An American flag was burned and stamped upon on the streets of Westminster last night, as a rally organised by left-wing groups condemned the United States' military action in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Scenes of Defiance Outside the Seat of Power
The dramatic act of protest occurred just outside Downing Street, where masked members of the Anti-Imperialist Front doused a Stars and Stripes flag in lighter fluid and set it ablaze. The flag was laid on the grass before being ignited, with no immediate police intervention reported. The individual responsible, described as a young architect, was later seen chatting with the bottle of fluid still in his rucksack.
At its peak, the demonstration attracted around 500 people, who chanted slogans including "death, death to the USA" and directed criticism at Labour leader Keir Starmer with the chant, "Keir Starmer grow a spine, occupation is a crime". The event was coordinated by the Venezuelan Solidarity Campaign alongside the Stop The War movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
A Divided Diaspora and Contrasting Voices
Despite the rally's cause, organisers noted that very few Venezuelan nationals were in attendance, with the majority of protesters being British. This observation was echoed online, where members of the 'Venezuelans in England' Facebook group expressed fury in the lead-up to the event, many stating support for Trump's actions to oust what they called a dictator. Some had even considered forming a counter-protest.
The gathering featured speeches from several figures, including Sinn Féin MP John Finucane, who told the crowd the "US assault must be condemned". Veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell circulated with a sign reading "Maduro was a tyrant. But USA out of Venezuela," a nuanced stance that drew criticism from some attendees who objected to his characterisation of Maduro.
Placards on display carried messages such as 'No Blood for Oil - Hands off Venezuela' and 'expel the US ambassador'. The protest also drew strong criticism from a Mexican tourist named Carmen, aged 60, who was visiting London with her son. "These people protesting here are idiots," she said, citing the plight of Venezuelan refugees in Mexico.
Political Demands and International Law
Central to the protesters' demands was a call for the British government to condemn the US intervention. Peter Tatchell explicitly called on Keir Starmer to "immediately state that the military incursion was in violation of international law," warning that failure to do so would set a dangerous global precedent.
Other attendees, like Oliver Shykles, 53, framed their presence as a human rights issue, while David, 63, from the Revolutionist Communist Group, stated his motivation was to oppose "imperialist pressure" driven by Venezuela's oil and mineral wealth, despite not knowing any Venezuelans personally.
