Protests erupted in cities such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City after it was announced that the U.S. captured Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Video footage posted to X showed protesters marching through New York City carrying signs that said, “Free Pres. Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, Now!” and “No Blood For Oil.”
According to ABC7NY, “a group of people demonstrated in Times Square” over Maduro’s capture. The protesters claimed that Maduro’s capture was not “about drug trafficking or democracy,” but that it was “about stealing oil and dominating Latin America.”
The outlet also noted that while some Venezuelans celebrated Maduro’s capture, others expressed that they were worried about their family members still in Venezuela.
One person, Marilla Moreira, who “fled Venezuela almost 30 years ago during the Chavez era” expressed that she was “so happy,” while Kenia Fernandez who moved to the city “a year and a half ago” revealed that her mother was “scared.”
“She told me not to send videos or anything to her in Venezuela because she’s afraid they’ll intercept her phone or social media,” Fernandez told the outlet.
In Philadelphia, “more than 100 people” were reported to have “marched from Philadelphia City Hall to the U.S. Armed Forces recruitment center on Spring Garden Street,” calling for Congress “to take back its power,” according to WHYY.org.
Protesters in the city held up signs with the words, “No War on Venezuela,” and “End U.S. Imperialism,” according to the outlet.
One person, David Gibson, one of the organizers of the protest, said Congress is “supposed to represent the people,” adding that citizens are supposed to be “the ones who are supposed to decide whether or not to go to war.”
Another organizer, who was described as being “a Venezuelan American and Philadelphia resident” stated that the protesters were gathered because they “agree that Venezuela should have sovereignty.”
“We’re all here because we agree that Venezuela should have sovereignty,” the man said. “We’re here because we believe that Venezuela should be free from U.S. imperial aggression and violence.”
The protests come after President Donald Trump announced on Saturday morning that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were “captured and flown 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 has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Maduro and his wife had “been indicted in the Southern District of New York.”
“Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Bondi said.
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