Protests erupted in cities including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York after it was announced that the US had captured Venezuela's socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Video materials published X showed protesters marching through New York City holding signs that read: “Free President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, now!” and “No blood for oil.”
According to ABC7NY“a group of people demonstrated in Times Square” over Maduro’s takeover. Protesters argued that Maduro's arrest was not about “drug trafficking or democracy” but about “oil theft and domination of Latin America.”
The publication also noted that while some Venezuelans celebrated Maduro's capture, others expressed concern that their family members were still in Venezuela.
One woman, Marilla Moreira, who “fled Venezuela almost 30 years ago during Chavez's rule,” said she was “very happy,” while Kenya Fernandez, who moved to the city “a year and a half ago,” said her mother was “scared.”
“She told me not to send her videos or anything to Venezuela because she's afraid they'll intercept her phone or social media,” Fernandez told the publication.
In Philadelphia, “more than 100 people” reportedly “marched from Philadelphia City Hall to the US Armed Forces Recruiting Center on Spring Garden Street,” calling on Congress to “take back power.” in accordance with WHY.org.
According to the publication, protesters in the city held signs reading “No to war with Venezuela” and “End American imperialism.”
One man, David Gibson, one of the protest organizers, said Congress “should represent the people,” adding that citizens should be “the ones who get to decide whether to go to war or not.”
Another organizer, who was described as a “Venezuelan-American and Philadelphia resident,” said protesters gathered because they “agree that Venezuela should have sovereignty.”
“We are all here because we agree that Venezuela should have sovereignty,” the man said. “We are here because we believe that Venezuela should be free from US imperial aggression and violence.”
The protests began after President Donald Trump. announced On Saturday morning, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were “captured and taken out of the country.”
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who, along with his wife, was captured and taken out of the country,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “This operation was carried out jointly with US law enforcement agencies. Details later. A press conference will be held at Mar-a-Lago today at 11 a.m..”
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and his wife “were indicted in the Southern District of New York.”
“Nicholas Maduro is charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States,” Bondi said.
