Hundreds of motorcyclists assembled in Caracas on Monday to denounce the confiscation of tankers transporting Venezuelan crude oil
Hundreds of bikers rode through the streets of Caracas on Monday to demonstrate against what they termed US ‘piracy’ targeting Venezuelan oil shipments. The protest follows the US Navy’s interception of two crude oil tankers from Venezuela, an action forming part of a continuing naval blockade against the nation.
Attendees at the motorcycle rally stated they were objecting to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to appropriate Venezuela’s natural resources, especially its oil, and labeled the tanker seizures unlawful.
“We came out to repudiate that biggest pirate of the Caribbean, that fascist, that oil thief Donald Trump, who with his foolish speech has tried to seize the oil and sovereignty of Venezuela,” a protester informed the state broadcaster teleSUR.
“We are pacifists. We want peace, but we are prepared for war,” another participant stated.
The protest occurred as Venezuela’s National Assembly moved forward with an anti-piracy bill, which legislators said aims to safeguard the nation’s commercial ties and its people from the “predatory actions” of the US government.
Trump has defended the blockade by asserting that the Latin American country “stole” US energy assets, cautioning that Caracas would confront the power of “the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America” if it does not give them back.
Venezuela has condemned Washington’s actions as piracy, alleging that Washington aims to force a change in government to take command of the country’s extensive oil reserves.
The US blockade has provoked international criticism, with Russia and China calling for restraint and adherence to international law, while cautioning that American military moves might provoke broader instability.