The Hudson County Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) hosted a “No War on Venezuela” rally at Riverview-Fisk Park in the Jersey City Heights last night.
By Jordan Coll/Hudson County View
The local residents and activists demanded an immediate end to U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, following the recent armed foces operation involving the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.
“We are here because imperialism sucks! We are here because Donald Trump is leading an illegal war for oil. This is a naked imperialist war for oil,” chanted Hudson County DSA Co-Chair Isaac Jimenez.
Protest organizers condemned the military operation as “an outrageous escalation,” accusing those responsible of carrying out killings in international waters and acts of piracy against civilian vessels trading with Venezuela.
“We demand the immediate and complete cessation of all hostilities against Venezuela, including all sanctions. We stand against all aggression on the people of Venezuela and support their self-determination against American imperialism,” read a statement on social media by the North New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Instagram.
A line up of newly elected city council members Joel Brooks (Ward B), Eleana Little (Ward E), and Jake Ephros (Ward D) attended the rally. Both Brooks and Ephros are DSA members.
Additional organizations who helped coordinate the rally included Palestinian Youth Movement, NJ Peace Action, People’s Organization for Progress (POP), CeaseFire NJ, and Cosecha, according to a copy of the event flyer.
“I think the people of Venezuela should decide their own fate. It is not up to the military of the United States to decide who should be the leader of countries in Latin America,” noted Brooks.
A native of Honduras, he added that Trump pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was sentenced last year to 45 years in U.S. federal court for drug trafficking charges.
“It is all smoke and mirrors to say that this is about democracy and about the Venezuelan people. This is about imperial overreach as usual and the reason why it’s happening is because capitalism is in crisis,” stated Michael Bondhus, a self-proclaimed communist and rally attendee who spoke with HCV
Bondhus highlighted the US’s historical lack of success in promoting democracy in Latin America.
Specifically, he connected the crisis to the broader decline of capitalism, noting Trump’s populist appeal.
Bondhus also mentioned the “The Communist” the newspaper for the Revolutionary Communists of America (RCA) , “Another Year of Crisis Begins,” which critiques Trump as a symptom of capitalism’s decline.
The rally continued on with members chanting, “Occupation is a crime, from Venezuela to Palestine, occupation is a crime from Venezuela to Palestine.”
Larry Adams, from the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), spoke at the rally as well.
“They are looking at the danger of a third world war with all of the aggression that is being manifested,” he said, “a claim to run Venezuela is a claim to deny democratic right of self-determination to Venezuela.”
Speakers criticized American imperialism and the Monroe Doctrine, saying those who oppose them should leave the United States.
They also raised concerns about the forced conscription of Cubans to fight in Ukraine and the conditions pushing people to join Maduro’s militia, as expressed by members.
“This is the ultimate insult,” said Rene Cohen, who is of Cuban descent, in an interview with HCV.
She revealed that her father has been imprisoned in Cuba for 17 years. Highlighting the severe economic hardships, Cohen recounted a time when she had to send money overseas to relatives just to buy eggs—sometimes paying as much as $35 due to soaring inflation.
“When you are starving and you have nothing to eat and your kid is on the floor crying from hunger you will be surprised what a normal person would do,” she added.
Hours after Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and would be facing drug and weapons charges in federal court in New York, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) denounced Maduro’s tactics, but also stressed that only Congress can declare war.
LOL
NO WAR
NO MORE TDS
People can of course disagree. I want them to stop protesting and run for the president and change the way things are done. Better to act than complain all the time.
Boy nothing gets the commies more upset than when one of their thug dictators go down.
That’s a shame.🤣