Guaido’s Failed Coup – Venezuela Roundup

Venezuelan protests 23 January 2019

Coup attempt by Guaido, the imperialism-backed proxy in Venezuela, has failed. After hours of violence with rocks and Molotov cocktails, and gunfire by Guaido supporters the gamble of Guaido has flopped. Chavista leaders took to state and social media to denounce what they termed a coup in progress, and large crowds gathered to defend Miraflores Presidential Palace.

Media reports said:

Before dawn Tuesday, Guaido, flanked by his mentor Leopoldo Lopez and a handful of persons in army uniform issued a message: “The time to topple Maduro’s regime was right now.”

But by dusk, Lopez had sought refuge in the Chilean ambassador’s residence in Caracas before moving to the Spanish embassy, and the streets were beginning to empty of the Guaido supporters. They joined the gamble that Guaido Operation Liberty.

It was the biggest setback of imperialist backed rightists yet.

The drama made many imperialist leaders laughing stock. The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed on CNN that “Maduro had been heading to Havana Tuesday, when his ally Russia talked him out of leaving.”

Russia denied that Wednesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova telling CNN the U.S. was using “fakes as a part of an information war.”

Bolton called out Venezuela’s defense minister and chief justice on Twitter, saying this was their last chance to accept Guaido and escape sanctions or “go down with the ship.”

Senator Marco Rubio (Florida Republican) tweeted that high-ranking Venezuelan officials who publicly support Maduro had “been working to get him out” and that their double cross would soon be exposed.

But Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez took to the airwaves to declare what had happened “a mediocre coup.”

Bolton said, “Cuban thugs were threatening members of the Venezuelan military who might otherwise defect.”

The U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a “full and complete” embargo of Cuba.

Tuesday’s events began with the escape of Lopez, was sentenced to almost 14 years in prison on charges including inciting violence. He was released to house arrest in July 2017 under orders to keep quiet. His sudden appearance with Guaido was a dramatic show.

Guaido announced the “final phase” of the effort to end “Maduro’s disastrous rule”.

“This is the morning for all us to go out to the streets, civilians and soldiers,” Lopez said as he stood with Guaido near a military airbase in eastern Caracas. “Today, we are convinced this process is irreversible”, said Lopez.

For more than 10 hours, Caracas and a few other cities rang with the boom of tear gas as police blocked main arteries and turned back crowds. Many of Guaido’s backers left the streets, some filling the few open restaurants for a lunch break.

Supporters of Maduro assembled in front of Miraflores, the presidential palace. It was a show of people’s solidarity and support to Maduro.

“The opposition called for a civic-military uprising but failed on both ends. Parties didn’t manage to rally and coordinate enough protesters nor did they convince a significant enough factions of the military to break ranks,” said Dimitris Pantoulas, a political analyst in Caracas.

Guaido and his advisers believed that by declaring an uprising they might actually be able to create one.

For a while, it seemed possible.

In the afternoon, Lopez, along with his wife and one of their daughters, entered the Chilean ambassadorial residence.

Lopez later left the residence and went to the Spanish embassy.

At the State Department in Washington, Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, said Guaido’s Operation Liberty “was not done out of the blue. It was done as part of a long process of trying to restore the constitution.”

On state television Tuesday night, Maduro scoffed at Bolton’s claim about his having been headed for Havana in the morning.

As the streets emptied, Guaido seemed to have been proven wrong.

Coup attempt never before in history

Maduro stated that the La Carlota Military Base was never taken, but that a group of rebellious soldiers concentrated in the Altamira highway. In this regard, he highlighted the loyalty of the Bolivarian National Armed Force in neutralizing the attempted coup.

He went on to say that the government has faced attempted coups as never before in history because of the extreme right’s desire to “impose an illegitimate government and subject the country to a neocolonial model.”

“Today was a contrast of peace and violence in Venezuela, a coup d’état, delivered to foreign interests and the gringo empire,” said the president regarding the attempted coup on Tuesday.

Maduro addressed the country in a televised speech on Tuesday evening, accusing those responsible for the military uprising of trying to provoke a “massacre” and lauding the armed forces for their restraint in avoiding direct confrontations.

“Who benefits from these [confrontations]? Who finances them? Undoubtedly the leadership of the terrorist ultra-right party Popular Will,” Maduro declared, referring to the party of Lopez and Guaido.

He added that today’s actions would not go “unpunished,” explaining that eight military officers and policemen were wounded in the armed confrontations, before going on to blast US leaders for their role in endorsing the coup attempt.

Maduro also showed his appreciation for the tens of thousands who mobilized to defend the presidential palace beginning in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Venezuelan president, who was accompanied by high-ranking political and military leaders, ended his speech by calling for a “massive mobilization” on May 1st to celebrate workers’ day and “defend peace.”

US admits support for coup attempt

The U.S. government once again have publicly expressed support for a coup attempt against the constitutional and democratically elected government of Venezuela.

One of the first to ratify his support for the destabilizing attempt was U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who as news of an attempted coup reached the world early Tuesday morning, has tweeted 30 messages vehemently expressing his desire to see President Maduro deposed.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed that his government “fully supports” what both the far-right and the U.S. have dubbed as “Operation Liberty.”

Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Rick Scott (R) have also shown how invested the U.S. is to the destablization of the South American nation.

Dick Durbin, the Democratic whip in the Senate has also supported the attempt as well as National Security Affairs (NSA) Director, John Bolton.

Venezuela, Russia respond to Pompeo’s claim Maduro almost fled

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro refuted the statement by US Secretary of State Pompeo that he’d almost escaped to Cuba, but that Russians had talked him out of it. Moscow called it ‘fake news.’

“Mike Pompeo said that I, Maduro, had a plane ready to go to Cuba, to flee and that the Russians got him off the plane and forbade him to leave the country. Mr Pompeo, please, what lack of seriousness,” Maduro said, during a nationwide address announcing the “defeat” of the failed coup attempt.

At the height of civil unrest on Tuesday, Pompeo appeared on CNN claiming Maduro had “an airplane on the tarmac” all set to leave for Cuba, before the “Russians indicated he should stay.”

Both Russian and Venezuelan foreign ministries pilloried the American for peddling what they called ‘fake news.’

“Making up fake news is a very sad way to accept that the coup you backed has failed… once again. Diplomacy has to be restored in the US Government,” Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza tweeted.

Putin

According to the Russian news agency Tass, President Vladimir Putin met the National Security Council to discuss Tuesday’s situation in Venezuela.

“The meeting’s participants paid much attention to the situation in Venezuela in light of the news about an attempted coup,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted. “We stand on principles supporting political and civilized ways to resolve domestic differences among Venezuelan citizens. We call on all international community members, including [Venezuela’s] closest neighbors, to reaffirm their adherence to the UN Charter and the international law norms and principles, and to support the return of Venezuela to a stable and progressive development path through the dialogue of all the country’s responsible political forces.”

Guaido’s “soldiers” seek refuge in Brazilian embassy

Around 25-armed Guaido supporters have sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Caracas, Brazilian media reported. There were no officers among them, according to reports. Folha de S. Paulo headlined: “Brasil autoriza asilo a 25 militares venezuelanos, diz porta-voz”.

Solidarity

Nicaragua has expressed its firm support for legitimate Venezuelan President Maduro, the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a Tuesday statement. The government of Nicaragua categorically reject the innumerable provocation that has already been carried out today against the right to peace and stability of the Venezuelan people and its legitimate government, led by the constitutional president, comrade Nicolas Maduro,” the statement reads. Nicaragua also expressed its absolute support for all efforts by Maduro and the people of Venezuela to promote dialogue and reconciliation, and expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela.

President of Bolivia Evo Morales criticized the “coup attempt”, stating that it had been started by politicians who “submit to the foreign interests”.

As part of propaganda war, US President Donald Trump threatens “full and complete embargo” and sanctions on Cuba if its troops do not cease operations in Venezuela. Trump said in his Twitter statement that if Cuban troops and militia do not immediately cease military operations in Venezuela, the US would impose embargo together with “highest-level” sanctions.

The National Liberation Farabundo Marti Front (FMLN) from El Salvador has released a statement condemning emphatically the coup attempt and rejecting all attempts to gain power through violence. “We pronounce ourselves in defense to the respect of sovereignty and self-determination of the Latin American people and the world in its social and revolutionary transformation projects.”

The Communist Party of Kenya (CPK) condemned in the strongest terms the U.S.-backed coup attempt and called to “abash imperialism”. “The CPK congratulates the Venezuelan military and the Venezuelan masses for crushing the U.S backed coup. We call upon the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan Government to move with speed, arrest the coup plotters and subject them to the Venezuelan criminal justice system. Abash US Imperialism abash!”

The Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) issued a statement rejecting the coup attempt and standing with the Venezuelan constitutional government. “The SFG unreservedly condemns the attempted coup in Venezuela instigated by the U.S and other reactionary centers. We salute the revolutionary armed forces of Venezuela for their dignity and commitment to the constitutional order. The SFG expresses its full solidarity with the Government and people of Venezuela resisting imperialist aggression.”

Mexico’s Communist Party spoke in favor of the self-determination of the Venezuelan people who are currently resisting a new U.S.-backed attack. “Solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of this U.S. Trump administration-promoted coup d’etat. They are the ones who have to decide their destiny, without imperialist interference or intervention.”

Chile’s Communist Party expressed its solidarity with the Venezuelan people and rejected the U.S.-backed coup attempt. “There is no place to ‘half-way measures’ anymore: NO to the coup d’etat in Venezuela. We condemn and reject the Venezuelan right-wing triggered violence, which is headed by Guaido, supported by the Lima Group and the United States. Once again, they will not pass!”

The State of Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the coup attempt against Venezuelan constitutional President Nicolas Maduro. “The Ministry expresses its full solidarity with the Venezuelan brave people which rejects foreign hegemony and domination. On behalf of the Palestinian State and its people, the Ministry also declares its solidarity with the elected and legitimate leadership of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which is represented by President Nicolas Maduro.” The Palestinian Authority also disapproved any form of foreign intervention in Venezuela, either through military actions or economic sanctions. The Ministry expressed its position in favor of dialogue as a way to resolve any conflict among Venezuelan political forces.

Barbados Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration Secretary General, David Denny, rejected Tuesday the right-wing coup attempt against Venezuela’s constitutional government and stressed that this violent action is backed by the U.S. government and its regional allies. “Our movement calls on the Caribbean governments, trade union leader, youth leaders and women organizations leaders to condemn Juan Guaido’s coup attempt, which is supported by the U.S., against the Venezuelan peaceful government and people. Long live the Bolivarian people’s revolution”, Denny said.

Uruguay’s Communist Party expressed its solidarity with President Nicolas Maduro and requested that the Montevideo Mechanism countries -which include Uruguay, Bolivia and Mexico- act immediately to prevent any further attack to Venezuela. “In several countries, there have been tests of coup attempts. Once the alignment of the forces is verified, those tests have materialized. Therefore, we call on all democratic and peace supporting forces to remain alert and firm in solidarity.”

Washington’s aggressive rhetoric

The US administration’s actions and aggressive rhetoric on Venezuela have caused the situation there to deteriorate, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters on Tuesday amid an attempted military coup in the Latin American country. “We have been saying since the beginning of the crisis in Venezuela that the threat to use force, Washington’s aggressive rhetoric and actions that the world is watching are unacceptable because they led to the deterioration of the situation. But in Washington, politicians do not see the catastrophic situation that they put the country into,” Zakharova said. She added, “Russia has always been taking the position of non-intervention in domestic affairs of the government, avoiding regime change, especially using force for this.”

EU’s position

The EU is closely following the latest events in Venezuela, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement Tuesday. “We reiterate that there can only be a political, peaceful and democratic way out for the multiple crises the country is facing. The European Union rejects any form of violence and calls for utmost restraint to avoid the loss of lives and an escalation of tensions,” Mogherini said.

35 injured

At least 35 Venezuelans were injured during clashes between police officers and protesters in Caracas’ district of Altamira, local media reported Tuesday, citing healthcare services. Shotgun pellets hit 19 persons; 13 were injured and three were gassed, according to the Noticias Venezuela portal.


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