U.S. federal police have begun evicting activists protecting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from the illegitimate Guaido’ regime.
At around 8 pm Monday evening journalist Max Blumenthal, who was in the building, tweeted a photograph that was posted to the embassy door.
This notice recognizing a non-existent government was just posted on the back door of the Venezuelan embassy by federal authorities. Cops are currently clearing out pro-Guaido tent encampments outside and could be entering the building, will update soon. pic.twitter.com/Uv6bD93a6n
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 13, 2019
The text of the eviction notice reads in part: ““Ambassadors Vecchio and [Gustavo] Tarre have requested and directed anyone who is present on this property to depart from it immediately, and to not return without these ambassadors’ express authorization,” said the eviction notice, which was dated May 13. “Any person who refuses to comply with these requests and orders to depart from this property will be trespassing in violation of federal and District of Columbia law and may be arrested and criminally prosecuted.”
Knowing that the police were about to raid the building the activists posted this video at 7:23 pm:
A final message from the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective as police prepare to unlawfully raid the building pic.twitter.com/CL1qLVARlg
— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) May 13, 2019
Journalist Anya Parampil is seen here in this video leaving the embassy. She is told by police to give back a painting of Simon de Bolivar that she had used to cover her face, but is not arrested.
I wanted to save the portrait of Bolivar in which he is depicted as less European looking, because one of the first moves the racist Venezuelan opposition made after taking over the National Assembly was to remove those images of El Libertador. ?? https://t.co/hgpQMbXgro
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 14, 2019
In Sheldon Wollin’s term “inverted totalitarianism” he says the leadership is not one outstanding leader…
They look just like us..
So too with Trump’s “Orange Shirts”…
They look like ordinary cops…
Do you recall the angry mob threatening violence in 2000 in Florida as the vote count went on? Paid goons, and a Nazi style putsch right here in the land of milk and honey.
No better quote describes what the American Empire & its rancid Criminal leadership has become? “Power corrupts & Absolute Power corrupts absolutely”? America is absolutely corrupted & drunk on its own Power coupled with a deluded sense of Messianic “Exceptionalism” & a arrogance that defies belief? America has become a lawless, ignorant, rotten to the core Rogue Nation, which has now passed the point of no return? It is beyond hope & beyond any redemption & can’t be reformed? When you can wilfully violate International & UN Laws & the Vienna Convention to invade another Countries Embassy’s & tear up International agreements with other Nations, & attempt to meddle, economically sabotage & invade others in a blatant attempt to force them to your will by overthrowing Sovereign Govts from Iran, Syria, Ukraine & now Venezuela then you know your Nation is well & truly lost & that your Empire is heading for collapse! America has now become the most hated & despised Nation on Earth? No other Country or peoples show any respect or admiration anymore for the American Nation that has now veered into becoming a tyrannical, Fascist Bully that doesn’t abide by International Law? With every passing day, the contempt & disgust for America just grows & grows & they only have themselves to blame for this!
Alex Rubinstein is reporting (1 hour ago) on twitter that another raid on the embassy is expected soon. A State Dept goon is outside the front door. Police are separating press from protesters. The police were told by Guido’s people that Alex is not press so the police removed him from the press area. Meanwhile, police continue to ignore violence against peaceful embassy protectors.
So glad to know US law enforcement takes their orders from Guido’s stooges!
It appears the multi-billionaire Koch Brothers have chosen to join Yulia and Sergei Skripal of Novichok fame, opting to forego the public limelight and kind of disappear through the change to more “reclusive” lifestyles. Vanished …
Embassy protectors are still there today, as of right now. MPD did enter the building and some of the protectors left to avoid being arrested. However, at least 4 people stayed. The police left, secured the embassy door and have no gone back into the building. There are international observers there as well as embassy protector’s attorneys and or fellow protectors outside the building.
Interestingly, MPD cleared the Guaido supporters from the sidewalk and in front of the embassy last night. The police had prior protested that they could not do anything to these protesters who were assaulting protectors and attacking the embassy as it wasn’t their jurisdiction. Obviously, that was a complete lie.
I am fairly certain that they cleared the space because they want free access to it. Last night, some kind of “law” enforcement parked large, black SUV’s in front of the door to block the view from the press or others who might want to know what “law” enforcement is up to.
I am hoping that the presence of observers will stop this particular madness. However, I do believe the USG will instigate a false flag operation in Venezuela and/or Iran. The USG has run so far off the rails that even the EU is losing patience with it.
This is a crime against international law and against the sovereign state of Venezuela and its people! Those protectors of the embassy of the true government of Venezuela are living there (now being dragged out by US federal police) at the specific invitation of the true Venezuelan government led by Maduro. The US is foisting their CIA trained Guido…the United States of America is THE MENACE OF THE WORLD .and has become a violent 3rd world style entity led by a demagogue and a group of people who have delusions of hegemony and regime change in sovereign countries of the world on their agenda. They are working in the open now, and not under the cover of darkness, which emboldens them to continue their rampage throughout the world….they know that South America is not theirs to do with what they want, but they want and need Venezuela’s oil….and they mean to take it one way or another.
US OUT OF VENEZUELA!!!!
….it’s all about the oil….and that’s what US oil companies are all in a dither about —getting their greedy hands on it and as usual
diddling the citizens of Venezuela out of it. The US Gov’t works for the rich and influential and to hell with the rest of humankind. The US did the same thing in Cuba (Batista) back in the early days but for a different advantage. Land of the free, home of the Brave!!!
This behavior by the American authorities and faux Venezualan interlopers is mind boggling. Can we expect other countries who dislike
us to act in a similar fashion?
May 2, 2019 Venezuela: Lopez Arrest Warrant Issued as Military Show Strength for Maduro
The opposition leader is still in the Spanish Ambassador’s residence, but has allegedly claimed asylum.
https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14462
I guess Venezuela could follow the now-established US process–get someone in Spain, perhaps a Catalan, to declare Pedro Sanchez the usurper and themselves instead as the real Prime Minister, then declare everyone in that Spanish Embassy trespassers. Cut off the electricity and water, then raid the place, Lopez included.
It is small comfort, but we no longer have to wonder how a whole country lost its soul to Nazis. It really is quite simple. It happens when good people do nothing and when police just follow orders.
I think CodePink is our White Rose. Thank you one and all.
Are these ambassadors legal representatives of the Maduro government?
“Ambassadors Vecchio and [Gustavo] Tarre have requested and directed anyone who is present on this property to depart from it immediately, and to not return without these ambassadors’ express authorization,”
or are they implants by the Americans?
Are there photos of the eviction?
There are websites that show the Veneuelan Embassy being attacked by US police (secret service, federal officers and DC police)..
Just google Veneuelan Embassy under siege or something similar and you will be disgusted and shocked what is shown there…and NO, the people who claim to be the ambassador and his assistant who are ordering the people out, definitely are not representatives of the true Venezuelan government led by Maduro. They are US puppets….Fascists just like the president and the Republicans in Washington.
Carolyn: “Ambassadors” Veccchio and Tarre are henchmen of the self-proclaimed but un-elected illegitimate CIA plant Guaido. I know it is difficult to read what was posted on that door but the operative statement was: “The US does not recognize the authority of the former Maduro regime…”
Funny, but Maduro is still in control of Venezuela, a majority there still support him, and he was lawfully and legitimately re-elected.
There was a chant (was it from the police riot in Chicago during that Democratic convention?) of – THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING! THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!
And the whole world damn well better be watching now, because all indications are that the administration of Donald Trump has gone completely off the rails, and those that we have “elected” to both houses of Congress don’t seem to have even a smattering of sense of alarm or backbone enough to come together and demand a change of the delegated leadership by a senile and dangerously incompetent President. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would even welcome a military coup here – oh, wait, that happened decades ago.
Kudos to the brave Embassy Protection Collective for their valiant stand for justice!!
American has abandoned any pretense of adherence to the rule of law (despite bloviations about a ‘rules based order’). We’re in the land of ‘anything goes’ so long as it advances the Christofascist, NeoLiberalCon goals of our current ruling oligarchy.
It’s going to get worse.
Much much worse – unless the American people resist and revolt, which is hard to do with the internet being controlled by the government….but Fascism has hit the US….just like Hitler, Trump is controlling the media and is on almost 24/7 with his rallies?
He doesn’t know how to be president so he watches tv and appears and performs on tv.
Will we NEVER learn? The US government is following almost the exact same scenario as we did in 1970-73 in Chile, not to mention other similarities such as Guatemala in 1954, Iran in 1953, etcetera. At least we can hope there will not be a repeat of the atrocity at the Spanish Embassy in 1954.
I think you’re referring to the Spanish Embassy massacre in Guatemala in 1980?
The videos do not work. I’ve noted that on Rubinstein’s twitter feed as well. Was this just a technical screw-up on someone’s part – or perhaps Twitter lending a helping hand to fascist repression?
The videos are functioning,
There is no rule of law upheld by (mis)rulers of the US. The US has been a rogue nation since its inception. William Blum’s book “Rogue Nation” came out years ago. US tramples international law.
Absolutely ridiculous that our “government'” can get away with this. Is the American public really this blind and stupid? Makes me sick!
If the US was smaller (geographically), there would be uprisings in Washington like the yellow vests in Paris, but with over 300 million people, all scratching and clawing to make a living, and the internet being spied upon by the government (NSA), the people don’t have a chance unless they join groups like MoveOn.org or something similar…with some clout.
I am confused. If the notice is complying with the Ambassador’s request, where does the Ambassador stand on the issue of who is president of Venezuela. If he supports the elected government, the notice seems to be a realistic action. The article seems to suggest the Ambassador recognizes Guaido’. Is that true?
i believe it is the ambassador appointed by the unelected and unrecognised (except the US and its vassals)government
Lexx, thank you. Then I understand the tenor of the article. So the puppet guy’s man is illegally occupying the Venezuela Embassy. It really is bizarre.
The real Ambassador was deprived of diplomatic status by the USA. This is not the real Ambassador, it’s a stooge of Guiado.
Well, I think we all saw this coming. The Empire is in its death throes, and its desperation is evident to anyone with eyes that see. If Trump is stupid enough to go to war in Venezuela and Iran, I think that’ll about do it. Game over. I just hope it doesn’t go “nucular” (as our beloved Dubya would say).
Hay It’s lucky we live in a rules base world, Bolton makes the rules and everyone else…….
I did not think it would take this long for law enforcement to agree to remove the protesters. There was likely a review of international law that took some time before the administration felt it had grounds to take action. But even if the analysis of the lawyers concluded that there was no legal precedence or statute to justify eviction of protesters from the embassy, this administration would almost certainly demand that the cops take action no matter the legal basis and “get them outta there”.
Turning off the water was probably the condition which gave them the ability to evict the protesters. Citing unsanitary conditions they could use public health concerns to condemn the property as the reason for taking action to remove persons from a facility without having another reason.
There is too much at stake here for Bolton and Pompeo who are under orders to deliver Venezuela to Guaido and thusly to the Koch Brothers. The Koch brothers are in control of our politics via the power of the purse and the money they spend to get their way. Pompeo is their wunderkind from Whichita and has been under their control doing their bidding for a long time even receiving the most campaign contributions given by the Kochs to politicians.
This entire affair is all about staging a coup by removing the current Venezuelan leadership and replacing it with a hand picked new government that will hand over control of the largest cash of oil on the planet to the Kochs. They view it as the return on their investment they spent on influencing (buying) elections.
If we were really driving to root cause for election rigging we would park our investigative teams on the money spent by these billionaires that created the “Kochtapus” which is an image reminiscent of the muckraker cartoons in the late 1800’s that portrayed Standard Oil as a giant octopus with tentacles reaching out and grabbing up every facet of government to do their bidding.
We have all seen the cartoons and we learned from history that the corruption from the influence of corporate money in politics was a problem that needed to be corrected. In fact it was corrected by the breakup of the trusts and the anti trust act along with corporate anti corruption acts like the Tillman Act of 1907.
The Act provided in full as follows:
An Act to prohibit corporations from making money contributions in connection with political elections. Be it enacted, that it shall be unlawful for any national bank, or any corporation organized by authority of any laws of Congress, to make a money contribution in connection with any election to any political office. It shall also be unlawful for any corporation whatever to make a money contribution in connection with any election at which Presidential and Vice-Presidential electors or a Representative in Congress is to be voted for or any election by any State legislature of a United States Senator. Every corporation which shall make any contribution in violation of the foregoing provisions shall be subject to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, and every officer or director of any corporation who shall consent to any contribution by the corporation in violation of the foregoing provisions shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not exceeding one thousand and not less than two hundred and fifty dollars, or by imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.
The Supreme Court wiped out all of the campaign finance reforms from that law and all the other laws that followed in their unwise decisions in Citizens United vs. FEC and McCutcheon vs. FEC which allowed for unlimited donations in secret under the supposition that money given to campaigns was protected under the Constitution as Free Speech and also that mandatory disclosure of donations was a violation of free speech rights.
If you want to know why we are in the pickle we are in you need look no farther than these recent Supreme Court decisions. If you want to find insight into the political drama surrounding Supreme Court appointees also look no farther than these landmark decisions which returned our electoral process back to the age of the corrupt influence of the Robber Barons.
For the Kochs, now it is time to cash in on all the money spent by these billionaires to buy the best democracy their money could buy for themselves and their interests.
This is the backstory of Venezuela which holds the biggest proven reserves of oil on the planet that lie underneath the borders of that nation. Bigger than Saudi Arabia. We are not fighting against the current Venezuelan government of Maduro because we want to restore democracy. We are doing it for oil and money for special interests.
Of course the media won’t tell us anything about the removal of regulations that formerly restricted corporations in being able to influence elections with all their money. The media stands to profit immensely from all the campaign money which must ultimately flow to them in the form of campaign advertising on their networks to get select politicians elected. Of course the media will never explore the oil angle since it would upset the donor class which lines their pockets.
But there is a real and present danger resulting from the whitewashing of our ambitions in Venezuela with the rhetoric of restoring freedom and democracy. Russia and China both have a vested interest in not letting the biggest oil reserves on the planet come under the control of the USA. They are especially alarmed at the prospect because of the current administrations proven resolve to exercise trade tariffs and levy economic sanctions to force concessions. For these countries, they see the possibility of a new Oil Embargo this time not OPEC based but controlled by the USA. The possibility that the USA could enforce its will or exact retribution for perceived infractions via control of the global oil supply is most concerning to them. Russia especially has invested a large sum in building infrastructure in Venezuela and sees that this investment could all be for naught if the USA gains control over Venezuela quite probably dictating terms to Russia in exchange for oil.
The scenario is scary since we are told to believe as Trump stated after he spoke with Putin about the situation in Venezuela that Putin was unconcerned about our actions there. It indicates that the administration is downplaying the risks of a military intervention in Venezuela.
What are the real risks? Perhaps a fictional miniseries made in 1982 could serve to illustrate the risks. Our interventions in Venezuela could potentially create a reverse scenario of the plot of a 1982 miniseries called “World War III” where Russian aggression by Russian extremist politicians precipitated nuclear annihilation over an attack of the US oil supply specifically the Alaska Pipeline. It is a good watch. Very believable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_III_(miniseries)
https://archive.org/details/WorldWarIIITVMovie1982
Bolton and Pompeo could be the rouge officials who attack Venezuela like the Russians in the miniseries under the control of rogue Russian extremists attacked US oil interests in the movie.
The miniseries is available to watch and is quite believable making the situation with Venezuela all the more concerning in the light of the potential to create a crisis between superpowers. The possibility of a military confrontation with Russia which is being whitewashed by the administration if concerning to say the least. The track record of Bolton who has proven to be absolutely indifferent to the possible consequences of military conflicts based on our foreign policy is also equally concerning.
The current BS in our media which tows the party line that the conflict in Venezuela is all about restoring freedom and democracy in that nation should in itself be a warning sign since the USA has historically used this premise as the basis for military intervention in foreign nations in the recent past. Russia has not complied with Washington’s demands to withdraw Russian nationals from Venezuela. Washington and specifically Pompeo has implicated Russian interference in the last failed coup attempt. Russia has sent plane loads of Russians to Venezuela recently to support the Maduro government. Pompeo has demanded that they leave at once and blames them for protracting the conflict by aiding the Maduro government. The situation is already taking on the characteristics of a conflict between superpowers. A conflict where control over the largest proven reserves of black gold in the World are in the balance.
The media has not even begun to investigate the potential geopolitical crisis in Venezuela based on our possible or even likely military actions. OPEC nations stand to fare badly if the USA takes control over Venezuela’s oil. Short sighted perceived benefits proposed by the US government with promises of cooperation and support for the concerns of these nations with assurances that there is only an upside to the US taking sole possession of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves are likely to fall on deaf ears. There is no trust that we will support any nation except our own especially once we have all the oil.
We are kidding ourselves or more appropriately this administration is kidding itself by looking into a pitch black crystal ball that fails to see the similarity of how our potential military actions in Venezuela mirror how Saddam Husein envisioned and justified his invasion of Kuwait and imagined wrongly that it would be without consequences. Saddam grossly underestimated the resolve of the US to launch a military offensive against him. He paid the ultimate price for his underestimation of our resolve.
We face the same potential risks if we play the game out and believe that our actions will have no consequences and that countries like Russia will sit on the sidelines.
Excellent explication of the current situation: thank you, Citizen One.
This coup engineered by America is the work of a desperate faux-president determined to remain in office despite the loss of popular support throughout the country and most likely at the ballot box: starting a war a war trumps democratic elections more often than not.
One point, I understand Saddam informed the USA of his plan to invade Kuwait, and hearing no objections from the USA he invaded.
Absolutely disgusting, yet so typical of the empire of chaos that claims to be lawful while ignoring all laws.