Pro and Anti-Government Venezuelans March After OAS Threats

Workers unions and youth groups marched in Caracas Tuesday to condemn threats by the Organization of American States, OAS, to suspend Venezuela from the organization.

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Demonstrators called for the defense of the country from right-wing threats at both the national and international level and to defend peace.

“President Nicolas Maduro has called us to be alert and for that reason we are now focusing on marching, as we have always done, to defend our territory, to defend peace,” said Carlos Lopez from the Central Bolivarian Socialist Workers of Venezuela.

Lopez added that the march aimed to “send a message that the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution is peaceful, it is not going to stop and it will continue leading the people.”

"The people say no to the OAS coup, no to Almagro's attacks and yes to Venezuela's sovereignty."

“We are convinced that only through dialogue and peace will we overcome our problems. We reject all acts of interventionism by the empire's lackeys,” said Angelo Ribas, president of the Youth Institute in Caracas.

Anti-government protestors also took to the streets of Venezuelan capital, with numerous episodes of clashes with police reported.

The marches, which came a day after a controversial meeting at the OAS say 17 countries approve a motion criticizing Venezuela, took place as the opposition-led National Assembly moved to dismiss Supreme Court judges - something that experts say is not legal.

Secretary-General of the OAS Luis Almagro and other member governments in the organization have continually called for Venezuela’s suspensions from the organization and have spread false fears of an “auto-coup” to drum up international opposition to the Maduro government.

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Venezuela vs. OAS

Last week, the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled it could assume some responsibilities of the National Assembly if the legislature continued to operate “in contempt” of the constitution, a matter the right-wing opposition could easily remedy but has refused to do. However, the decision was then reversed after a judicial review.

Two-thirds of the 35 OAS member countries would need to vote on applying the OAS charter to trigger the suspension. Thus far, 18 countries have openly supported action against Venezuela: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Uruguay and the U.S.

For the Venezuelan government and its supporters, threats from the OAS have been painted as an “imperialist intervention.”