Kidnapping Maduro is Gangster Imperialism

At his first court appearance in New York along with his wife Cilia Flores, Nicolás Maduro told the judge, “I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.” He declared himself a prisoner of war and a political prisoner, and along with Flores pleaded not guilty to all of the ridiculous counts of narcoterrorism and gun charges against him. Outside the court on January 5th, supporters rallied and chanted, “no boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere.”The attack on Venezuela that killed at least 80 people, the kidnapping of Maduro and Flores and the threats against Colombia, Mexico and Cuba are the implementation of the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, laid out in the 2025 National Security Strategy. As the State Department simply and grotesquely put it in an X post, “This is our hemisphere” is the renewed focus of the U.S. empire.It’s a very dynamic situation that calls for urgent action. Within hours of the news of the attack on Saturday, tens of thousands of people in over 100 cities in the United States took to the streets to condemn it and the further threats made by Trump and his administration. Many more in Venezuela and around the world have mobilized against this raw act of gangster imperialism.This is a war on multiple fronts: military, economic, political and information - and disinformation intended to sow distrust and chaos has been spreading wildly.PLUS: We bring you an interview with Jessica Plichta, who was arrested by Grand Rapids Police Department for speaking out against U.S. intervention in Venezuela.Read the article we mentioned in Peoples Dispatch: Venezuela’s Revolution still stands: debunking Trump’s psyopRead more coverage in CovertAction Magazine:CIA Played Instrumental Role in Maduro KidnappingOn The Ground in Caracas: Venezuelans Rally to Support Government in Face of Illegal Kidnapping of President Support the show