Hundreds protest at US embassy in Rome, denouncing the capture of Nicolas Maduro as a US-led coup and act of imperialism
ROME: Several hundred protesters gathered at the United States embassy here on Saturday, braving heavy rain to condemn recent military action in Venezuela.
The demonstrators waved Venezuelan flags and denounced what they labelled international crimes by US President Donald Trump.
“We must mobilise against this coup, which we can call terrorist, by the United States,” said protester Federico Manetti from the youth Communist group ‘Cambiamo Rotta’.
Trump announced the capture of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro by US special forces following an operation in Caracas.
Protester Manetti accused the US of attacking Venezuela for months to seize natural resources like oil.
He said the goal was to subjugate a people that has “been resisting US imperialism for 30 years”.
Another protester, named Marco, called the demonstration a necessary response to serious aggression.
“It was organised in a very short time because the aggression against the Venezuelan people is very serious,” he said.
He stated it “reflects the imperialist attitude of the US and the West, which still have a colonial mindset”.
Signs among the crowd demanded Maduro’s immediate release.
Earlier on Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the US military intervention.
The far-right leader, a Trump ally, called “defensive intervention against hybrid attacks” legitimate.
