Winnipeggers stage anti-U.S. protest in wake of Venezuela president’s capture

Anger spilled into the streets of Osborne Village on Sunday as dozens rallied for Venezuela, condemning Donald Trump’s administration a day after the U.S. ousted the country’s president.

“I, myself, am not huge on (Venezuela President) Nicolás Maduro, but it’s not for the United States to decide who is the president of our country; we will decide that ourselves,” said Nasser Alfodoul, who was born in Canada to Venezuelan parents.

Alfodoul waved a large Venezuelan flag as he and dozens of others marched along both sides of Osborne Street near River Avenue.

Maduro, 63, was deposed and captured in a brazen U.S. military operation on Saturday and remained in custody in New York City as of Sunday.

Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2012, after former president Hugo Chávez fell ill and named him his successor. He narrowly won an election in 2013 following Chávez’s death from cancer, then secured another term in 2018 in an uncontested vote that prompted dozens of countries — including the U.S. and Canada — to refuse to recognize his presidency. He claimed victory again in 2024 in an election critics said was fraudulent.

“Canada has not recognized the illegitimate regime of Maduro since it stole the 2018 election,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post Saturday night. “The Canadian government therefore welcomes the opportunity for freedom, democracy, peace, and prosperity for the Venezuelan people.”

Since returning to office last January, President Trump’s administration has aggressively targeted Maduro, imposing steep tariffs on Venezuelan oil, sanctioning Maduro and his family, and doubling the reward for his arrest or conviction to $50 million.

Along Osborne Street on Sunday, some demonstrators laid American flags on the pavement, inviting passing motorists to drive over them and cheering loudly when they did.

Tensions occasionally flared. One counter-protester was shouted down after telling pro-Venezuelan demonstrators they did not understand what it was like to live under communist rule.

While many drivers honked in support as they passed, others reacted angrily. One man in a pickup truck rolled down his window and flashed the middle finger at protesters, drawing jeers from the crowd as he drove away.

“The common-ground, unifying message is that the U.S. should not be going into a sovereign country and removing its leader unilaterally,” said Ivan Pankratz, from the Winnipeg Peace Alliance, one of the protest’s organizers. Pankratz added Maduro’s perceived wrongdoings are another discussion entirely. “I think a lot of people are looking at the strong-arm, bully tactics and saying, ‘That should not have happened.’”

Pankratz said he didn’t support the American flags being tossed on the ground to be driven over, but admitted it was “kind of amusing.”

“I think I would stop before that point,” he said. “But I think it’s homogeneous in that everyone disagrees with what most people would call here American imperialism, bullying other countries for their own interest and the interest of oil companies.”

Carlos, who is from Chile and didn’t provide his surname, said he supports Venezuela and is against Trump’s intervention.

“We’re from South America, and we believe in the political process,” he said.

He said he understands that many Venezuelans are happy to see Maduro ousted.

“But I can’t support how it was done,” he said.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca