Anti-communist Venezuelans scold pro-Maduro protesters

Venezuelan refugees and Canadians confronted “hands off Venezuela” protesters in Toronto who were rallying against the U.S. push to oust socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.

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Venezuelan refugees and Canadians confronted “hands off Venezuela” protesters in Toronto who were rallying against the U.S. push to oust socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, asserting that the pro-Maduro crowds do not speak for the Venezuelan people.

One such moment, shared by X user Leviathan, shows an emotional woman claiming to be Venezuelan yelling at Keffiyeh-clad protesters that they are “against” her people, who are happy with the capture of their oppressor.

The woman, a counter-protester, held a sign from the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) picturing Maria Oropeza, a lawyer, political prisoner and campaign manager for Venezuela’s opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado. She brandished a passport, declaring she is Venezuelan and that none of those protesting U.S. President Donald Trump’s seizure of the dictator are from her country.

The woman is seen walking away from known agitator Deana Sherif, and another man, both clad in Palestinian keffiyehs, until the man called the U.S. action against Maduro “state terrorism.”
“And what about state terrorism against Venezuelans?” she said.

When asked which Venezuelans experienced state terrorism, the woman claimed the regime had tortured her friend and “800 political prisoners.”

The anti-Israel activist, now protesting on behalf of Maduro’s release, said that Venezuelans should look after their own problems, not America.

“By who, who’s going to help us. We don’t have guns,” she said. “The state has the guns. The Venezuelan government has the guns, and they have killed us, have taken us. And you are not standing with us, you are standing against us! That’s who you are, shame on you! You don’t understand my people.”

Sherif, a regular protester who was convicted of erratic and violent behaviour at previous political protests, is under conditions not to attend protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Caryma Sa’d, an independent journalist who records protest activity in Ontario, questioned online whether Sherif’s presence among anti-Israel activists protesting the Venezuelan dictator’s capture breached her conditions.

Another video from a pro-Venezuela, anti-Maduro rally in Toronto on Sunday, posted by Caryma Sa’d, showed a similar exchange, this time between an anti-communist Venezuelan protester and an anti-Trump activist.

The anti-Trump activist sarcastically mocked the celebrating Venezuelans, saying that America taking charge of the country was worse than the communist dictator continuing to be in power. The activist told the celebrant that America was stealing Venezuela’s oil. The other activist, however, noted that the country’s oil has been plundered by countries such as Iran, China and Russia for years.

The anti-Trump activist yelled at the rally-goer, asking, “How about peace, harmony, do you guys know anything about that?” The pro-Venezuelan man told him he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Pro-communist protests have been taking place in Toronto, New York City, and various cities in Europe and North America. A common theme is the Venezuelan diaspora in these cities confronting communists and regime sympathizers, stating that they do not represent the people of Venezuela, many of whom are partying in the streets over Maduro’s capture.