Los Angeles protesters criticize strike on Venezuela

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – Demonstrators gathered over the weekend in downtown Los Angeles to protest the U.S. military strike on Venezuela that resulted in the capture and arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Protesters gathered peacefully in the rain in Pershing Square and said the U.S military strike during overnight hours Saturday was more about securing oil than promoting democracy. They called for an end to U.S. involvement in Venezuela. They stood Saturday under umbrellas and held signs, wrapped in plastic to keep them dry, saying "No blood for oil" and "Stop bombing Venezuela now!"

The rally was among several that took place Saturday in major cities across the U.S.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, called Maduro "a thug and a criminal."

"But Donald Trump proposing to ‘run’ Venezuela without a coherent long-term plan beyond an oil grab is dangerous for America," Newsom said in an emailed statement Monday after The Center Square requested a comment.

"The path forward must be democracy, human rights, and stability," the Democratic governor told The Center Square.

Elsewhere in the Southwest, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Saturday said he was glad Maduro is no longer in power in Venezuela. He urged support for the duly elected president to replace him.

“Today is a moment to celebrate the ouster of the brutal socialist dictator of Venezuela, who has cruelly impoverished this once-prosperous country that sits on greater oil wealth than Saudi Arabia,” Polis posted Saturday on X after elite U.S. military forces captured Maduro and his wife. Both pleaded not guilty Monday in a New York City court to federal drug and weapons charges.

“I join our fellow Coloradans who have suffered so severely from this thug in calling for a democratic Venezuela where freedom and opportunity can again flourish,” Polis said. But he added, “This is a time of great uncertainty, promise, and peril across dangerous political terrain as the regime’s Vice President and Minister of Interior seek to retain power with violence and repression.”

Polis called on the U.S. to support Unity Democratic Platform candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who the Democratic governor noted was “overwhelmingly elected” president of Venezuela.

Polis noted America's plans for Venezuela seemed uncertain Saturday after President Donald Trump's remarks and that it's unclear who's in charge of the South American nation. Polis added he felt troubled Saturday “by the lack of Congressional oversight and engagement up to this point.”

Trump said Saturday the U.S. will run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said congressional notification before the strike wasn't required because the action was "largely a law enforcement function."