Venezuela: US Maduro Ouster Bid Sparks Protests & Outcry

Approximately 100 protesters demonstrated in Dublin against recent U.S. actions that led to the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The protests followed overnight events in Venezuela involving U.S. Special Forces, who have taken Mr. Maduro and his wife into custody to face trial in the United States.

Protest on Ha’penny Bridge

Protesters gathered on the Ha’penny Bridge, holding a banner that read “USA out of Venezuela.” Organizer Céile Varley expressed being “horrified” by the bombing of Caracas and the capture of Mr. Maduro.

“As a lawyer and a believer in international law, what the US is doing is in complete contradiction to everything I ever learned and everything the world should do,” Varley said. She added that the actions “fly in the face of the international community” and existing agreements.

Varley stated the demonstration aimed to “show our horror at the criminal actions and spread the word out,” noting the presence of a “range of broad left groups and political parties.”

Criticism of Irish Government Response

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy criticized the Irish Government’s statement regarding the arrest of Mr. Maduro, stating it stopped short of condemning American actions. Murphy described the U.S. as a “terrorist state” and argued that Ireland should not “be facilitating its terrorist activities around the world.” He characterized the Irish Government’s response as “a complete joke.”

Protesters carried Irish tricolours, as well as Venezuelan, Cuban, and Palestinian flags.

Concerns Over International Law

Former Siptu president Jack O’Connor, while stating he was not a supporter of Mr. Maduro, argued that the U.S. actions were a violation of international law. “We should have a position in favour of international law,” he said. He contrasted the U.S. support for the situation in Palestine with the intervention in Venezuela, calling it a “flagrant intervention in an independent country.”

O’Connor emphasized the importance of respecting “international law and due process” and “the principles of democracy.” He acknowledged not knowing whether Mr. Maduro rigged the 2024 Venezuelan election, as claimed by some observers, but maintained that “there is an international law that should be respected in recognising the sovereignty of every single independent country.”

He concluded by calling the U.S. actions “an outrageous violation of the sovereignty of Venezuela and a return to the old activities that characterised the US’s behaviour in Latin America.”