A large crowd gathered near the Miraflores Palace in downtown Caracas on Sunday, voicing strong support for Venezuela's government and demanding the return of President Nicolas Maduro.
The protest comes in direct response to a series of U.S. military attacks early Saturday morning, which resulted in the capture and removal of President Maduro from the country.
The demonstrators, coming from various social sectors and affiliations, rallied in response to recent political developments. This demonstration came a day after the Supreme Court ordered that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez would assume the duties of head of state in an acting capacity during President Maduro's absence.
Protesters carried banners and chanted slogans, expressing unwavering loyalty to President Maduro and denouncing what they called his unjust removal.
"Today I am here in support of President Maduro and his wife, protesting against that unjust kidnapping. We respect the sovereign decisions of all governments, and we demand that same respect in return. I want to emphasize that President Trump must rectify his attitude toward us," said Judith Figueroa, a demonstrator.
"Why are we here? We are here to support our president, who was unjustly kidnapped by the empire. We are showing the world that we are here to defend him. Beyond weapons, we have our hearts - the spirit, the desire, and the will to recover our president," said Julio Sanchez, another demonstrator.
Venezuelans rally in Caracas demanding Maduro's return
International figures have condemned the U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday, stating that the actions constitute a serious breach of international law and set a dangerous precedent that undermines global norms.
Ines Schwerdtner, chairman of Germany's The Left party, stated in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) on Monday that the international community should condemn the U.S. attack on Venezuela and its forcible seizure of Maduro. She emphasized that Europe must not apply double standards on this issue.
"The kidnapping and hijacking of another country's president is a clear violation of international law. We strongly condemn this. This is state terrorism. The German government and the European Union should condemn it and make clear that there must be no double standards on this issue. Any violation of another country's sovereignty contravenes international law," said Ines Schwerdtner.
Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor of International Political Economy at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, also stated in an interview with CMG that the U.S. forced seizure of the Venezuelan president is an extremely illegal act that violates all basic principles of the UN Charter.
"This is completely illegal. And it sets an extremely dangerous precedent for other countries, especially for regions like Latin America which have no nuclear weapons and lack self-defense capabilities. It affects all countries because it openly challenges international rules and international law. Therefore, we must be highly vigilant and firmly condemn the unilateral, violent, and illegal actions that occurred in Venezuela on Saturday," said Marcos Cordeiro Pires.
International figures condemn US military strike on Venezuela
