U.S. hands off Venezuela!
NO to the coup — NO to sanctions — NO to a new U.S. war

On Saturday, March 16, thousands of people from all over the United States will march in Washington, D.C. against the Trump administration’s brazen coup in Venezuela and a new devastating war there. Local demonstrations like this one are also being held in solidarity with the national march.

The outrageous, illegal attacks against Venezuela repeats the ugly pattern of wars for regime change in the oil-rich countries of Iraq and Libya. National Security Advisor John Bolton is reading from the same script, declaring a “troika of tyranny” in Latin America (like the George W. Bush’s “axis of evil”) as a precursor for attempted regime change first in Venezuela, and then Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump has always said that the real “mistake” of the Middle East wars was that the U.S. didn’t “take the oil.”

It is time to stand up and with a clear voice say NO to the newest example of the “Monroe Doctrine,” which the U.S. government has used for over two centuries to repeatedly invade Latin America and Caribbean, control its politics and extract its resources.

The White House aims to overthrow the government of President Nicolás Maduro and replace him with Juan Guaidó. Guaidó is a U.S.-trained operative who was unknown to the vast majority of Venezuelans before he proclaimed himself president — at Vice President Mike Pence’s urging. Although Guaidó has the backing of Trump, the CIA, and the Republican and Democratic Party leaderships alike, huge numbers of Venezuelans have marched to reject this coup and defend their independence.

On March 16, the people of the United States will show the world that the billionaire politicians do not speak for us. We say:

-U.S. hands off Venezuela!
-NO to the coup — the U.S. does not have the right to select other country’s leaders!
-NO to the sanctions, oil embargo and economic war on Venezuela that is already causing suffering for ordinary people in the country.
-NO to military intervention and war from the U.S. and their proxies in the region.

Endorsers: ANSWER Coalition • Seattle Anti-War Coalition • Seattle Cuba Friendship Committee • El Comite • LELO • US Women and Cuba Collaboration • Earthcare not Warfare • CodePink • Black Alliance for Peace • Alliance for Global Justice Popular Resistance • Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee • Haïti Liberté International Support Haiti Network • Popular Education Project • Abby Martin, journalist, The Empire Files • Dr. Jill Stein, 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jared Ball, Prof. of Communication Studies, Morgan State Univ., imixwhatilike • Medea Benjamin, CodePink • Cindy Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox • Berthony Dupont, Director, Haïti Liberté • Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, constitutional rights attorney • Max Blumenthal, journalist • Ajamu Baraka, National Organizer, Black Alliance for Peace • Mike Prysner, Iraq War veteran, producer, The Empire files • Dr. George Ciccariello-Maher, author • Dr. Anthony Monteiro, Saturday Free School • Dr. Jodi Dean, Prof. of Political Science, Hobart & William Smith Colleges • Gloria La Riva, National Coordinator, Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee • Kim Ives, journalist • Anoa Changa, host, The Way With Anoa • Dan Cohen, journalist and filmmaker • Chuck Kaufman, National Co-Coordinator, Alliance for Global Justice • Eugene Puryear, Stop Police Terror Project • Jeanette Charles and Lucas Koerner, Venezuela Analysis • Margaret Flowers, Co-Coordinator, Popular Resistance • Kevin Zeese, Co-Coordinator, Popular Resistance • Dan Kovalik, author and human rights lawyer • Mahdi Bray, National Director, American Muslim Alliance (AMA)