In the first hours after the United States attack on Venezuela to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro, left-wing politicians, activists and intellectuals mobilized online to condemn President Donald Trump’s action. In unison, they accused the American government of reviving imperialism in the region and, in doing so, violating principles of international law, such as the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples.
The reaction contrasts with the recent celebration, by the government and the left, of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s recent rapprochement with Trump, which resulted in the significant reduction of the additional tariffs imposed last year on Brazilian products and the removal of the Magnitsky sanction on minister Alexandre de Moraes and his wife.
The most important statement came from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a historic ally of Maduro. “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line. These acts represent a very serious affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty”, he posted, defending a UN response. The publication was shared by PT and Fundação Perseu Abramo, linked to the party.
In a statement, the PT “vehemently condemned the military aggression of the United States of America against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its people” and classified the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a “kidnapping”. He reaffirmed that the conflict has “political and economic motivations” and brings “serious risks to regional stability”.
The actions of this Saturday (3), added the party, “constitute the most serious international aggression recorded in South America in the 21st century”. “The conflict represents a serious concern for Brazil – which shares around two thousand kilometers of border with Venezuela – and for the region as a whole,” the PT further stated.
Minister of the General Secretariat of the Lula Government, Guilherme Boulos, from PSOL, published on the networks that the US attack on Venezuela “is the most serious imperialist action we have ever experienced”.
“Does anyone think Trump is worried about democracy? He wants oil. What’s more: he uses Venezuela as a precedent for a new Monroe Doctrine that threatens all of Latin America. Not even in the Cold War was there direct US military action on our continent. Even more so with the kidnapping of a head of state. This is a time for Latin American unity in total support for the people of Venezuela and in rejection of Donald Trump’s criminal government,” he wrote on the X network.
The Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sônia Guajajara, stated that the NGO Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (Filac) condemns the attacks and “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. “The escalation of military and coercive actions represents a serious threat to the peace and stability of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to instability around the world, putting the lives of millions of people at risk”, published the minister.
PT leader in the Chamber, deputy Lindbergh Farias (RJ), expressed his rejection of the party’s bench. “Equality between sovereign States needs to be respected and the best solution always involves peaceful means, through dialogue, without the use of force, without violence and war. We defend a mediated, negotiated solution by international organizations, such as the UN, OAS, so that peace can be sought in Venezuela, preserving civilian lives, and preventing the conflict from gaining continental dimensions”, he posted.
Deputy leader of the Lula government in the Chamber, congressman Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG) stated that he did not defend Maduro, but posted that the American intervention “hurts the sovereignty of a people and sets a very dangerous precedent for all of Latin America, including Brazil”. “Whoever claims to defend democracy cannot accept the logic of ‘anything goes’ when it is convenient. The responsible path is to de-escalate, respect the UN Charter, strengthen diplomacy and seek a political solution, negotiated and with international monitoring. Military intervention does not bring peace. It spreads instability, suffering and more authoritarianism”, published the deputy.
Federal deputy Rogério Correia (PT-MG) criticized the action more harshly. “It is another chapter of imperialist policy that exports war and violence. South America cannot remain silent in the face of this violation of international law”, he wrote in X.
Senator Humberto Costa (PT-PE), vice-president of the Senate, stated that “Latin America and the Caribbean are not extensions of the interests of any countries”. He stated that the attacks on Venezuela “violate the sovereignty of a nation and the conventions that maintain the world order. It is an attack against the international community and peace itself because it launches us into new political instability.”
Former federal deputy and president of Embratur, Marcelo Freixo, from PT, asked: “when did the world decide that the USA stopped being a country and became an international military court?” “This is not a debate about who likes or doesn’t like the Venezuelan government. How much will this measure cost the world? Where are the international mechanisms for diplomatic relations going? What precedent is the world setting?”, he warned.
Representative Jandira Feghali (PC of B-RJ) wrote that “authoritarianism ignores limits, borders and the sovereignty of nations. It is not driven by justice, but by greed and the constant need to subjugate”. “Latin America has history. It has the memory of the struggle faced against those who saw the territory only as a source of profit. Looters. All solidarity with the Venezuelan people”, he published in X.
Former Defense Minister and former deputy Aldo Rebelo, former PC do B, published an interview in October in which he said that “what is at stake in Venezuela is not democracy, it is the largest oil reserve in the world”. “Can you imagine what the migratory wave would be from Venezuela to Brazil in the event of a conflict,” said the politician.
Among left-wing intellectuals, the reaction was similar. USP philosophy professor Vladimir Safatle considers that “the invasion of Venezuela without any international reaction is the complete end of the international order as created after the Second World War”. “This is another world completely different from the one we know. The most blatant imperialism with open military domination. This is a world of war”, he published in X.
Political scientist Christian Lynch condemned Trump’s foreign policy in the region. “Latin America is seen by the US extreme right as part of its empire. This is the meaning of the Trump corollary of the Monroe doctrine. The strategic resources of the countries of Central and South America are considered their reserves. And if their governments want to survive, they must bow to their interests. The technical name for this type of relationship is called imperialism”, he published.
SEE ALSO:
- US captures dictator Maduro in surprise attack in Venezuela
