Outside the downtown Manhattan courthouse, where Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife are set to make their first court appearance, police were forced to separate jubilant Venezuelan and Cuban protesters celebrating Maduro’s capture from left-wing demonstrators calling for his release.
Protest against #US’s actions against #Maduro and #Venezuela in #LowerManhattan#Trump pic.twitter.com/savZFUFkx3
— Joseph F Gargiulo (@JosephFGargiulo) January 5, 2026
This is where we get to the heart of the problem with the American left.
“I don’t understand how the US gets to call him a dictator when he’s been rightfully elected twice by the people of Venezuela in a very transparent election,” one protester, Sherry Finkelman, said. Her statement is revealing of her ignorance: Maduro was not democratically elected, and more than 50 countries, including much of the Western world, have declared that he is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela. And yet, here is an American, loudly defending a brutal dictator, completely disconnected from the reality experienced by millions of Venezuelans who fled his regime.
“You’re an a**hole! You don’t even know where Venezuela is!” Cuban-born Dario Blanzo shouted at a counterprotester.
“They are not Venezuelans. They are paid protesters. They don’t speak Spanish!” Maria Su, who immigrated to NYC from Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, in 2017, said.
“You’re not for my country! Go to Cuba. Eighty percent of you guys don’t even understand what I’m saying. You don’t speak Spanish!” another immigrant from Caracas, Will Contreres, said.
📍 Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 5, 2026
🪧 They denounced US intervention in Venezuela and the detention of President Nicolas Maduro pic.twitter.com/r42123e9bO
Before the groups were pulled apart, someone celebrating Maduro's arrest confronted a demonstrator advocating for Maduro’s return, asking where in Venezuela he was from. The protester stammered, explaining he was actually from Staten Island and simply “standing with Venezuelans.” The pro-arrest crowd began tearing the Venezuelan flag he was carrying, sparking a brief scuffle before the NYPD intervened, separating the crowds.
Herein lies the problem: this isn’t a standard political protest, where opposing sides debate policy or ideology. It’s Venezuelans celebrating what they see as the liberation of their country, facing off against left-wing demonstrators who reflexively oppose anything they view as imperialist, as our country truly acts in its own best interest on the foreign policy front. We don't even know whether the protesters are simply questioning the methods by which President Trump carried out actions in Venezuela, or if they truly wish to free a dictator like Maduro. Their signs point to the latter.
These pro-Maduro protesters cannot even acknowledge a real victory that benefits real people, which costs the U.S. almost nothing. Many of these protesters grew up in the comfortable assumption that democracy, elections, and legitimate leaders are the natural order of things. The reality across the globe is far different; elections are often rigged, leaders consolidate power, and dissent is brutally punished.
Freedom, true liberation, and justice are worth celebrating. Ideas the left claims to stand for, and yet condemns the first chance they get.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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