demanding the release of the kidnapped leaders.

This is one of many actions to demand “Hands off Venezuela” since President Trump abducted Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on January 3. Since then, Maduro and Flores have been held prisoner at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on false charges of narcoterrorism. The Trump administration is continuing its collusion with prosecutors by tacking on charges of human rights abuses against Maduro and Flores.

Flores is being tortured in prison. Flores has lost over 25 pounds in jail and is suffering from deteriorating cardiac health. A U.S. District Court judge has denied her request to be released on house arrest to manage her health problems.

The activists demanded an end to U.S. militarism and intervention in Venezuela, chanting, “U.S. Navy, CIA, we don’t want you, go away!”

Seattle Against War member Rae Lee said, “It’s completely upside-down that the United States, a country which bombs and disintegrates people every day, a country that constantly violates international law to serve the interests of its monopoly capitalist class, is able to play world police and kidnap the ruler of another nation.”

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #SAW

Salt Lake City, UT – On Saturday, October 3, a coalition including the Utah Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Revolutionary Communists of America gathered with over three dozen community members at Washington Square Park in Salt Lake City. The reason for the action was a show of solidarity with the Cuba and Venezuela, and to demand freedom for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Amber Grace, a member of the UAWC, stated, “We must recognize first and foremost that Cuba and Venezuela fought for economic sovereignty against American corporate interests. We must recognize that the United States have been engaging in cruel forms of collective punishment since the day these nations dared to assert their own sovereignty.”

Sebastian Miscenich, a member of the FRSO, told the crowd, “For over 25 years in Venezuela, the U.S. waged a campaign of economic sanctions and sabotage, slanderous lies in the media. This year, it expanded to open acts of war. Every tactic has failed so far because the Bolivarian Revolution is rooted in the will of the Venezuelan people, and the people refuse to kneel.”

Nova Morra, a member of the UAWC, said, “One of our neighbors, Julio Cesar Irungaray, was kidnapped, medically tortured and deported by ICE; and the people whose job it is to keep you safe will gun you down if you’re the wrong skin color. The only people who can keep us safe are each other, our communities, our neighbors”

Chants included, “We will say it every time! U.S. sanctions are a crime!” and “Donald trump you’re a liar! No more wars for empire!”

After the speeches people started to march. They held their banners proudly, marching around Washington Square, leading chants such as “¡El pueblo unidos, jamas sera vencido! The people united will never be defeated!” And “From Cuba to the Middle East, we demand justice, we demand peace!”

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Cuba #Venezuela

Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities joined the Anti‑War Action Network’s National Day of Actions on October 3. The protest marked nine months of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being held by the U.S. in New York City. At the start of 2026, President Trump ordered the illegal invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores under the politically-motivated claim of “drug trafficking.” The protest was initiated by the MN Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness.

In front of the former Minneapolis 3rd Precinct police station, which was burned out during the George Floyd Uprising, up to 25 people filled up the sidewalks. People passing by the crowd were greeted by waves of colorful Venezuela, Cuba, Lebanon and Palestine flags waving in the wind at the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and Lake Street.

Activists held a big banner reading, “Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores. U.S. troops out of Venezuela.” People were chanting loudly, “Hands off Venezuela! Free Maduro! Free Cilia!”

Katrina Kozarek, a member of both the MN Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness addressed the crowd, “Since January 3r, we began gathering every month at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to denounce the U.S. acts of war against Venezuela and to demand the liberation of President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores.”

Between speakers, chants were loud: “When Venezuela is under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Mixed in with the chants of were countless cars honking. It was electric.

“We want justice, you say how? Free Maduro, free him now!” “Trump wants blood, Trump wants oil! U.S. hands off foreign soil!”

Allison Gunderson, a member of WAMM’s Hands Off Latin America Committee (HOLA), was in Venezuela for three weeks before the illegal kidnapping: “I was able to see President Maduro and Flores speak. It was incredible to see everyone’s support for their leaders. They were walking amongst the people with little to no security and actually speaking and interacting with them. I just kept thinking wow, you’d never see Trump or another U.S. president do this. And it became crystal clear to me that the narrative that Maduro and Flores are dictators, they are drug criminals, and all the other lies spewed were just that – lies.”

Drake Myers, a Minneapolis Public Schools special education teacher, also went to Venezuela. He had drawn a comparison between the U.S. and the Bolivarian Revolution. “The Venezuelan people built a better society with successful social programs raising everyone up in Venezuela.” Myers continued, “but the U.S. government couldn’t stand to see these programs in Latin America, where the Monroe Doctrine says we’re supposed to keep the people down, keep them as peasants to serve U.S. imperialism.” He added, “So, we can see the grand plan here of the U.S. ruling class, the U.S. imperialist class, we can see a broader struggle over what kind of society we are going to have.” Myers asked the crowd, “Are we going to build a society around public goods? Schools, education, healthcare, and services that belong to all of us?” The whole crowd cheered.

When the rally came to a close, Vincent Connor, a member of HOLA, asked the people, “We have to keep showing up for Venezuela, for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, as long as our government has them in its crushing grip.”

Connor continued, “We know that each and every one of us has more in common with the people of Venezuela than we do with the politicians and billionaires who are profiting off of mass theft. That solidarity is what brings us out here today, and it’s what will keep us in the fight as long as it takes—because none of us are free until all of us are free.”

On November 17, there will be an appeals hearing in New York concerning the charges against Maduro and Flores.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #Venezuela #MNAWC #WAMM

New Orleans, LA – On October 3, over 200 students and youth rallied for Nicolas Maduro and Celia Flores at the New Orleans Healing Center. The protest called by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) condemned the horrific treatment of Cilia Flores, who is currently experiencing a life-threatening heart condition. New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), an AWAN affiliate, organized the demonstration alongside Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

“When I met farm workers, indigenous organizers, and trade unionists in Venezuela, all of them denounced the Yankee imperialist attacks on their sovereignty!” cried Ebtesham Ahmed, a member of New York University SDS. Ahmed visited Venezuela mere weeks before the kidnapping of Maduro and Flores. They lifted their fist to the crowd, sharing a chant they learned in Venezuela: “¡Yo solo sé tres palabras en inglés, Yankee go home!”

Protesters held signs that read “Free First Lady Cilia Flores!” and “Stop U.S. war on Venezuela!”

Maduro and Flores have been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York for over 200 days. Their capture on January 3 resulted in the death of 100 people in Venezuela. During their imprisonment, the United States has maintained suffocating sanctions on the country.

Trump has openly bragged that taking Venezuela’s resources and labor will bolster the U.S. economy, but student activists rejected this exploitation. “My enemy is not the people of the world, they're our allies. I stand with the people of Venezuela as they stand with us, against our true enemy, Donald Trump and the ruling class of the United States,” shouted Khalid Hamu, National SDS secretary.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Chris Maldonado connected the struggle to his family’s fight against sanctions in Cuba, stating, “Whether it's my country or Venezuela, it is important that we don’t sit idly by while the U.S. monopoly capitalists plot to murder revolutionaries, strangle sovereign countries, and profit off of exploitation. We must stand up and fight back!”

As the rally ended, NOSHIP organizers made sure to give everyone in attendance a call to action for Maduro and Flores. “The Anti-War Action Network will be at every single court hearing that they have, demanding their freedom and an end to the attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty. We ask that you join us in signing our petition, and rally in your city every time AWAN calls a day of action,” said NOSHIP member Cristine Farah.

People interested in supporting Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores can sign AWAN’s petition at tinyurl.com/awanfreemaduro and follow their Instagram @antiwaractionnetwork for days of action in solidarity with Venezuela.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #NicolasMaduro #AntiWarActionNetwork #SDS #Feature

At an afternoon rally held during the busy ArtPrize festival off of Monroe Avenue in Grand Rapids, GROW members held signs calling to “Free Cilia Flores,” “Release Flores and Maduro,” and “Stop Trump’s attacks on Venezuela,” and discussed the impact of U.S. sanctions with local festival attendees.

The demonstration elicited support from many attendees, who expressed outrage at the Trump administration’s ongoing war on Iran and intervention in Latin America. When approached by a counter-protester, a member of GROW explained that the organization stands against the idea that the United States can kidnap foreign leaders like Maduro and Flores, and that it is a matter of upholding the Venezuelan peoples’ sovereignty against U.S. aggression.

October 3 marked nine months since the violent kidnapping of Maduro and Flores on January 3 by U.S. forces. The harsh conditions at MDC Brooklyn, where they are being held, has reportedly resulted in Flores experiencing a mild heart attack and losing 24 pounds. The U.S. government previously attempted to deny payment to President Maduro’s legal defense from February 2026 until late April 2026.

As part of its local effort to carry the campaign to free Maduro and Flores, and to end U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, GROW is holding actions on the 3rd of every month to heighten these demands and plans to until they are finally released from U.S. custody. Currently, the federal trial for Maduro and Flores is scheduled to begin in June 2027.

The Grand Rapids Opponents of War can be followed on Instagram under the same name.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #GROW

New York, NY – On October 3, New Yorkers joined the Anti-War Action Network National Day of Action to demand no U.S. intervention in Venezuela and “Free Cilia, free Maduro.” Waving Venezuelan flags and holding signs that read “Support women’s health! Release Cilia Flores,” 50 local activists and community members rallied outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Sunset Park, where Maduro and Flores are being held prisoner on bogus charges of narcoterrorism.

The rally marked nine months since Maduro and Flores were abducted from Caracas, Venezuela during an illegal U.S. raid, which killed over 100 people. It also came only five days before Cilia Flores is due in court for a hearing to decide whether she should be released under house arrest as a result of her worsening health. Since being kidnapped, Flores has experienced increasingly severe cardiac issues, including what her lawyers believe was a heart attack on July 29.

Additionally, court documents filed on September 30th revealed that in May 2026, the U.S. government attempted to force Flores to undergo heart surgery without her consent, transporting her to the hospital without warning and without a chance to consult with her lawyers. Her lawyers cite these and other incidents as part of their argument that Flores must be released to house arrest in order to undergo the needed heart surgery, which she would not be able to effectively recover from while in custody at the MDC.

At the rally, speakers kept the focus on Flores and highlighted these revelations from the court documents.

Briony Smith, who led the action on behalf of Brooklyn Against War, said “Now, Cilia needs us to come to her defense. Cilia is facing the same mistreatment, medical neglect, and denial of her bodily autonomy that so many women in the U.S. prison system face. We are here because she should never have been illegally abducted from Caracas. We are here because every woman has the right to make their own medical decisions. We are here because we must fight for Cilia as fiercely as she has fought for the women and people of Venezuela.”

Other speakers at the rally represented a broad coalition of anti-imperialist organizations, including Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World Party, All African People’s Revolution Party, Struggle La Lucha, Colectivo Bravo Pueblo, Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Amidst chants of, “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Cilia from these walls,” Joe Wilkins of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “So when we, as citizens of the United States, say ‘Free Cilia Flores,’ we’re not asking! We’re demanding that our government takes its boot off the neck of Venezuela, off Latin America, off the Caribbean, off West Asia, off the Pacific, off everyone it’s holding as a political prisoner! The Freedom Road Socialist Organization will not rest until these two political prisoners are free.”

The final speaker of the rally, Michela Martinazzi, also of Brooklyn Against War stated, “The billionaire class thrives on the oppression of women,” said Martinazzi, “from the heartbeat bill to trans women, to kidnapping women by ICE, Black women killed by the police to the thousands of women overseas Vietnam to Korea to the Philippines. By demanding that Cilia receives appropriate medical care, we are standing up for women everywhere neglected by this rotten system!”

After a short march, the rally ended with a moment of celebration. Participants signed cards and sang Happy Birthday for Flores, whose 70th birthday is on October 15.

The same organizations will also rally on Thursday, October 8, outside of the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and continuing through Flores’s hearing, which is scheduled for 10:30 that day. The rally will be followed by a public press conference.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #NicolasMaduro

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.

“Our city was also devastated by a federal policy of neglect. Now we have the Trump administration trying to cut off aid and resources to more innocent civilians experiencing a disaster. Here, we find that especially alarming and abhorrent,” said Charlie Schully of NOSHIP. “That’s why it is fitting that the largest rally for Venezuelan sovereignty this week may be right here in New Orleans.”

Schully pointed to the fact that the United States is freezing Venezuelan assets in the International Monetary Fund, preventing them from accessing their own funds, and the decades of sanctions which have grown worse. “We call for their leaders to be freed, particularly Cilia Flores, who is quite literally dying in an American prison. But we also demand an end to U.S. sanctions and freeing up their nearly $5 billion in assets!”

Silas Gillett, of Liberate and Unite New Orleans (LUNO) Students for a Democratic Society, said that “Students for a Democratic Society stands in full support of jailed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.”

“As students and youth, we remember the student movement’s history of fighting against U.S. interventions abroad, from Vietnam to Palestine,” Gillett added. “As young people, we refuse to sit by and allow this imperialist government to spoil our world’s future by starting chaos and crises in independent countries. We all have a stake in the fight against foreign interventions. Whatever rights the U.S. imperialists can take away from people abroad, they can take away from us.”

NOSHIP will partner with local chapters of SDS to bring the rally and march against U.S. intervention in Venezuela to downtown New Orleans right after the first day of the National Convention. The rally will begin on Saturday at 5 p.m. in front of Armstrong Park. Activists will march through the French Quarter and end on the steps of Jackson Square.

You can sign the Anti-War Action Network petition to free President Maduro and First Lady Flores at www.tinyurl.com/awanfreemaduro.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #NicolasMaduro #CiliaFlores #AntiWarActionNetwork #SDS

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.”

Jurado continued, “La Frontera Unida raises these three demands. Primero, Wilber must be released from ICE custody immediately. Segundo, the ICE agent who shot him must be arrested and prosecuted. Tercero, there must be a real independent investigation. La Frontera Unida is not interested in another federal cover-up!”

Jesse Valdelamar, the emcee of the rally, said, “We will never support ‘reforming’ ICE into a more humane version of itself. As long as there exists a permanent body of second-class citizens, there will always be immigration enforcement, and there will always be la migra. This is why La Frontera Unida supports legalization for all as the real solution to the immigration question!”

Cynthia Treviño, another member of La Frontera Unida, spoke on the coming expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorians. She said, “The expiration of TPS for Salvadoreños is setting the stage for hundreds of thousands of our raza to suffer the same fate as Wilber. As a Chicana, I understand this history intimately. My ancestors didn't cross the border, the border crossed us. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo promised my people property rights, language rights, cultural rights. What we got instead was centuries of violence and displacement.”

Treviño continued, “Terrorism is what awaits those who do not stand up and fight back. Today's immigrants, whether from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, face the same terror. And just like my ancestors, they are fighting back.”

Sofie Gomez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) urged, “When people migrate here, they are uprooting their whole lives out of desperation, but they live here in the states as second-class citizens, continuing to be exploited as cheap labor. This is the U.S. capitalist machine’s playbook. That’s why we need a new system, socialism, where we can actually address immigration rather than exploit those who immigrate here. Legalization for all is the way forward!”

#AustinTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE #OppressedNationalities #TPS #Venezuela #Shooting #WilberRafaelGarcesPerez #Feature

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.

Attendees at the screening reflected on how the United States propaganda of the 2000s mirrors the propaganda deployed against kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, who are imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), just a few miles from where the screening took place.

Briony Smith of Brooklyn Against War spoke about Cilia Flores’s health, saying “This is a woman who has spent her career fighting for the social and economic rights of her people, and now she is having heart attacks in a Brooklyn jail. It’s crucial we fight to show people the truth about Cilia, Maduro and Venezuela.”

The night finished with participants writing to Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to demand an end to the sanctions on Venezuela and freedom for Maduro and Flores.

BAW further called on all attendees to join the organization in protesting at the MDC on October 3, as part of the Anti-War Action Network National Day of Action to free Maduro and Flores and say no to U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

#NYC NewYorkCity #Antiwar #Southoftheborder #Maduro #Brooklyn #Antiwarmovement #Venezuela

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.

Eight months after the U.S. raid that kidnapped democratically-elected President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and National Assembly Deputy Cilia Flores, Trump bragged that he ”refills U.S. oil reserves with Venezuelan oil.” While his followers might believe this claim, the reality is very different. A major part of the new deal is a $100 billion investment so that North American Blue Energy Partners can expand its existing production from three oil fields to 17. Building infrastructure, extraction and refining are not quick operations, and will not be filling U.S. oil reserves in the near future. They are, however, recognized by oil workers and trade unionists throughout Venezuela as a major step forward to return to previous production levels and beyond.

While the Bolivarian Revolution has used oil revenue to invest in other sectors to diversify its economy, its main economic engine is still petroleum. It has been the golden goose that funded so many important, transformational achievements, like alleviating super-poverty and illiteracy while creating access to free health care and education. The involvement of U.S. oil companies in Venezuela is not unprecedented; the U.S.-based Chevron Corporation has continued to operate in Venezuela under Chavez, Maduro, and now Rodríguez.

Speaking to the weekly videoconference of international trade unionists on September 4, Jorge Arreaza, a deputy of the National Assembly and head of the National University of the Communes, shared how this deal aligns with exactly what President Chavez had said for years. “Even on his hospital bed in 2013, El Comandante said: we need to increase oil production, we need to be selling to the U.S. market.” Fellow National Assembly deputy and past president of the Venezuela Transport Workers Union, Francisco Torrealba, added this deal “achieves concrete results that will benefit the working class, improve our telecommunications sector, provide funding to improve our national electrical infrastructure, hospital and care services.”

A poll on September 7 by the Venezuela firm Hinterlaces showed 82% of Venezuelans support the deal. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez also highlighted the potential of $200 billion in tax revenue for Venezuela over the 25 years of the deal. With a goal of yielding an added 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), the oil deal would more than double current production.

To put this into context, since 1965, Venezuela has produced 3 million-plus bpd 20 times, and 2.5 million bpd another 12 times. In fact, production had not dropped below 2.5 million bpd since 1993, until 2014. That is when the Obama administration started sanctions that have only ramped up year after year. This was a major factor that caused Venezuela to lose its biggest oil export market, some 40% of its total global oil exports, as exports to the U.S. went from 300,000 barrels to zero by 2020. This constituted a loss of over $200 billion in revenue and the equivalent to 213% of Venezuela’s GDP.

In addition to economic warfare, the U.S. also deployed political interventions. Both the Obama and Trump administrations supported the wealthy opposition in their hoarding and price gouging, fomenting unrest and violence, declaring self-selected presidents, and assassination attempts. All of these attempts, to either force regime change or bring Venezuela’s government to the negotiations table to privatize its oil sector, failed.

With the U.S. market closed to it, Venezuela adapted and shifted the majority of its exports to China. After 2020, Venezuela experienced a remarkable recovery in which the economy grew, achieving some of the highest GDP growth in Latin America from 2022 to 2024. This recovery screeched to a near halt in 2025 when the U.S. invaded the South Caribbean with 15,000 military personnel, hundreds of aircraft, and dozens of warships; began extrajudicial killings of fisherpeople; and resorted to piracy, as naval vessels seized tankers carrying Venezuela oil headed for Cuba and China.

Even as the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) built up its forces clearly to engage Venezuela, President Maduro and the PSUV made sure that the masses had access to democratic organs to participate in their own self-defense and defense of the revolution. This effort to deepen the revolution created more communal councils, restructured top leadership with gender balance, aligned trade unions in the military-civic union, and nearly doubled the numbers of citizens in the militias and provided military training. This level of preparation demonstrated to the whole world that a traditional invasion and land battle would be a difficult one for the U.S. So that option for the U.S. was off the table; instead they resorted to kidnapping President Maduro and First Lady Flores.

After January 3, the U.S. did not simply withdraw all of its military forces back to the states. The U.S. SOUTHCOM has stayed nearby and quickly moved 2000 troops, allegedly to support earthquake relief. And it continues to use force to flex its power in the region. Recently, the U.S. conducted its 68th extrajudicial killing, bringing the death toll up to 227.

With an elected president kidnapped, a capital city bombed and that military threatening further destruction and higher toll, what was Venezuela to do? As yet, no international or domestic movement has been strong enough to force the U.S. to drop its sanctions on Venezuela, to allow Venezuela full access to its $5 billion in assets in the IMF, or to compel the Bank of England to return Venezuela’s $5 billion in gold. Venezuela remains a country dependent upon oil production for economic, social and political maintenance of daily life and future progress. Now, it stares down the barrel of U.S. imperialism stalking its shores and airspace. What other options remained?

The Bolivarian Revolution needed to adjust, endure a setback, and yet still benefit from a deal that aligns with their goals and needs in both the short and long term.

The PSUV is still in power, and the Bolivarian Revolution continues to roll on. Trump and Rubio must go through the people’s government to get deals. Marina Corina Machado and the reactionaries are not in power. This all signals that the revolution remains popular, and that it can endure setbacks, overcome obstacles, and seek a rebirth.

#Venezuela #International #NicolasMaduro #DelcyRodriguez #Trump #PSUV #Oil

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.

“Engaging in sanctions is a form of economic warfare, a crime against humanity,” said Amber Grace, a UAWC leader.

The need to drop the sanctions and return Venezuela’s leadership was made all the more pressing by the devastating June earthquakes, which killed over 6000 people. American sanctions hinder the normal conduct of business and government operations during the relief effort.

“Ending the U.S. sanctions, unfreezing Venezuela’s assets, frees up billions in funds to recover from the damage and recover on their own terms,” continued Grace.

The national Anti-War Action Network, of which the UAWC is the Salt Lake City member, called for the letter writing campaign. Attendees wrote letters to Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis demanding true earthquake relief in the form of an end to U.S. intervention in the country.

The event was successful, with over 15 physical letters written and those who could not attend instructed on how to submit electronic correspondence to Lee and Curtis’s offices. Additionally, activists raised over $200 in grassroots earthquake relief.

Nevertheless, the organizers stated that there would be adequate Venezuelan financial and political capacity to address the disaster if the U.S. ceased its interventions

“These senators hold power, they probably hold the most power in our legislature to enact change for Venezuela,” said Grace. “Lift every sanction and every coercive measure imposed on Venezuela!”

Utah constituents can join the UAWC’s letter writing campaign for Venezuela by addressing letters demanding an end to U.S. intervention to these addresses:

Senator John Curtis, SH-502 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

Senator Mike Lee, 363 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #UAWC #AWAN

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.

First Lady Flores is the 69-year-old wife of Venezuelan President Maduro and a sitting deputy of the Venezuelan National Assembly. She was lead attorney for Hugo Chávez’s defense, securing his release from prison in 1994, and emerged throughout the 1990s and 2000s as a key figure in the victory of the Bolivarian Revolution. She was the first woman to serve as president of the National Assembly, from 2006 to 2011, before becoming attorney general of Venezuela from 2012 to 2013. In 2017, she was once again elected to the National Assembly. Throughout her career, she has remained a staunch defender of human rights and the achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution.

According to court documents, she was in good health before the illegal U.S. invasion of Venezuela, in which the U.S. abducted her and Maduro from their home in Caracas and killed over 100 people. Now, after eight months imprisoned at the MDC, she suffers recurring chest pains, has lost two molars, has lost more than 25 pounds, and likely suffered a minor heart attack on July 29.

The MDC is notorious for horrific conditions. Detainees go weeks without seeing the sky or breathing fresh air. Power and water cut out, sometimes for up to a week at a time. And there is a well-documented pattern of medical neglect. In one case, cited by Federal Judge Jesse Furman in a January 2024 decision on conditions at the MDC, the jail refused to transport an inmate for surgery to repair his broken cheekbone; when he finally received surgery, his cheek had to be rebroken. In another case in 2024, a man named Terrence Wise died in custody after months of medical neglect let his lung cancer proliferate unchecked. This context makes Flores’s fragile health all the more alarming.

In the last eight months while imprisoned, Flores has experienced palpitations, elevated heart-rate, chest tightness, chest pain and fatigue. On July 29, her lawyers believe she had a minor heart attack when she reported intense pressure on her chest and a shortness of breath. She is able to sleep only three or four hours a night and suffers asthma attacks when the MDC guards use pepper spray against other prisoners.

The MDC medical staff has recommended that she undergo cardiac surgery. But under the conditions at the MDC, recovery from such a surgery is unthinkable.

The medical neglect Flores faces is not accidental. Rather, it must be understood as part of the U.S. government’s strategy to punish Maduro, Flores and Venezuela for withstanding U.S. imperialism.

The U.S. government’s total disregard for Flores’ health has been apparent since it first abducted her. At her first hearing on January 5, it was reported that Flores appeared with wounds on her forehead – the new motion reveals further detail. The U.S. government was almost certainly aware that, at the time of the invasion and abduction on January 3, Flores was still in recovery from a recent total hysterectomy and had been ordered by her doctors to limit movement for three months. Despite this, when the U.S. military invaded her home, she was thrown against a wall or a dresser, causing the injuries to her forehead, which required some 20 stitches and left her with permanent scarring.

This violence, like the medical neglect she now faces, is violence against a woman who has dedicated her life to fighting for her people and standing against imperialism and intervention. It should be met with outrage from all progressive and imperialist forces. It is not enough for Flores to be merely released under house arrest; the charges against her must be dismissed, and she must be freed once and for all.

Across the country, member organizations of the Anti-War Action Network are mobilizing on October 3 to say no to U.S. intervention in Venezuela and to free Maduro and free Flores! Visit www.antiwaractionnetwork.org/ to find an organization near you and get involved.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #CiliaFlores #Maduro #AWAN

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!”

The protest occurred the day after motions were filed to dismiss the charges against Maduro and Flores. In the motions, the lawyers for Maduro and Flores maintain their innocence of the charges against them and further argue that the couple are immune from prosecution since they are the president and first lady of Venezuela. At the rally, speakers from multiple organizations pointed out that should the charges not be dismissed, this opens the door for the U.S. to pursue similar strategies of illegal imprisonment and prosecution against the leaders of other sovereign nations.

Speaking on behalf of Brooklyn Against War, Briony Smith said, “We know that this prosecution is baseless. We know it’s fabricated. And we know it’s illegal. But we also know that we are up against an administration rank with dangerous absurdity and hypocrisy. So, we’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to be loud enough that the people of Venezuela can hear us, so that they know that we have not forgotten them, that we have not turned our backs on them, and that we will keep fighting until President Maduro and First Lady Flores are free!”

Protesters will return to the MDC on October 3, at 2 p.m. as part of the Anti-War Action Network’s National Day of Action against U.S. Intervention in Venezuela. The activists also vowed to rally outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan in support of Maduro and Flores on November 17, when the court will hear oral arguments to dismiss the charges.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores

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.

After the film, JPSN’s Hands Off Latin America work team chair and recently released political prisoner Conor Cauley led a film discussion and comparison of the 2002 coup to the current situation in Venezuela. One common theme in that discussion was that corporate media continues to be a favorite weapon of Wall Street and the U.S. government.

In 2002, much of the failed coup attempt was done in direct collaboration with the reactionary news outlets inside of Venezuela. They employed false claims of Chavez supporters shooting at protestors. Some of the privately owned news outlets directly collaborated with CIA-aligned traitors inside the Venezuelan military to organize and execute the coup strategy.

Today, some of those same channels, which represent the wealthy right-wing political minority in Venezuela, work with the U.S. to sell the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and Celia Flores to the American people. In tandem, we see U.S. corporate media excluding from their coverage massive pro-Maduro demonstrations in Venezuela. They also give little attention to the growing number of people here in the U.S. who insist President Maduro and First Lady Flores be released. There is little coverage of American opposition calling for Trump to end his so-called “Donroe Doctrine” attacks on Venezuela, or to lift the U.S. sanctions, or to return control of Venezuelan oil.

After the discussion, participants worked together to write letters to Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody. The group is writing to reinforce demands being circulated by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) to end all U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, unfreeze all Venezuelan assets, and free Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Flores.

“Some people might be wondering why we organized this event for Venezuela if we’re a Palestine organization,” said AWAN steering committee member Ryan Delaney, as they recruited attendees at JPSN’s outreach table.

Delaney answered the question, “But JPSN’s analysis is that we aren’t free until everyone is free. That means if we want to fight for Palestine, especially from here in the U.S., that’s a fight against the whole U.S. war machine that makes genocide and Zionist occupation possible. If we want to fight for Palestine, we need to fight for Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen; we have to fight for everyone else that’s been bound up in the fight against U.S. wars and interventions. So, when a longstanding ally to the Palestinian cause like President Nicolas Maduro gets kidnapped by the U.S., after winning an election where the main opposition party was openly campaigning on Zionism, we as a Palestine solidarity organization need to respond.”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #JPSN #AWAN #Maduro

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.

Chants of “Free the prisoners, free them all! Free Maduro from these walls!” and “¡Cilia aguanta, el pueblo se levanta!” rang through the isolated area surrounding the prison.

Briony Smith, a member of Brooklyn Against War and the Anti War Action Network Steering Committee, stated, “Seven months since Maduro and Cilia were illegally kidnapped from Venezuela — say shame! Seven months that they’ve been imprisoned in the United States, right here in the MDC, awaiting a bogus trial of fabricated charges. Shame!”

Smith continued, “And one more time, you all have been out here every single month. You’ve been here through the freezing cold, through brutal heatwaves, in apocalyptic smoke. We have been outside the court in January, in March, and July despite the racist, reactionary gusanos who pretend to speak for the Venezuelan people.”

The rally ended with a short march around the federal prison buildings. Protesters are determined to continue the picket, which will take place again on September 3, and are prepared to mobilize for future court dates.

#BrooklynNY #NY #NYC #Maduro #CiliaFlores #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela

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.

The protest outside was organized by several organizations, many who have been on the frontlines of the struggle to free Maduro and Flores since January 3. The forces were Brooklyn Against War, Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World Party, Bronx Anti War, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The rally began with chants such as, “We want justice, you say how? Free Maduro, free him now!” and “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! No more wars for empire!”

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were kidnapped by Trump and the U.S. government after an illegal military invasion. They have committed no crime. We are here in NYC to oppose their kidnapping, detention and trial! They should be set free!” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The chants and rallies continued, despite the small opposition forces trying to feebly out-chant the protest.

As the protest in New York was happening, there were concurrent protests all over Venezuela in support of their president and first lady.

The last speech was made by Briony Smith, a member of Brooklyn Against War and a steering committee member of the Anti-war Action Network, “It is not the will of the American people to invade foreign nations and capture their leaders, because it is not the American people who grow rich off their exploitation. Every day, more and more people in this country are realizing that we have more in common with the people of the Philippines, Palestine or Venezuela than we do with Congress, the White House, or Wall Street.”

Smith continued, “American imperialism is crumbling, while our movement is growing. President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong, and they will walk free! The sanctions on Venezuela will be lifted! The people will be victorious!”

The rally finished with a march and protesters are ready to gather for future hearings. The next seems to be set for November 17. The trial is officially set for June 2027, and activists are ready to hit the ground running to build the campaign to free Maduro and Flores.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Feature

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.

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong. They have committed no crime. Their kidnapping, detention, and trial by Trump and the U.S. government is the only crime here,” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Burke continued, “The whole world sees Trump and Wall Street attempting to dominate Venezuela’s oil, minerals and economy. It is armed robbery.”

“While other countries send Venezuela earthquake aid, Trump and the U.S. government are imposing U.S. military forces and enforcing U.S. economic sanctions,” Burke said.

Dozens of anti-war and international solidarity protesters will gather at Baxter Street and Worth Street in Manhattan to let the U.S. Department of Justice know they demand the cancellation of the prosecution against President Maduro and Cilia Flores. Their flyer reads, “Free Maduro! Free Flores! Hands off Venezuela! No war with Cuba!”

#NYCNY #NY #International #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #Cuba #BAW #AWAN #Feature

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?”

Jack McCann, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke about the U.S.’s priority of profits over people over the last 250 years saying, “It has never been about freedom and liberty and all the other lullabies the ruling class sings to us, the working people of this country.”

McCann continued, “We have watched as they use our money to fight their wars, killing people around the world while we go hungry at home, while we struggle to pay our bills, while we fight for the scraps that fall off of their table.”

Donna Wallach, of San Jose Against War told the crowd, “Using our tax money, U.S.-made fighter jets, and high tech weaponry, Israeli soldiers bomb Lebanese villages in southern Lebanon, murdering civilians, and specifically target medical professionals and journalists. Many areas throughout southern Lebanon are flattened, everything destroyed, much like in Gaza.”

Drusie Kazanova of San Jose Against War spoke of the U.S. aggression towards Venezuela. Kazanova brought attention to President Maduro and First Lady Flores’s kidnapping in January, saying, “The U.S. is currently holding hostage the kidnapped, democratically-elected president and first lady of a sovereign country.”

Kazanova also highlighted the resilience of the Cuban people under the 64 year embargo against Cuba, saying, “Cuba has the most advanced doctors and medical training in the world, they invent and manufacture their very own vaccines but are unable to administer them because the U.S. blocks imports of medical syringes.”

Akubundu Amazu of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party, brought attention to recent repression of organizers with the Communist Party, Marxist of Kenya. Amazu noted, “We cannot let them stop us from building international solidarity. The only way we’re going to defeat this international repressive machine is with international global resistance!”

Representatives from the League of Filipino Students (LFS) at San Jose State University and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center also spoke highlighting the U.S.’s increasing efforts to develop manufacturing and AI specifically for war and genocide.

After the speaker program, the crowd began the march through downtown chanting loudly, waving signs, and passing out zines.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #July4th #Palestine #Cuba #Venezuela #Iran