Protests spread across multiple US cities over the weekend as demonstrators voiced opposition to the Trump administration’s military intervention in Venezuela.
While some members of the Venezuelan diaspora publicly welcomed the removal of President Nicolas Maduro, hundreds of others took to the streets to condemn what they described as an unlawful and dangerous escalation.
Demonstrations were reported in major urban centres nationwide, including Chicago, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Seattle.
Opposition To Military Action Grows Nationwide
Protesters gathered to oppose the prospect of war with Venezuela and to challenge the legality of the US operation that resulted in Maduro being seized early on Saturday and transferred to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.
Maduro is scheduled to appear in federal court in New York at noon local time on Monday.
Crowds assembled in city centres and public squares, with many demonstrators arguing that the intervention would bring further instability to Venezuela rather than relief for its population.
Protest organisers framed the demonstrations as a stand against what they view as a recurring pattern of US military involvement overseas, often with devastating consequences for civilians.
At a rally in Chicago that attracted several hundred people, Andy Thayer of the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism criticised the broader impact of such interventions.
Legal And Constitutional Concerns Raised
Beyond the humanitarian arguments, protesters and political figures also questioned the legal basis for the operation.
Critics contended that Donald Trump lacked the authority to authorise military action against Venezuela without congressional approval.
Senior Democratic lawmakers echoed those concerns on Sunday, accusing the president of bypassing his constitutional responsibility to involve Congress in decisions related to war and military force.
International leaders also weighed in, with several stating that the US action breached the United Nations charter.
Republican lawmakers largely continued to support Trump’s decision, praising the intervention even as some senior figures sought to soften the president’s remarks that the United States would “run” Venezuela during a transitional period.
