As the coup attempts in Venezuela rage on, a battle over the country’s embassy in Washington has been raging too. As The Canary previously reported, a group of activists called the ‘Embassy Protection Collective’ have been living in the embassy as guests. Their aim is to keep it out of the hands of opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s self-proclaimed shadow government. Pro-Guaidó protesters, meanwhile, have been demonstrating in support of seizing the embassy. And now, things have turned ugly, with these protesters facing off with the embassy protectors – resulting in violence and multiple arrests.
At the same time, there have been reports of authorities preventing food from getting into the embassy.
CODEPINK peace brigade vs pro-coup mob
On 2 May, rival pro- and anti-coup protesters gathered outside the embassy. The anti-coup protesters were supporting the embassy protectors. The main organizer was peace activist group CODEPINK, which has been leading efforts against the coup in Washington. The pro-Guaidó protesters hurled both verbal and physical abuse at them.
CODEPINK tried to hold a press conference to discuss developments with gathered reporters. But pro-coup protesters disrupted them with the sirens of their bullhorns. They refused repeated requests to turn them off. As the press conference broke down, both groups headed for the rear entrance of the embassy to chant rival slogans. Pro-coup forces blocked both the front and rear entrances.
As anti-coup activists tried to throw food to embassy protectors, meanwhile, at least one pro-coup protester struck out at them. Authorities then arrested two CODEPINK members for throwing the food and one pro-coup protester for attacking them in response.
The Canary was on the ground as events unfolded.
Journalist Anya Parampil also reported on the events:
Opposition activists have prevented @ArielElyseGold from entering Venezuela’s embassy to deliver supplies to the building’s protectors.
We are out of food on the inside, and the opposition has stated their intention to starve out the collective. pic.twitter.com/fKFuBFSp3u
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 2, 2019
Secret Service have now arrested @ArielElyseGold for attempting to throw food up to members of the embassy protection collective, who are out of supplies. pic.twitter.com/XvYNmNGCwb
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 2, 2019
Kei Pritzker says its “ironic” the opposition is using the same tactics against embassy protectors in DC that Washington uses against Venezuela: a siege designed to starve out the people so they admit defeat.
But “our resolve is strong. We stand with the Venezuelan people.” pic.twitter.com/FC5UlBdCel
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 2, 2019
Pattern of verbal and physical attacks
The Canary recorded at least one incident of a CODEPINK member being verbally abused with sexist language. A pro-coup protester said to a female member: “You should be ashamed of yourself you fucking little bitch”:
Today outside the Venezuelan Embassy I witnessed a pro-coup demonstrator call a female Code Pink member a "fucking little bitch". #HandsOffVenezuela #Codepink #VenezuelanEmbassy #embassyprotectioncollective pic.twitter.com/B7ibgTHThk
— Peter Bolton 🇵🇸 (@PeterRBolton) May 2, 2019
This is not the first incident of such behavior. MintPress News has also reported incidents of pro-coup protesters both physically assaulting and hurling racist and homophobic slurs at anti-coup activists.
The previous day had also seen a tense face-off between pro- and anti-coup protesters. On the evening of 1 May, Guaidó’s shadow ‘ambassador’ to the US, Carlos Vecchio, had attempted to seize the building. But he was unable to enter. Washington’s Secret Service police did not take decisive action to let him in. His planned victory speech, meanwhile, was drowned out by anti-coup activists’ chants from both within and outside the embassy. Journalist Max Blumenthal described the attempt as “a humiliating defeat for a US-backed opposition that has not achieved a single concrete victory since launching its coup attempt over 75 days ago.” The day before that, a Guaidó supporter had gained access to the building and ransacked one of its rooms. Authorities later removed him.
Featured image via author
