Protests Against the U.S. Operation in Venezuela Took Place in Germany 0 40

In several cities across Germany, hundreds of people took to the streets to express solidarity with Venezuela following the U.S. military operation to capture the country's leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Many participants in the demonstrations on Sunday, January 4, expressed their protest against the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to estimates from the Munich police department, around 400 people participated in the demonstration in the Bavarian capital. They marched through the streets of the city. The event was peaceful. In Nuremberg, Bavaria, 120 protesters took to the streets, as reported by the dpa agency.

In Düsseldorf, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, about 240 people gathered for the event. Participants marched through the city streets to the U.S. consulate near the central station, where they held a rally.

Protests in Support of Venezuela in Hamburg and Berlin

In Hamburg, around 500 people participated in the protest on the evening of January 4. Some held signs with slogans such as "Hands off Venezuela" and "Stand on the side of freedom and against arming." The demonstrators marched towards the U.S. consulate. This is not the first protest in support of Venezuela in Hamburg, notes dpa. On the evening of January 3, about 300 protesters had already taken to the streets of the city.

A similar event took place in Berlin on January 3. According to the capital's newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, hundreds of people gathered in the evening at the Brandenburg Gate. They called on the German government and the UN to officially condemn the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and to make efforts to free Maduro. Observers noted that many of those gathered were supporters of leftist political views. Some photographs showed Russian and Palestinian flags.

According to media reports, another demonstration in support of Venezuela is scheduled to take place in Berlin at Alexanderplatz on the evening of January 5. Similar events are planned for January 5 in Bremen, Dresden, Duisburg, and other cities in Germany.

U.S. Operation in Venezuela and the Capture of Maduro

On January 3, Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by a unit of the U.S. special forces "Delta" and taken out of Venezuela first to a U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo, and later to New York.

U.S. authorities have formally charged Nicolás Maduro with "narcoterrorism," possession of weapons, and trafficking Venezuelan diplomatic passports. In particular, the leader is accused of heading the criminal group Cartel de los Soles, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., as well as participating in a conspiracy with Colombian groups involved in the production and transportation of cocaine, along with his wife, son, and associates.

Before the military operation "Absolute Resolve," the U.S. conducted attacks on vessels in the Caribbean for several months. According to the Trump administration, these vessels were smuggling drugs from Venezuela to the U.S. Various media outlets estimate that at least 115 people died as a result of these attacks.

The New York Times reported, citing an unnamed Venezuelan official, that at least 40 people, including military personnel and civilians, died during the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. Cuban authorities reported the deaths of 32 Cubans.