Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Deputy Cilia Flores, before addressing Chavista supporters commemorating the 36th anniversary of the "Caracazo" uprising, in Caracas, February 27, 2025. Photo: Presidential Press.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has welcomed a large demonstration of Chavista supporters at Miraflores Palace, Caracas, in commemoration of the events of the Caracazo uprising that occurred on February 27, 1989. He further took the opportunity to repudiate the stigmatization of Venezuelan migrants promoted by María Corina Machado, and to respond indirectly to Donald Trump’s new threats of sanctions.
During the demonstration this Thursday, February 27, the president stated that “the criminal fascist [María Corina Machado] calls for sanctions to be imposed on the economy and the people. She stigmatizes and labels Venezuelan migrants as criminals and members of the Aragua Train [a notorious criminal gang], and I say on behalf of the people: they are not criminals, they are not members of the Aragua Train. They are economic migrants, a product of sanctions, and they are good people. They are our family; they are our children.”
“I reject the way in which María Corina Machado has described our migrants as a threat to the US,” the head of state continued. “They are not a threat; they are not criminals. They are humble people, hard-working people, and good people.”
“I come out in defense of Venezuelan migrants,” added President Maduro, “because I love them, and I want them all to be able to return safe and sound so that they can join the construction of a powerful Venezuela, entrepreneurship, and family reunification.”
“I don’t play with hidden cards”
The president also responded tacitly to the resumption of sanctions against Venezuela, announced yesterday by US President Donald Trump by ordering the suspension of licenses and concessions for US companies that purchase Venezuelan oil.
“Imperialism, that is the problem,” the head of state explained. “No one should ever think that imperialism is going to help Venezuela, never in its life. Are we clear? Only the people of Venezuela will help Venezuela… No one should believe that the development of Venezuela depends on the gringos! It depends on the work, inventiveness, creation, and the beautiful capacity of the people to love our history. Youth, I am speaking to you! Do not get confused.”
However, President Maduro once again spoke on his willingness to engage in dialogue between equals. “If the gringos ever wanted a respectful dialogue, as equals, we would do it, we have done it and we will do it again, without a problem,” said the president. “But if the gringos want to continue their path of betting on fascism, on violence in Venezuela, on sanctions, that’s their problem! We will continue on our path of independence, sovereignty, peace, work, development, harmony.”
“A word for the wise! I don’t play with hidden cards,” he emphasized. “I play with all our cards on the table, and that is why we always win, because we play with the truth.”
President Maduro made it clear that Venezuela must work hard to achieve its new goals, just as our historical leaders did.
“What was the strength of Bolívar, of Sucre, of Urdaneta? Did they rely on the king of Spain?” asked President Maduro. “Could the king of Spain give us freedom? Let no one be fooled… we did not beg for freedom, we did not ask for it, we won it by fighting. We won it with the truth. We won it with patriotism, with heroism.”
“We were not born on the day of cowards or on the day of those who can be blackmailed,” the head of state continued. “I cannot be blackmailed by anyone. I have only one face, and whoever wants to talk to me, [should come and talk] face to face! With respect, with equality,” he said. “Because I am the son of Bolívar, of Chávez, and of this heroic people, and I do not back down to anyone. I do not surrender to anyone, and I only obey the sovereign people of this heroic Venezuela.”
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“If they don’t know us, they should try to get to know us,” said the president. “We can be very good to them if one reaches out to us on good terms. On bad terms, we are fearsome warriors!”
The Venezuelan president finally issued a warning to the far-right opposition. “If the fascist oligarchy would try to install [themselves] in Venezuela, through imperialist support and violence, a regime of economic and political colonialism, what we saw 36 years ago [in the Caracazo] would be multiplied by a thousand,” he stated. “There would be a thousand February 27ths against the oligarchy, against imperialism, and this time it would be an organized people! That is why I say, like Chávez: ‘never again, violence.’ Venezuela has conquered [violence] and must care for and preserve peace, harmony, stability. We are a people of peace.”
(Alba Ciudad) by Luigino Bracci
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
Luigino Bracci
He is passionate about computer science since he was about 14 years old, at that age “a man gave me a small computer that he had bought in the eighties, of those that were connected to a television and had to be programmed to work (a Sinclair ZX81 ), and I really liked it.” On his political inclination, his parents were a great influence. “They were people of very humble origins, both emigrants, dissatisfied with injustice and inequality. But they were not militants of the left. I had many other influences, classmates in HS whose parents were on the left, as well as several teachers who were trained in the Pedagogical and gave us classes at a time as conflictive as it was the presidency of CAP and the military insurrection of Chávez ” He enrolled in the UCV and in 2006 he graduated in Computing, a career that he complements with popular communication in the digital field.
