Over the weekend, protesters in Portland rallied against U.S. military action in Venezuela. The demonstrations followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of airstrikes and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Groups including Portland for Palestine, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and CODEPINK criticized the intervention and called it a violation of international law.
At Pioneer Square, protesters organized by Portland for Palestine and Freedom Road Socialist Organization opposed the strikes and called for Maduro’s release. Mitch Frey told KATU that U.S. politics are too influenced by money. Mary Erbaugh criticized U.S. actions, comparing them to past interventions in Latin America.
Another protest near Powell’s City of Books involved the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Democratic Socialists of America, and About Face Veterans Against the War. According to a KOIN release, the groups said the military strikes are a pretext to seize Venezuela’s oil and that the burden would fall on working-class youth.
Meanwhile, in Eugene, over 100 people rallied at the Federal Building, chanting and attracting honks of support from passing vehicles. Rodger Gamblin of Veterans for Peace described the U.S. action as an escalatory move that leads only to war. Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle criticized the intervention and pledged to explore ways to curtail expanded military actions, including a War Powers Resolution, as stated in a report by KLCC. "I'm going to leave to go back to D.C. tomorrow and do everything possible to make sure that we don't get dragged down into another war for oil," Hoyle told KLCC.
The demonstrations reflect a divided response to the conflict. Trump described U.S. actions as targeting drug trafficking and restoring order amid a narco-terrorism crisis. Venezuelan expatriate Veronica Gutierrez welcomed the intervention, while others see it as an attempt to control Venezuela’s oil reserves.
