MIAMI - Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in Miami on Saturday to protest the repression and violence on the streets of their country and "massive fraud" by the Nicolás Maduro government in the presidential elections. Protesters in South Florida demanded an end to imprisonments and killings targeting opposition members and demonstrators in Venezuela.
The event was aimed at supporting opposition leader María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been recognized by the United States and several other countries as the rightful winner of the elections.
Additionally, it sought to rally Venezuelans living abroad to continue spreading awareness about the situation in their home country and to initiate a large-scale fundraising campaign to keep Venezuela in international news headlines.
"This is just the beginning. We will have similar activities in other parts of the country to ensure Venezuela remains a key issue in the United States," said Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, who is married to a Venezuelan.
Venezuelans are in mourning but hopeful.
One of the first speakers, María Teresa Morín from Comando con VZLA and Vente Venezuela, reminded the audience of the political prisoners in Venezuela. "Some of my comrades are detained. Others seek asylum in the Argentine embassy in Caracas, now protected by Brazil. We are fortunate to be here in the sun while others only see darkness," she said.
Morín told The Latin Times during the event that around 15,000 people had attended the protest.
Chants of "Freedom," "Until the End," "Maduro Genocidal," "Not One More Death," "Death to Communism," "Down with Chains," and "vamos a cobrar" echoed throughout the event, which lasted over three hours. City authorities, exiled opposition leaders, celebrities, and volunteers took the stage, set against a giant screen displaying images from Caracas. Machado reappeared after a The Wall Street Journal opinion column in which she admitted to being "fearing for my life."
The atmosphere at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami was a mix of frustration, mourning, pride, euphoria, and determination. Unlike previous gatherings of Venezuelans, attendees initially requested that festive music be turned off, emphasizing that "we are in mourning." Hundreds of Venezuelans, joined by Cuban and Nicaraguan activists, applauded speeches about the electoral victory, sang the national anthem and traditional songs, observed a minute of silence for the fallen, and cheered mentions of Machado and González Urrutia.
The Democratic Unity Platform reported that it possesses 81% of the electoral records, which it claims show González Urrutia won with 67% of the votes.
Bipartisan Support
In contrast to the political divisions often seen in U.S. Congress and election campaigns, elected leaders from all political affiliations in Miami united on stage at Bayfront Park, promising to "fight together in support of the Venezuelans."
"I am very proud to have the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the United States in Miami-Dade. I am Venezuelan at heart, and I will always be with you until freedom," said Daniella Levine Cava, the Democrat mayor of Miami-Dade County, which includes the entire city and much of its suburbs.
According to the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), from the US Census, there are about 750,000 Venezuelans in the U.S., 60% of whom reside in South Florida.
Christi Fraga, the mayor of Doral, considered the epicenter of the Venezuelan community in Miami, Commissioner Carollo and city security officials also attended. "We have sent over 400 letters to senators and representatives in Washington demanding that they stay alert to everything related to Venezuela," said Fraga.
Both the Biden administration and Congress have condemned Maduro. "We are very grateful to the Joe Biden administration for recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the winner of the presidential elections and for calling for the start of a transition process," said Morín.
The event, organized by the U.S. chapter of Comando con VZLA and Vente Venezuela, was a response to opposition leader María Corina Machado's call for all Venezuelans inside and outside the country to gather peacefully to respect the election results.
Fundraising and Mourning
During the event, dozens of young people paraded with white banners marked with red handprints. A teenager attended, dressed in apparently bloodstained clothing, holding a sign reading, "They are killing us silently. SOS Venezuela."
"I left Venezuela alone, fearing for my life. I have been in the U.S. for a year by myself, no family," he told the Latin Times. "I came looking like this because people often forget that this is about the people. The people who have been suffering are being tortured and killed right now."
Additionally, a man wrapped in the Venezuelan flag carried a large white cross with "No more communism" on one side and "Not one more death" on the other. Others wore T-shirts bearing the names of those killed since the elections.
Non-governmental organizations have reported 1,000 arrests related to accusations of electoral fraud and violence in the protests, resulting in 15 civilian and one military death. Maduro claimed more than 1,200 detainees, stating that authorities were searching for "a thousand more," labeling the protestors as violent and coup plotters.
Organizers shared a QR code linking to a website accepting donations "to help those fighting there" and requested names and phone numbers of Venezuelans in different parts of the U.S. to "ask for their support."
Here are images of other protests of Venezuelans around the world
In Caracas
Tremenda foto pic.twitter.com/QFwGTcBSRP
— Felipe R Lahiteau🌈 (@felipelahiteau) August 3, 2024
Washington DC
📍Washington, DC 🇺🇸 activo en apoyo al presidente electo @egonzalezurrutia
— Mundo Con Vzla (@MundoConVzla) August 2, 2024
Seguimos trabajando por recuperar la libertad de Venezuela 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/iB8GYl6Amy
Berlin
Desde la Puerta de Brandenburgo en Berlín, hablé a los venezolanos en Alemania para invitarlos a informar a sus colegas del mundo sobre la situación de Venezuela.
— Diego (@diego______leon) August 3, 2024
Separando lo "político" y enfatizando que esta no es una pelea entre izq. y der. sino contra una autocracia criminal. pic.twitter.com/2rDAE1PdQk
Madrid
Madrid,
— Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (@cayetanaAT) August 3, 2024
con una Venezuela libre.@ConVzlaComando @MariaCorinaYA pic.twitter.com/SZoRKel8hz
Buenos Aires
Estoy acá en el Obelisco. Impresionante apoyo de Argentina al pueblo de Venezuela. Miles y miles de personas.
— Agustín Antonetti (@agusantonetti) August 3, 2024
Sepan que los argentinos estaremos con ustedes, HASTA EL FINAL 🇻🇪🤍🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/goFOJd9AYH
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