Minneapolis demands hands off Venezuela

Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities joined the Anti‑War Action Network’s National Day of Actions on October 3. The protest marked nine months of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being held by the U.S. in New York City. At the start of 2026, President Trump ordered the illegal invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores under the politically-motivated claim of “drug trafficking.” The protest was initiated by the MN Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness.

In front of the former Minneapolis 3rd Precinct police station, which was burned out during the George Floyd Uprising, up to 25 people filled up the sidewalks. People passing by the crowd were greeted by waves of colorful Venezuela, Cuba, Lebanon and Palestine flags waving in the wind at the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and Lake Street.

Activists held a big banner reading, “Free President Maduro and Cilia Flores. U.S. troops out of Venezuela.” People were chanting loudly, “Hands off Venezuela! Free Maduro! Free Cilia!”

Katrina Kozarek, a member of both the MN Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness addressed the crowd, “Since January 3r, we began gathering every month at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to denounce the U.S. acts of war against Venezuela and to demand the liberation of President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores.”

Between speakers, chants were loud: “When Venezuela is under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Mixed in with the chants of were countless cars honking. It was electric.

“We want justice, you say how? Free Maduro, free him now!” “Trump wants blood, Trump wants oil! U.S. hands off foreign soil!”

Allison Gunderson, a member of WAMM’s Hands Off Latin America Committee (HOLA), was in Venezuela for three weeks before the illegal kidnapping: “I was able to see President Maduro and Flores speak. It was incredible to see everyone’s support for their leaders. They were walking amongst the people with little to no security and actually speaking and interacting with them. I just kept thinking wow, you’d never see Trump or another U.S. president do this. And it became crystal clear to me that the narrative that Maduro and Flores are dictators, they are drug criminals, and all the other lies spewed were just that – lies.”

Drake Myers, a Minneapolis Public Schools special education teacher, also went to Venezuela. He had drawn a comparison between the U.S. and the Bolivarian Revolution. “The Venezuelan people built a better society with successful social programs raising everyone up in Venezuela.” Myers continued, “but the U.S. government couldn’t stand to see these programs in Latin America, where the Monroe Doctrine says we’re supposed to keep the people down, keep them as peasants to serve U.S. imperialism.” He added, “So, we can see the grand plan here of the U.S. ruling class, the U.S. imperialist class, we can see a broader struggle over what kind of society we are going to have.” Myers asked the crowd, “Are we going to build a society around public goods? Schools, education, healthcare, and services that belong to all of us?” The whole crowd cheered.

When the rally came to a close, Vincent Connor, a member of HOLA, asked the people, “We have to keep showing up for Venezuela, for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, as long as our government has them in its crushing grip.”

Connor continued, “We know that each and every one of us has more in common with the people of Venezuela than we do with the politicians and billionaires who are profiting off of mass theft. That solidarity is what brings us out here today, and it’s what will keep us in the fight as long as it takes—because none of us are free until all of us are free.”

On November 17, there will be an appeals hearing in New York concerning the charges against Maduro and Flores.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #Venezuela #MNAWC #WAMM