A mobilization led by national and regional authorities and social movements toured the Historic Center of La Guaira this Tuesday, from the cathedral to the Fortín de El Vigía, to demand the release of President Nicolás Maduro and the first lady and deputy Cilia Flores, in a day that combined political slogans, calls for unity and an anti-imperialist platform.
The march was led by the deputy to the National Assembly, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, together with the governor of La Guaira, José Alejandro Terán, and the mayor of the Vargas municipality, José Manuel Suárez Maldonado.
During his speech in Fortín, Maduro Guerra described the mobilization as an expression of “unity, conscience and resistance” of the Guaireño people, while recalling the events of January 3, which he described as a “fatal and terrible day, with fatalities and dozens of injured in different parts of the country, including the state of La Guaira.”
The parliamentarian maintained that the events were due to the ambition to intervene in the country and denounced the kidnapping of the head of state and the first lady. From the event, he stated that the demonstration joins a national call to demand the absolute freedom of both and reiterated political support for the government team that remains in office, as well as for the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
Citizens and spokespersons for social movements participated in the tour and subsequent rally, who agreed to point out the mobilization as a popular response to what they describe as external aggression.
Abimelee Barreto highlighted the “resistant” character of the Venezuelan people and assured that, despite the situation, the mobilizations will continue throughout the country to support the ongoing political process. For its part, Armenia Marcán called to maintain peaceful protests and reject war scenarios, insisting on the need for national unity.
Natalia Briceño, another of the participants, stated that the mobilization seeks to send “a strong message to the world,” by denouncing what she considered an illegitimate attack against Venezuelan sovereignty. In his statements, he stressed that popular support demonstrates, in his opinion, the legitimacy of the president and demanded respect for international law and the results of the electoral processes.
The day concluded in the Fortín de El Vigía with slogans in favor of the Government and calls to maintain the mobilization in the streets. The authorities present indicated that these actions will continue as part of a national agenda of political support and denunciation, while they insisted that La Guaira remains one of the main scenarios for popular expression in defense of sovereignty and self-determination.
