Far-Left, Anti-Israel Groups Lead Protests Against U.S. Maduro Operation

Protests erupted Saturday across major U.S. cities after the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, with far-left and anti-imperialist organizations organizing rallies in cities including Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Organizers framed the operation as an attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and a step toward regime change.

The Palestinian Youth Movement urged supporters to join a “Palestine contingent” of the “Hands Off Venezuela” campaign in an Instagram post. The group directed Los Angeles activists to protest organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as a separate rally organized by Union del Barrio.

In a separate statement earlier in the day, PYM accused the Trump administration of escalating its actions against Venezuela. “After weeks of provocation, including the murder of Venezuelan fisherman and theft of Venezuela’s oil and ships, the Trump regime has escalated its violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and abducted its president, Nicolás Maduro,” the statement said. The group added: “Trump is using ‘narcoterrorism’ as a pretext to destabilize Venezuela and facilitate the theft of Venezuela’s oil and natural wealth through regime change. We condemn this scheme and stand with the Venezuelan people.”

The National Students for Justice in Palestine also called for action, urging activists to “defend Venezuelan sovereignty” from what it described as the “United States of Terror.” In an Instagram post, NSJP said: “As the US ruling class and their political puppets indicate their intention to engage Iran directly and tensions between the empire and China rise, this attempt at regime change in Venezuela must be understood as a desperate seizure of critical resources in the face of a potentially globalized war.”

The ANSWER Coalition said it organized protests in 75 cities across the United States, including hundreds of participants in New York City. Demonstrators marched through city streets waving Venezuelan flags and chanting demands to “stop the bombing right now.” During the New York rally, People’s Forum director Manolo De Los Santos told the crowd, “How dare Trump say from the White House today that they run Venezuela. They don’t run Venezuela, the people of Venezuela run Venezuela.” He added, “The US has no right to dictate its desires to the people of the world,” calling the operation criminal and rejecting the idea that one country could put another’s president on trial.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation rallied in front of the White House, accusing the U.S. government of trading in “blood for oil.” In a social media statement, PSL said: “Trump lied when he promised to end the wars. He might be the biggest warmonger to ever hold office.” The group added that Trump had “unleashed the Pentagon war machine” across multiple countries and “provided the missiles and bombs that rained down in the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

The Jewish Voice for Peace appeared among organizations promoting “Hands Off Venezuela” actions, aligning with the same protest messaging.

Political condemnation also came from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said on X that “unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law.” In a separate statement, Mamdani said he had been briefed on the capture of Maduro and Flores and warned that the operation “directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home.”

The Democratic Socialists of America, the movement Mamdani is affiliated with, issued a statement declaring, “The Trump administration has started an illegal war against Venezuela,” describing the operation as a “nakedly imperialist war” and demanding the release of Maduro and Flores.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized Mamdani’s remarks, writing on X, “I pity people of NY for electing a mayor who sides with a drug trafficker & ally of Iran & Hezbollah rather than his constituents.”