Through mid-January, there were three actions in Fresno protesting the U.S. attack on Venezuela: one at the intersection of Blackstone and Nees avenues on Jan. 3, one at the Federal Building on Jan. 10 and one at the intersection of Shields and Blackstone avenues on Jan. 17. The author recorded the following statements during those demonstrations.
“We oppose Trump’s unprovoked, illegal, immoral attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro and his wife. Once again, Trump is telling the world that international laws and rules are for them, not for me. We can do whatever, whenever and wherever we want.”—Dan Yaseen, president of Peace Fresno
“This is a repeat of the horrible history of the United States, of launching military invasions of other people’s countries. President Trump said, ‘that’s our oil under their land,’ and anybody that’s a student of history would know that the United States has been after the oil resources for approximately 40 years or longer, since Venezuela’s oil resources were nationalized. ”—Stan Santos, Raza Against War
“None of the attacks in Venezuela or Latin America are new, nor are they unique to Republicans. Democrats and Republicans have been working hand in hand for the past two decades to undermine the democratically elected governments in Venezuela by sponsoring coup attempts, diplomatically isolating the South American oil giant and imposing over 1,000 sanctions. The justifications for these efforts to destabilize the country have ranged from accusations of human rights abuses, a supposed lack of democracy and an economic crisis.”—Alexa, Party for Socialism and Liberation
“This action is the most recent example of what is wrong with this administration. This administration has no direction, but nothing ever happens only because one person on one night decided to attack. This has been planned for some time, and it is not only a violation of national law but also international law.”—Jim Grant, St. Paul Catholic Newman Center
“Now is the time to come out stronger and bring more friends to protest this latest installment of fascism by Trump. You know this is yet another set of lies, and it’s really important to use your voice. I mean, this is the same fight, as [fighting] our city letting unhoused people die because of a cold night and it’s the same fight as free Palestine and it’s the same fight as Ukraine so, like I said, don’t lose sight of how everything’s connected in the bigger picture.”—Cam Fanning, Womxn’s International League for Peace and Freedom
“It’s a straight up regime change that we’re witnessing. What occurred in Venezuela is not surprising, but it’s shocking in the way it was done, obviously. I have a lot of close ties to people in Cuba. Every time I’ve gone to Cuba I’ve met people from Venezuela, and they always told me about what’s really happening there. The kidnapping and invasion is based on lies, but you got a man in the office dumb enough to come on and say the truth out loud [and he] confirms why we’re out there. It is about the oil, it is about regime change, so he could take power.”—Rafael Avitia, Fresno Brown Berets
“Our safety nets have been slashed and cut, and I don’t think that we should be starting wars out in other countries especially in the interest of oil. My family is a working-class family and we struggle. We make the hard decisions every day in regard to which basic needs we can and cannot meet, and I don’t think my government should be overseas starting wars especially for oil. It’s reminiscent of the Iraq wars, which were about oil.”—Ruben Espinosa, Fresno Brown Berets
“What is unfolding right now in Venezuela is an atrocity, but it should not come as a surprise, as for over 500 years our continents have been subjected to colonial occupation, extraction and intervention. This escalation follows the same historical pattern of undermining the self-determination of peoples who refuse to be exploited for the wealth of corporate elites. The Trump administration’s claims that U.S. actions were motivated by democracy or public safety, and the charges of narco-terrorism, are false and deeply racist.”—Arion Grajeda, a student and a member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (MEChA)
“We fund the military, why can’t we fund the veterans that are here homeless, without housing? If we can fund Israel for genocide, [why can’t we] use the money for higher education and for free medical care, [why can’t we] offer that to our people? America first. That oil’s not going to benefit my family. This doesn’t benefit my daughter’s pocket. Or my granddaughters, or my great-grandchildren’s pocket.”—Gloria Hernandez, civil rights activist.
