Reviled Guaido’s Car Attacked in Caracas
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Two months ago, Guaido was a virtual unknown to the vast majority of Venezuelans - a nobody artificially elevated to prominence by Trump regime hardliners.
Today, he may be the most reviled figure in the country, designated puppet for Washington’s coup plot to topple Maduro and end Bolivarian social democracy most Venezuelans support.
After Guaido called for maximum pressure on Maduro to resign in a National Assembly address, its actions declared null and void by the Supreme Court for illegally seating three MPs accused of electoral fraud, video footage showed his car attacked by angry Venezuelans.
Stopped at a traffic light, a man kicked his car. Others began hurling objects at it. A cloud of smoke was seen before the video ended.
Sputnik News and RT reported the incident, RT headlining: “Hail to the ‘interim president’? Juan Guaido’s motorcade ATTACKED by angry mob (VIDEO),” saying:
“A car escorting Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president was ambushed by a group of displeased citizens, a short clip appears to show. Washington has rushed to blame Nicolas Maduro for the attack.”
Guaido’s “momentum appears to have fizzled out, however. After weeks of insinuating that Nicolas Maduro’s ouster was imminent, Washington now says that there’s ‘no timeline’ for regime change in Venezuela.”
Caracas-based television channel VPItv captured the scene on video, then tweeted the following: #NOW Moment in which…@jguaido leaves the National Assembly, the vehicle in which he was transferred was attacked with blows and blunt objects by armed paramilitary groups (sic) # 26Mar.”
So-called “paramilitar(ies)” were ordinary Venezuelans, furious over Guaido’s collusion with Trump regime hardliners against Bolivarian social democracy they want preserved and protected.
Reuters reported the incident as follows, saying: “Upon leaving a National Assembly session on Tuesday, individuals threw stones at the vehicle in which Guaido was traveling and tried to open its doors.”
Responding to the incident, Mike Pompeo tweeted: “We condemn the attack on @JGuaido’s caravan and the reported harassment of @AsambleaVE members & deputies & journalists.”
Bolton threatened Maduro - again, tweeting: His “days are numbered.”
He and other Trump regime co-conspirators show signs of desperation over the failure of everything thrown at Maduro for over two months to stick.
Conducting his own anti-Bolivarian campaign, neocon hardliner Marco Rubio tweeted: “Today vehicle carrying @jguaido was attacked by armed (sic) #Maduro…mob (sic) as he left the National Assembly building.”
Separately, he tweeted: “#Maduro a national security threat to the US:
- Have Manpads could be given to &/or stolen by terror groups & pro-regime gangs;
- Narco groups exploiting crisis to increase drug flights,weapons & recruits;
- New wave of mass migration threatens to destabilize neighbors”
Rubio is a card-carrying member of Washington’s lunatic fringe. The same goes for Pompeo, Bolton, Abrams, and their henchman.
The menace they represent rubbed off on Trump, co-opted to go along with endless wars on humanity, along with toughness on Iran and Venezuela, aiming for regime change - maybe by naked aggression if other tactics fail.
Separately on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the following on Venezuela:
“Continuing its aggressive rhetoric against Venezuela and openly trying to stage a coup in that country, the United States is simultaneously accusing those who are cooperating with its legal authorities, including Russia,” adding:
“The US Congress is fast-tracking a bill on measures against the participants of Russian-Venezuelan cooperation in the hope of exerting pressure on Moscow with more sanctions. However, Moscow is now used to sanctions and has stopped paying attention to them.”
Trump regime hardliners threatened Russia for cooperating with Maduro, declaring they won’t tolerate involvement of foreign powers in their hemisphere - while they rampage aggressively worldwide where they don’t belong.
Russia works cooperatively with other nations in ways that are mutually beneficial - polar opposite Washington’s destructive imperial agenda, seeking dominance over all other nations, demanding they subordinate their sovereignty to US interests.
Washington’s 19th century notion of Latin and Central America as its own “backyard” is increasingly rejected by the world community.
Zakharova: “Maybe US politicians think that people in (other parts) of the world should be grateful when Washington changes their leaders at its own discretion, killing those it doesn’t like.”
“Or does the US think that people are waiting for it to bring democracy to them on the wings of its bombers?”
“This question can be answered by Iraqis, Libyans…Serbs,” Afghans, Syrians, Somalis, Yemenis, and many others worldwide - including by Black and Latin residents of US inner cities, living in virtual battleground areas, terrorized by killer cops.
“The US has again decided to ‘put things in order’ in Latin America…” The vast majority of Venezuelans want its hands kept off their country.
“We would like to remind US politicians that they live in the 21st rather than 19th century. Venezuela is a sovereign state and a UN member. Its sovereignty is equal to Washington’s.”
Russia rejects OAS secretary general Luis Lemes’ unacceptable remark. Speaking for the Trump regime, he falsely accused Moscow of “an armed invasion on the territory of Venezuela” in violation of its sovereignty.
Zakharova: “Regrettably, this is not the first time (he) expressed an opinion that is within the competence of the participating states of this regional organization.”
“The Russian Federation is developing cooperation with Venezuela in strict accordance with the latter’s Constitution and with full respect for its legislative norms.”
“The stay of Russian specialists on Venezuelan territory is regulated by the agreement on military technical cooperation between the governments of Russia and Venezuela that was signed in May 2001 and ratified by both states.”
“There is no need for additional approval of the steps for developing military technical cooperation that are taken under the provisions of the said agreement.”
“(W)e intend to continue developing constructive mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia’s strategic partner Venezuela and other Latin American and Caribbean countries.”
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