As American Leftists Protest ‘Imperialism’ in Venezuela, Regime’s Exiled Victims Erupt in Jubilant Celebration Across the Globe

While American leftists march to protest President Trump’s bold attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro, the large Venezuelan diaspora across the globe is celebrating the removal of the head of the brutal regime.The Venezuelan migrant community in South Florida took to the streets throughout the weekend dancing and waving Venezuelan flags. Hundreds gathered at the city of Doral — known as Little Venezuela — Saturday, singing the country’s national anthem to celebrate the end of their homeland’s communist dictatorship.Many in the crowd said they had fled oppression under Mr. Maduro’s rule. “Millions of people went to jail, they died. There was no freedom of speech,” one woman in the crowd told a local TV station. “I just know that everyone was waiting for this moment.”“The last thing you lose is hope and today we are turning the page from hope to progress,” another woman said.Many in the community hope to return to their homeland in the future.“I’m very happy. I’m grateful to President Trump,” a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Dan Di Martino, said in a video posted on X. “He pulled off what I’ve asked for so many years.”Born and raised in Venezuela, Mr. Di Martino says he experienced the terrible consequences of socialism firsthand before fleeing to America in 2016.“This is a day of justice,” Mr. Di Martino added, but cautioned that while Mr. Maduro is gone, his regime remains in control.Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, the daughter of Cuban exiles, says the capture of Mr. Maduro is more than foreign policy for the Venezuelan community in Florida. She says it is personal and a moment they’re dreamed of for decades.“What the United States needs to do is bring stability,” Ms. Salazar said in a Sunday TV interview. “The United States is not in the business of creating colonies. We’re in the business of liberating people.”Ms. Salazar is a longtime supporter of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and — despite Mr. Trump’s lukewarm support for the exiled leader — says she will play a role in shaping Venezuela’s future.Ms. Machado called on diaspora Venezuelans to rally Sunday afternoon in a show of support for the ouster of Mr. Maduro. X accounts linked to the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner called on supporters to “keep raising our voices and demonstrate that Venezuela can be rebuilt in freedom, with order and legitimate leadership.”Around eight million Venezuelans live in exile. Groups of them living in Chile, Peru, and Brazil also celebrated Mr. Maduro’s demise.At one rally, a Trump impersonator led a singing of the Village People song “YMCA” and did the famous shuffle that Mr. Trump often does at his political rallies.The mood was different at Anti-Trump protests in big cities across America. Protesters marched across New York City and gathered outside Trump Tower in Manhattan claiming the military action in Caracas was illegal and a sign of American imperialism.Protesters in Chicago held signs that read “No Blood for Oil” and other critical messages.Dueling rallies also were held near the White House, with opponents of the raid chanting anti-Trump slogans while a celebration rally was held near a statue of Simón Bolivar.

As American Leftists Protest ‘Imperialism’ in Venezuela, Regime’s Exiled Victims Erupt in Jubilant Celebration Across the Globe

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