The lack of security guarantees and the risk of arrests led the Venezuelan opposition to give up holding demonstrations in the country today in support of freedom and the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Corina Machado.
“Insisting on taking people out into the streets, at the current time, would be irresponsible. The risks associated with opposition gatherings and protests are increasingly greater, in particular clashes with security forces and arrests”, said an opposition supporter to the Lusa news agency.
He added that these are the main reasons that have led the opposition not to call for demonstrations within Venezuela and recalled that “two thousand people were arrested after the July 2024 presidential elections”, in protests against the results that the opposition does not recognize and that kept the President, Nicolás Maduro, in power.
“We are close to Christmas, holding a demonstration would ensure that more people would spend the Christmas season in prison, with the anguish that this represents and the risk that some family members of political prisoners could also be detained,” he said.
A Portuguese woman who is a frequent presence at opposition demonstrations told Lusa by telephone that taking to the streets would be counterproductive when “regime forces are waiting to stop the opposition in any way”. “I’m home. Here [na Venezuela] They gave up on the call, but if there was a march, despite the risks, I would be one of the first to leave, because I want to see Venezuela free,” he said.
Fear of reprisals even without demonstrations
Several people indicated that even without marches, the current times, with growing tensions with the United States, advise preventive measures, both for organizers, people and even journalists.
If demonstrations are announced, it is necessary to confirm whether they are authorized, the access streets, exit streets and medical assistance points. It is also necessary to check if there are any records of violence, clashes, always travel in groups and only carry photocopies of identification documents, keeping the originals in a safe place.
In addition to water, masks and first aid kits, opponents recommend deleting messages from cell phones and not making videos or live broadcasts that could be used to identify other people.
Around thirty countries are holding demonstrations today in support of freedom in Venezuela, when they will also celebrate and transform the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Maria Corina Machado into a “global megaphone” for the fight for democracy.
Venezuelans took to the streets in Funchal
Around 50 Venezuelan and Portuguese-descendant emigrants participated this Saturday, in Funchal, Madeira, in a march for freedom in Venezuela and in support of opposition leader María Corina Machado, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“All Portuguese-Venezuelans have been involved in this fight for Venezuela’s freedom and the aim is to recognize the award that was given to María Corina”, said Lídia Albornoz, from the association Comando Com Venezuela, responsible for organizing the demonstration in the capital of Madeira. The protesters gathered at Praça CR7, in the Porto do Funchal area, and then walked along the coastal avenue to Praça do Povo.
Lídia Albornoz highlighted that the award given to the opposition leader Venezuelan It is also for “all the Venezuelan people and all those who have fought over the years for the freedom of that country.”
Tension between the United States and Venezuela
“We have the United States in Venezuela, we have never seen anything like this”, he said, referring to the current tension between the two countries, before reinforcing: “We all wanted [a mudança] was quick and now, but we know that there are many interests behind these negotiations and we will have to wait with faith for everything to be resolved very soon.”
Faith was also expressed by Tomás Freitas, a Portuguese-Venezuelan, son of Madeiran parents, who has lived on the island since 2019. “We have faith and, with the pressure that the North American government is exerting, something good is likely to happen for Venezuela. We have to wait,” he said. This was the first time that Tomás Freitas participated in a demonstration for freedom in Venezuela since residing in the region.
“We are here to defend the freedom of Venezuela, our leader María Corina, and to respect the decision that the people took in the last election [28 de julho de 2024]in which President González Urrutia was the one who won”, he said.
According to official data, Venezuela hosts one of the largest communities of emigrants from Madeira, around 400 thousand, with around 20 thousand Venezuelans and Portuguese-Venezuelans currently residing in the archipelago.
The portal elnobelesnuestro.com, which coordinates the marches called for this Saturday, indicated demonstrations in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, among other countries. Demonstrations are also planned in 24 Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona.
On the way to the Nobel
The various protests take place four days before the Nobel Prize ceremony, which in the case of Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado distinguished her work in promoting the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her fight for a just transition.
This Saturday, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute informed that María Corina Machado has confirmed that she will travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. There were doubts whether the Venezuelan opposition leader would be able to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony, on December 10, in the Norwegian capital.
Corina Machado, 58 years old, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 10 for her fight for the democratic transition in Venezuela. In 2024, she was prevented from running in the presidential elections, in which then-president Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner, despite opposition protests. The United States and much of the international community did not recognize the electoral result.