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 #Featured

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

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.

Despite the oppressive 100-degree heat, energy was high. Bolstered by reports that Maduro had been able to hear last month’s protest, protesters chanted loudly, “Maduro, aguanta, el pueblo se levanta!”

Organizations in attendance included Workers World Party, Palaver Collective, Black Alliance for Peace, the International League of People’s Struggle, and Brooklyn Against War.

Michela Martinazzi of Brooklyn Against War spoke, connecting the heatwave with the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela. “The number one polluter in the world is the United States military. It is our responsibility as people living on this planet to fully dismantle the U.S. military and the system that upholds it. So today, we’re standing in record-high temperatures, and we know that war affects all of us. It affects every single one of us. And President Maduro and Flores, who haven’t done anything wrong except govern their country in a way that challenges the United States, are being held right here at the Metropolitan Detention Center. This is a war crime.”

The activists vowed to continue their monthly protest at the MDC until Maduro and Flores are freed. They will also rally at the federal courthouse in Manhattan on July 22, the next scheduled court date for Maduro and Flores.

#BrooklynNY #NY #International #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement

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. 

Ellner stated, “The Chavista movement is solidly behind Delcy Rodríguez. Washington, and Trump in particular, has made no secret of what could happen to the Rodríguez government if [she] were to put up major resistance to the demands that the Trump administration is making.”

These comments from Ellner were made in response to criticisms of the acting president from members of the international left, who incorrectly condemn Rodriguez, rather than the imperialist aggression of the United States.

A member of BAW stated, “President Maduro is right now being held in our backyard at MDC. We are paying taxes, high taxes, and we don’t see them returning to our communities. There have been billions of dollars in war, and they are still using our tax dollars to bomb the country and try to control the oil.”

The Metropolitan Detention Center sits in the heart of Sunset Park, where it holds not only political prisoners President Maduro and Cilia Flores, but also nearly 200 ICE detainees.

BAW members also shared a petition to drop the charges, and spoke about their plans to mobilize to the federal courthouse on June 30, the next hearing date for Maduro and Flores. 

Ellner’s portion of the panel is available on YouTube at BrooklynAgainstWar.

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #International #BAW

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.

The Trump administration has charged Raul Castro, the former president of Cuba, with murder in connection to the downing of civilian planes in 1996. These charges are bogus. They are an escalation of the U.S. attacks on Latin America that began last year when the Trump administration set its eyes on Venezuela.

The day also marked the fifth month since President Maduro and First Lady Flores were kidnapped from their home. The Trump administration launched a bombing operation on Venezuela on January 3 where close to 100 people were killed, including 32 Cuban bodyguards.

The action had a high energy and there were many organizations in attendance, such as Black Alliance for Peace, Bronx Antiwar, Palavar Collective, and Brooklyn Against War.

Joe Lombard from the United National Antiwar Coalition gave a speech discussing the importance of solidarity and standing up to U.S. imperialism.

Katrina Kozarek from Brooklyn Against War stated, “We will continue to resist systems of oppression here in the U.S. and to do so, we must also reject and stand up against U.S. oppression and complicity against the peoples of the Caribbean, South America, Palestine, Iran and everywhere. We demand an end to all U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela now! Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores – we demand they be returned safe and sound to their homeland!”

The organizers will return to the courthouse for President Maduro and First Lady Flores’ hearing on June 30.

#NewYorkNY #NY #NYC #Cuba #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

Directed by Christopher Martin and John Pilger, The War on Democracy (2007) is a sobering and critical examination of the United States’ deadly imperialism in the Americas.

Examining the history from the mid-20th century going to the 2000s, Pilger examines the bipartisan attacks against Latin America, especially on the socialist countries and those that are not aligned with the interests of U.S. imperialists. Special focus is given to the 2002 failed coup d'etat attempt in Venezuela, featuring interviews with Hugo Chávez.

After the documentary, Angel Naranjos, a member of FRSO, led a discussion on what the audience learned, the historical development of American imperialism, the decline of imperialism, the fight for national liberation and how the working class and people of oppressed nations must unite against capitalism and use socialism to crush their enemies.

As imperialism continues to more depraved actions, the conflict between the oppressed nations of the world and the monopoly capitalists sharpens. All over the world, we are seeing examples of freedom fighters defeating and leaving the monopoly capitalists embarrassed and confused. In Iran the U.S.’s imperialist war has backfired spectacularly; Palestinian resistance continues to hold firm against Israel and the U.S., and here in the belly of the beast, the American working class is striking blows against Trump's attacks. If these fights have shown one thing, it has shown that when the people unite against the imperialists, they can win!

#ChicagoIL #IL #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO #International #Venezuela

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.

Every month, anti-war and international solidarity activists gather in front of the detention center to demand the freedom of Maduro and Flores.

Barbara Fagundes of Brooklyn Against War asked, “President Maduro, can you hear us?” as reports say that the imprisoned Venezuelan dignitaries have heard the chants in the past months. Fagundes continued, “The operation cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, involving airstrikes and extraction, shocking the world, raising questions about sovereignty, justice and power.”

This month, two important figures spoke, Charles and Inez Barron, two former New York governmental figures and longtime civil rights activists. Each of their speeches highlighted the injustice of imprisoning Maduro and Flores, and they echoed the demands to see them free.

Protest organizers are awaiting news about the next hearing, which will be held in the next 60 days. They are committed to showing up and demanding freedom for Maduro and Flores!

#BrooklynNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #BAW

New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC decided to hold this film screening as this April marks 24 years since this U.S.-backed attempted coup and the current U.S. attacks on Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro.

The film showed how Hugo Chávez rose to power by fighting and providing an alternative to neoliberalism, making him popular among the poor and hated by the rich. One of Chávez’s most important issues was using the profits from Venezuela’s abundant oil for social programs to benefit all Venezuelans, instead of simply lining the pockets of the wealthiest.

One key aspect of the film was showing how corporate media in Venezuela slandered and spread lies about Hugo Chávez and the movement he led. This happened throughout the entirety of his political life but culminated during the attempted coup when opposition TV media accused Chavistas of firing on crowds of opposition protesters. However, Barley and O’Briain exposed the holes in this narrative by showing that the channels spreading this narrative purposefully didn’t show the full picture in their video clips and showed how opposition leaders admitted to orchestrating a media plan to overthrow the democratically elected President Hugo Chávez.

In the discussion led by New SDS members Dani Espinoza and Victor Silva, students talked about the events of the film in relation to the current day and issues of corporate media bias against popular movements, the history of U.S. foreign involvement, struggles against neoliberalism around the world and more.

In the discussion, Sathvika Gowda from New SDS explained, “Venezuela is one of the most oil-rich countries in the world and Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian movement have used this money to benefit the common good, which is why they are so hated by the U.S. oil corporations and U.S. government.”

This sentiment was echoed by others who discussed other instances of U.S. involvement in Latin America motivated by extreme corporate greed and disregard for the people of the continent.

Before ending the event, students expressed the importance of standing against U.S. attacks and involvement in foreign countries today, and the need for students to stand against the current U.S. intervention in Venezuela and kidnapping of current President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #International #Venezuela #StudentMovement #SDS

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.

On January 3, the Trump administration launched an attack on Caracas, Venezuela to kidnap the two government officials. In the process, they murdered over 100 people. Some of the people murdered couldn’t even be identified because all that was left of them was a melted body.

The protesters took turns giving speeches, saying the names of the deceased, and lighting candles to honor those who had been martyred.

The speakers expertly connected the religious overtone of the day to martyrs in Venezuela and Cuba. They brought up the ongoing war for oil, the blockade in Cuba, and how U.S. imperialism is teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

The protesters are part of a loose coalition of solidarity for Venezuela who will continue to show up on the 3rd of every month until President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are free!

#NewYorkNY #NY #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

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.

Elinor Keener of AWC opened the virtual rally with, “Today, against international law, the United States has decided to charge the democratically-elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife First Lady Cilia Flores with the grotesque charges of drug trafficking, an accusation that has no material basis.”

Reece Johnson from Good Kids Mad City stated, “The United Snakes have abducted President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores de Maduro under the same bullshit justification that this racist country mainly locks up poor, Black, and brown so-called U.S. citizens.”

Rania Salem, an organizer with the US-Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), stated “The propaganda used to justify this war is the same propaganda used to justify the occupation and genocide of Palestine. Bombing is sold as law enforcement; regime change is sold as democracy. And these are the same lies used to justify the ongoing aggression against Iran, the destruction of Iraq, the coup in Libya, the war on Syria, the devastation of Yemen, starvation of Cuba and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,”

Jae Franklin a member of AWC and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), discussed their experience visiting Venezuela on a solidarity mission three weeks before the kidnapped Maduro and Flores.

Franklin spoke about visiting the base areas of the Bolivarian Revolution and forging ties with Venezuelan comrades, emphasizing why it is so important to rise up and demand freedom for Venezuela’s democratically elected leaders, “They are imprisoned for demanding freedom for their people, so now it is our responsibility to amplify the demand for their freedom.”

Christian Pich Ortiz, a Venezuelan and Bolivarian militant joined the rally from the Salvador Allende – Hugo Chavez Medical School in Caracas, an internationalist medical school where thousands of students from all over the world, including Palestinians, are able to study for free.

Pich’s own neighbors were murdered by the U.S. military during its attack on Venezuela, but seeing the streets filled with people defending Venezuela and its revolution filled him with the conviction that the Patria Grande is at hand.

“We are in the struggle now, and we cannot separate from each other,” Pich said, referencing the united front against imperialism around the world, especially with the ongoing war on Iran.

Jae Franklin brought the virtual rally to a close by sharing a video recording of a Venezuelan communard from El Panel Comune, summarizing the essence of the Bolivarian revolution: “It wasn’t so long ago that the United States declared Venezuela an extraordinary threat…and that’s true! But not because we have atomic weapons or missiles. It is because of our consciousness. We have consciousness and we have heart. A heart to the left.”

For more updates on actions surrounding President Maduro and First Lady Flores' case in the Chicago area, follow @antiwarchicago on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela