Chicago takes to the streets: ‘Hands off Venezuela’

Chicago, IL – On November 19, over 100 protesters gathered at Federal Plaza for a Venezuela solidarity rally, chanting “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and “No war on Venezuela!” 

“The U.S. has tightened its ongoing sanctions on Venezuela and doubled its bounty on President Maduro to $50 million because U.S. billionaires have set their eyes on Venezuelan oil. Invading Venezuela is a violation of international law, so the Trump administration is fabricating a completely false pretense to justify its war: narco-terrorism and immigration,” said Caeli Kean, co-chair of Anti-War Committee (AWC) Chicago. 

President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are attacking boats in missile strikes off the Caribbean coast. Trump also approved CIA operations within the country in an effort to overthrow Venezuela’s current government under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro. 

The U.S. military has staged 15,000 troops and large military aircraft carriers off the coast of Venezuela. The escalation has left other Caribbean nations in the crosshairs. Trinidad and Tobago, within eyesight of Venezuela, has U.S. warships docking in its capital. Trinidadian and Colombian fishermen were among the 83 victims killed from the illegal U.S. military strikes.

“To be clear – war is being waged from Chicago to Caracas. All over the Americas region, the consolidation and strengthening of military forces to be deployed against colonized people is taking place,” stated a member of BAP. “This is why, in the Black Alliance for Peace, we are calling for a population movement to build a Zone of Peace in our Americas.” 

“Trump and his administration are using similar propaganda to manufacture consent that the U.S. used in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other places. And we all know the damage that these lies have caused. He’s using the same rhetoric and fear mongering about drugs and crime to justify illegal invasions of our cities and the kidnapping of our people by ICE agents. We call bullshit!” said Husam Marajda of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

“Look at this country. Every year, they swear they’re broke. But when it’s time for war, ICE raids, some new billion-dollar weapon, suddenly money appears like magic,” Jai from Good Kids Madd City stated. “We have to unite against oppression globally.”

“We cannot see U.S. imperialism abroad and defending immigrant rights here at home as separate issues. Our struggles are interconnected. U.S. imperialism forces people to leave their homes; thus standing with immigrant rights and standing against U.S. imperialism is something that we should all do,” stated Gianna of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

The action was organized by Anti-War Committee Chicago and Black Alliance for Peace. It was part of a week of action calling for the international anti-imperialist movement to defend the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under attack by the Trump administration.

After the rally, the crowd marched to the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) office. ISBI invests public funds into companies like Defense Technologies, Motorola Solutions, Palantir and others which supply ICE and police agencies with tear gas canisters and technology deployed against residents. These were used during everything from neighborhood ICE raids to attacks on protesters during the George Floyd Uprising. 

These companies also contract with the Israeli occupational forces aiding the recent genocide on Gaza. In addition, ISBI Vice Chair and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has invested $100 million of public funds into Israeli bonds, directly supporting the Zionists’ occupation of Palestine. 

AWC, USPCN, Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) Chicago, and the Illinois Divest From Genocide Network, representing more than 50 organizations, have mobilized to ISBI’s quarterly board meetings since December 2024 to demand divestment The next board meeting is on December 19th. 

Follow AWC, BAP and AWAN on social media at @antiwarchicago, @BAP-Chicago and @antiwaractionnetwork, and sign as an individual and/or as an organization to divest Illinois from genocide, apartheid, and ICE. 

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #AWCChicago #USPCN #BAP #AWAN #USPCN

Source: https://fightbacknews.org/chicago-takes-to-the-streets-hands-off-venezuela?pk_campaign=rss-feed