US Coup Suffers Defeat In Venezuela, Protests Grow Against US Intervention

Hybrid Warfare, Latin America, Venezuela

By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, published on Popular Resistance, February 24, 2019

February 23 may end up being a decisive day in the attempted US-led coup of Venezuela. US puppet, fake president, Juan Guaido, promised so-called humanitarian aid would break through the borders of Venezuela and be brought in. Guaido failed to deliver on that promise because he is not a real president and does not control Venezuela’s borders.

The day was one of embarrassing failure for the coup as in addition to failing to deliver aid, the coup plotters were caught in phony false flag events on the border, being violent and causing the loss of lives. This was supposed to be a turning for the coup; instead, it was a turning point for the defeat of the coup.

This does not mean the US and wealthy Venezuelans are giving up. The US has too many reasons to want to topple Maduro and put in place a puppet like Guaido — the oil, gold, oil and gas, important electronic minerals (needed for weapons) and the example of a nation refusing to be controlled by the US. On Fox News Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the Trump administration’s warning that “every option is on the table” when asked about a military attack. Guaido said he will meet Monday with officials from countries in the region backing his push to topple Maduro and announce the next steps afterward, Bloomberg reported Sunday.

The Venezuelan government already provides food to the poor in Venezuela and last week they accepted aid from Russia. There is no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela as this video tour of a Venezuela supermarket by Max Blumenthal shows. While the trojan horse humanitarian aid conflict was going on, Venezuela was distributing food to the poor as they do each week for six million families.

The day did not produce the human wave of support that was supposed to accompany USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) trucks across the border. USAID is an agency that has been involved in US regime change operations and other military foreign policy actions in the past. The Red Cross of Colombia has said the US AID does not qualify as true humanitarian aid because it is part of a regime change effort and could be used to smuggle weapons into Venezuela for the coup plotters.

The coup plotters created false events to try and undermine the legitimate government of President Maduro. Telesur reported:

Two out of the four trucks with alleged “humanitarian aid” from USAID, which were trying to illegally enter Venezuela, were burned at the border between the two countries. The burning trucks were on the Colombian side of the Francisco de Paula Santander Bridge where Venezuelan opposition leaders have been leading protests.

According to witnesses, violent right-wing opposition members torched the trucks with Molotov cocktails and then tried to incriminate the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB).

The independent news site, the Grayzone Project, confirmed the report that coup plotters falsely claimed Venezuela’s military burned USAID trucks on the bridge,when in reality, it was the opposition burning the trucks pretending to be the Venezuelan government. Their reporter Dan Cohen was at the bridge when the buring of the trucks occurred and showed photos of the opposition making and using molitov cocktails to burn the trucks.

The people of Venezuela showed their opposition to the US coup in massive protests in Caracas.

The coup failures have already begun to undermine Guaido and coup-conspirators like Sen. Marco Rubio, who had little credibility to begin with. Now it is evident Guaido has no plan to accomplish what he claims and is not dislodging Maduro from the presidency or causing mass defections by the military.

Comments like this by Guaido and the violence of the opposition at the border will further undermine support for the attempted US coup and the puppet, Guaido.

Senator Bernie Sanders published an outrageously inaccurate statement on Venezuela for which he was roundly criticized, in “a veritable avalanche of disappointment from the Vermont senator’s sympathizers – as well as journalists and celebrities opposed to the regime change operation.” He needs to rethink his position on US imperialism because he is out-of-step with movements in the United States who understand what is going on and is making statements that are the opposite of the facts. Sanders is losing credibility with his consistently inaccurate statements on Venezuela, credibility is essential for someone running from office. It Sanders is afraid of going against the Trump coup it would be better to say nothing that make false statements.

Sanders tweeted “The people of Venezuela are enduring a serious humanitarian crisis. The Maduro government must put the needs of its people first, allow humanitarian aid into the country, and refrain from violence against protesters.” Every statement in that quote is embarrassingly inaccurate. This false statement helps lay the groundwork for US intervention and even war.

Ajamu Baraka the national coordinator of Black Alliance for Peace and former Green Party vice presidential nominee put the US coup against the democratically elected government in context, writing:

The coup plotters hoped today would be a turning point for their effort to replace the legitimate government of Venezuela which has been democratically elected and is recognized by most of the countries in the world but instead the day was an embarrassing dud.

Protests organized against the coup included some 150 demonstrations around the globe on Saturday show that ordinary people are against any form of foreign interference. Across the United States, there were protests against the attempted US coup in Venezuela.

Charlotte, NC
Boston, Massachusetts
Los Angeles, California
New York City, New York

And, there were protests against the US coup in many parts of the world. Telesur reported:

Demonstrations in support of the Venezuelan government on social media are mainly under the hashtags #TrumpHandsOffVenezuela and #VenezuelaEnDefensaDeLaPaz (Venezuela In Defense Of Peace). The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry has shared several posts to show the support received by the Bolivarian government in different countries and cities around the world.

We were on our way to Iran with a peace delegation so could not participate in the protests against attempted the US coup in Venezuela but we showed our solidarity.

Dr. Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese are co-directors of Popular Resistance.   They have organized local and national campaigns for racial justice and against endless wars; in support of Chelsea Manning and in support of Single Payer Healthcare; to oppose the TTP/TTIP and more. Kevin and Margaret also have a weekly radio show and podcast called Clearing the Fog.

Kevin Zeese is an American political activist who has been a leader in the drug policy reform and peace movements and in efforts to ensure a voter verified paper audit trail. Margaret Flowers, M.D., is a Maryland pediatrician seeking the Green Party nomination for the US Senate. She is co-director of PopularResistance.org and a board adviser to Physicians for a National Health Program and is on the Leadership Council of the Maryland Health Care Is a Human Right campaign.

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