An ’emergency protest’ is being held in Bristol tonight condemning Donald’s Trump’s attack on Venezuela and seizure of the country’s president.
Bristol Stop the War Coalition has announced the event, which is part of nationwide protests yesterday and today, and will take place in the city centre.
In posts across social media, the Bristol branch of the anti-war campaign group has condemned the US strikes on the Venezuelan capital Caracas, which took place in the early hours of Saturday.
The military operation resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, which BSTWC has condemned as a ‘war crime’.
The demonstration, which calls for ‘full solidarity with the Venezuelan people and the return of their government’ will take place at 5pm this evening on Cascade Steps.
In interviews yesterday, Darren Jones, Labour MP for Bristol North West and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, reiterated that the UK ‘was not involved operationally’ in the attack.
He also refused to express an opinion about whether the operation was in accordance with international law.
As established in the United Nations Charter, which outlines international law, governments must respect other states’ sovereignty and refrain from using military force against them.
In response to news of the government’s refusal to condemn the invasion as a breach of international law, Carla Denyer, Green Party MP for Bristol Central posted on X: “This leaves me wondering how many other countries are on Trump’s “to invade” list for 2026, and whether the UK government will oppose any of them.”
Tensions between the US and Venezuela had been escalating already after the Trump administration accused Maduro of electoral fraud, human rights abuses and links to drug trafficking, allegations that the Venezuelan president has long denied.
Since Saturday’s strikes, President Trump has said the United States will temporarily ‘run’ Venezuela while a political transition is organised. In the meantime, Venezuela has sworn in former vice-president Delcy Rodriguez as their own interim leader.
As well as opposing the attack itself, BSTWC is demanding that the British government ‘condemn the forced removal of Maduro and the US attack on Venezuela’ and ‘call for an immediate cessation of military action by the US and the return of Maduro to his country.’
However, the UK government, whilst not involved in the strikes, has so far welcomed the news of Maduro’s removal as president.
The Prime Minister said ‘the UK government has long supported a transition of power in Venezuela. We regarded Maduro as an illegitimate president and we shed no tears about the end of his regime.’
This sentiment is shared by many Venezuelans globally, who are concerned about their country’s uncertain future but grateful to see Maduro gone.
