MIAMI.- “The Venezuelan people will succeed if they continue in the streets as they have done so far,” said Florida Congressman Carlos Giménez, referring to the popular protests unleashed in Venezuela following the fraudulent results of the presidential elections in that country, which declared dictator Nicolás Maduro the supposed winner.
Giménez, who was participating in an event organized by the Hemispheric Front for Liberty (FHL) and the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens (IVAC) on Tuesday, said that “this could be a different day,” in the context of protests that continue to grow in the streets of Caracas and other Venezuelan cities demanding Maduro’s departure.
The legislator also called on the United States government to provide more support to the Venezuelan people. “They will succeed if they continue like this, and the Venezuelans will be an example for the Cubans and the Nicaraguans,” said the Republican congressman.
In her view, “dictators do not go away on their own, we must show them strength.” She also mentioned that, together with her colleagues María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart, she sent a letter to President Joe Biden in which they asked Washington for “tougher sanctions against the tyrant Maduro.”
The federal representative for the 28th district emphasized that “this must be the hemisphere of freedom and democracy,” a geographic space in which “we must not tolerate these tyrants.”
Originally from Cuba, Giménez arrived in the United States as a child, fleeing with his family from Fidel Castro’s communist regime. For several decades, he has been an advocate for freedom and democracy in the region.
Edmundo President and National Strike
For his part, Ernesto Ackerman, president of IVAC, added that “Maduro is reeling” and will be removed from power “by vote.” The National Electoral Council (CNE), an organ at the service of the dictatorship, has not been able to prove Maduro’s victory, while the opposition presented records in which Edmundo González Urrutia won the election.
“It has been proven that Edmundo is the president, there is no turning back. It is time for a national strike, to stop everything in the industries, to suspend gasoline shipments. IVAC supports a national strike in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua,” said Ackerman.
The proposal for a national strike has been gaining support for months among the Cuban population, especially after the popular demonstrations of July 11, 2021, when thousands of Cubans took to the streets to peacefully protest against the government, demanding freedom, an end to repression and improvements in their living conditions.
The initiative was also applauded by Dominican deputy Elías Wessin, who attended the event held at the headquarters of the Cuban Democratic Directorate in Miami. Likewise, former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez ‘Antúnez’ and Colombian activist Fabio Andrade showed their support for the strike proposal.
For legislator Wessin, “one cannot negotiate with the communists while they strengthen their urban militias. We Dominicans are in unison with our Venezuelan brothers.”
Venezuelan writer Emmanuel Rincón sent a message to the media: “Maduro is not a president, Maduro is a dictator.” He also asked the Western press to present their headlines regarding the election results in Venezuela better.
