Colorado State University students and Fort Collins residents gathered at Oak Street Plaza Park in Old Town Fort Collins Jan. 4 to protest the strike on Venezuela launched by the U.S. Jan. 3. Attendees gathered along College Avenue holding signs that read “Resist Imperialism” and “Trump is a War Criminal,” while chanting slogans such as “Hands Off Venezuela” and “No Blood for Oil.”
The protest, organized by the student and Fort Collins chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America, was the first of two on the matter so far, with the second demonstration being held the following week Jan. 1o. Brayden Albrecht, co-chair of CSU’s chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, said continued action against U.S. imperialism is especially necessary at the university level.
“We are definitely going to continue anti-imperialist efforts going into this semester,” Albrecht said. “This includes taking actions to sever CSU’s ties with the U.S. war machine and will also include demonstrating solidarity with Venezuela. In terms of specific actions, we plan to hold our student mass assemblies every month.”
During the Jan. 3 attack, the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Caracas, Venezuela, before claiming control of the country. The operation was conducted without congressional approval, and at least 40 civilians and military personnel were killed in the attack, according to the New York Times.
President Donald Trump called the operation an anti-drug law enforcement operation, citing claims that President Maduro and his wife are guilty of drug trafficking and impeding U.S. operations regarding natural resource extraction. However, many have expressed concern over the Trump administration’s stated intention to take control of the country’s large oil reserves.
Members of DSA and attendees of the protest criticized the actions of the U.S. government, arguing that these actions were unlawful and that U.S. claims of promoting peace serve as a guise for intervention and control over the country’s oil resources.
In attendance was Colorado State Sen. Cathy Kipp, who urged people to oppose these actions and claimed that public opposition is necessary to prevent the normalization of such behavior.
“Imperialism has no place in the United States,” Kipp said. “I think it’s just important for everyone to stand up against this kind of behavior when it’s just so bad. If we don’t have people come and show up, people will think it’s OK — that we think it’s OK.”
Kevin Couch, a Fort Collins resident who attended the protest, said he worries U.S. actions could set a dangerous global precedent by normalizing illegal conduct.
“They are just doing whatever that they want to do, and they’re just doing anything that’s illegal,” Couch said. “You can’t just make up the rules because there’s a thing that we have called precedent. The minute that you set the line, put it where it is, then you set what’s called precedent, and then you enable anything to occur.”
The protest included speeches from several members of Fort Collins DSA and CSU YDSA, who criticized the actions of the Trump administration and called for coordinated community action against what they described as imperialism. Albrecht cited the recent U.S. strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats as an example. According to the Associated Press, the total number of known boat strikes totals 30, with at least 107 casualties since September.
“Leading up to this atrocious attack was the bombing and murdering of innocent civilians on fishing boats and the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers,” Albrecht said. “Could you imagine if it was American boats being bombed off the coast of Florida? If it was American oil being commandeered, (or) an American president being kidnapped? The U.S. military would already be carpet bombing countries into rubble.”
Hillary, a co-chair of Fort Collins DSA who did not to provide a last name, compared the U.S. invasion of Venezuela to the Iraq War and other past U.S. military interventions.
“Does this sound familiar?” Hillary asked. “It should. We have heard this story before. So is Trump invading Venezuela for a different reason than the U.S. invaded all those other countries? Is it because he truly cares about the plight of Venezuelans? No, of course not.”
After the speeches concluded, attendees divided into groups led by members of DSA to distribute flyers along College Avenue. The flyers included a QR code directing people to send a letter to their elected officials, urging them to “take immediate action to stop Trump’s war.”
Sarah Steen, a Fort Collins resident who said she has been regularly protesting over the last year, encouraged others to continue showing up and expressing their discontent.
“It feels like a little safe bubble here, and it’s not,” Steen said. “None of us are safe, especially the most disadvantaged among us are really in danger. For people like me, I’m pretty privileged. I’m probably pretty safe, (so) especially people like me have to show up.”
Reach Claire VanDeventer at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
