Hundreds march through Minneapolis to protest U.S. attack on Venezuela

Years ago, Andrew Josefchak joined thousands of Venezuelans to support the country’s socialist government from the streets of Caracas.

Josefchak mirrored that protest thousands of miles away in Minneapolis on Jan. 3 to protest the violent ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. captured early that morning as bombs fell on the South American country.

Josefchak, 31, and other members of the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition gathered more than 200 people to line Lake Street with signs and chants to oppose the sudden military incursion.

“The peace movement in this country, in Minneapolis at least, wasn’t going to let that [military action] go by without organizing an emergency demonstration against it to show that people in the U.S. don’t want this,” Josefchak said. “They don’t want war.”

After months of pressure on Maduro, U.S. military personnel dropped bombs across the capital city and infiltrated the country before dawn Saturday. Shockwaves rattled homes, burst windows and unsettled local and international residents as U.S. forces took Venezuela’s leader and his wife to face a narco-terrorism conspiracy indictment in New York.

President Trump said in a news conference the U.S. would temporarily take control of Venezuela and sell “large amounts” of its oil to other countries.

Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer said in a statement the operation “has just made the United States, the region and the world a safer place.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said she “strongly opposed” sending forces without a vote in Congress.

“Wars for regime change can lead to unintended consequences,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “Right now, we need a full briefing on how to avoid spiraling instability and a vote to stop this unauthorized action from continuing.”

On Lake Street, protesters hoisted signs while chanting to the beat of a drum: “From Venezuela to the Middle East, we demand justice, we demand peace.”

Michael Runyon, 71, waved the Venezuelan flag and accused the U.S. of committing war crimes. Others, like 81-year-old Lucia Smith, waved flags saying “Women Against Military Madness” and urged peace.

As scores drove past to honk and wave in support, protester CJ Griffin said she hopes Minnesotans see they are not alone.

Soleil Ramirez watched footage of explosions across Caracas moments after the strike began, worrying for her mother, who lives near a military base.

Ramirez, chef and owner of the Crasqui restaurant in St. Paul, said her mother is fine — and the military operation was reason to celebrate.

“Let us celebrate this victory because we haven’t been celebrating anything in the last 26 years,” she said.

Ramirez, 39, grew up in Caracas and owned a restaurant there before moving to the U.S. in 2016 for political asylum. Ramirez said she was forced to leave Venezuela when agents of Maduro’s government kidnapped her and threatened to kill her family unless she gave up her restaurant and left the country.

“Not a lot of people support his government. It’s a very big fear to say no to this government,” Ramirez said. “Maduro wasn’t the president of Venezuela. He was the dictator of Venezuela.”