More than 100 demonstrators marched around the U.S. Embassy in downtown Ottawa on a frigid Sunday afternoon, condemning the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
The mid-day protest came the day after the United States announced plans to prosecute the president in New York, declaring the U.S. would run Venezuela during a “transitional” period.
It is still unclear how the U.S. plans to do that, and for how long.
The military operation sparked mixed global reactions, with some condemning the U.S.’ intervention as an illegal act fuelled by oil interests, while others celebrated Maduro’s capture.
Protesters in Ottawa marched around the U.S. Embassy in the freezing cold, chanting “hands off Venezuela” and “down, down with Donald Trump.” Others shouted “down with imperialism,” “up with socialism” and “hands off Maduro.”
Many waved Venezuelan flags, while some waved flags bearing the emblem of the Communist Party of Canada.
“I’m Chilean, and our history is that of the United States coming in, intervening and supporting the fascist regime of Pinochet. And these echo the same stories,” said Emmanuel Agalleguillos-Cote, a protester.
“The United States has treated Latin America like it’s its own backyard, and thinks that these resources belong to them, and it doesn’t. It belongs to the people, and it’s up to the people and the right to self-determination to be able to govern themselves and not have the U.S. intervene and just coup governments that don’t bend to their whim.”
Agalleguillos-Cote added he is worried about further aggression from the U.S.
“I think that we might see perhaps a Latin America that’s been more unified than ever before. It might create more unity among the Global South,” he noted.
Claims of Canadian complicity
The Communist Party of Canada, which had a large presence at Sunday’s protest, criticized the Canadian government’s response to the U.S. operation, calling it a “de facto endorsement of U.S. policy, piracy, murder and kidnapping.”
In a social media post on Saturday evening,
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada stands with the Venezuelan people’s “sovereign right to decide and build their own future in a peaceful and democratic society.”
“Canada has not recognized the illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election. The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people,” the post read.
“Canada has long supported a peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process that respects the democratic will of the Venezuelan people. In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law, sovereignty, and human rights, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand issued
similar statements on social media
earlier on Saturday, saying Canada has “refused to recognize any legitimacy of the Maduro regime and opposed its repression of the Venezuelan people.”
“In keeping with our long-standing commitment to upholding the rule of law and democracy, Canada calls on all parties to respect international law and we stand by the people of Venezuela and their desire to live in a peaceful and democratic society.”
Neither Anand nor Carney commented on the legality of the U.S. government’s military operation in their statements.
A divided response
Several people disagreed with Sunday’s protest, claiming it ignored Venezuelan voices, especially those who were oppressed by the Maduro regime.
Diana Rizo and her sister Ana Rizo were born and raised in Venezuela, but say they fled the country because of threats of persecution after they protested against the Maduro government in 2014.
They’re not alone. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly 7.9 million people have left Venezuela due to widespread poverty, homelessness and lack of resources.
Both women criticized the protesters, accusing them of upholding a dictatorship that squandered away money and wealth from its people despite being an oil-rich country.
“I see people who are not from my country protesting, chanting ‘hands off Venezuela,’ but they didn’t care about us when our resources were exploited by Russians, Chinese and Cubans,” Diana Rizo told the Ottawa Citizen.
“The (Venezuelan) government has been supporting all these socialist people and propaganda, but nobody cared. Nobody cared about our suffering. Nobody cared about my friends who were being murdered.
“We have never seen the benefits from the oil. We don’t have running water. We don’t have power. We don’t have gas. My father had to stand three days in line just to get gas for his car.”
Ana expressed the same frustration and urged protesters to listen to Venezuelan perspectives as well.
“If you stand with the Venezuelan people, you have to stand against the dictatorship,” she said.
“We understand that there needs to be a U.S. presence for a while … If you leave Venezuela alone, we’re probably going to see anarchy or even more oppression because the ministries, military and collectivist groups are loyal to the (Maduro) regime.
“There needs to be someone with the power to, right now, neutralize the situation and allow for a peaceful transition of power.”
The sisters hope to visit Venezuela one day, once a peaceful transition of power has happened.
“If things go well this year, we will go back and we will see our family. We don’t know if we will leave Canada permanently, since we are Canadians,” Ana said.
“Our parents are still there, and so are our friends and cousins.”
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