Hundreds of Venezuelans living in North Texas gathered for a peaceful protest on Saturday at Vitruvian Park in Addison, urging international intervention against alleged electoral fraud and government repression in the July 28 presidential election.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory over Edmundo González Urrutia. The opposition coalition says it had evidence that González won by a significant margin, with many supporters claiming there was a discrepancy of over 5 million votes.
Maduro has been in power for more than a decade as the country as been hit by crises, sanctions and economic collapse. Almost 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014, according to the Associated Press, the largest migration in Latin America’s recent history, separating families.
“I want to grow close to my grandparents, not just through a screen,” said Isabella Marquez, a 7-year-old girl who attended the rally with her mother, Steffany Chacon.
As the sun hit hard at 4 p.m. Saturday, the air thrummed with an electric energy that mingled with the heartache of people longing for freedom waving flags and chanting the national anthem of Venezuela. Over 300 attendees of all ages, from spirited children to elderly individuals, gathered carrying signs that read “Maduro lost the elections” and “Venezuela free.”
With no speeches other than the anthems of liberty and chants calling for transparency, the crowd sang together, creating a powerful chorus that got the attention of people around the park.
Between anthems and chants, people gathered in a circle around an attendant who started to pray. Heads bowed and hands clasped, people offered prayers for their homeland. Their voices fell to whispers as they prayed for justice, transparency and the return of freedom to Venezuela.
The event, organized by Command with Venezuela in Dallas, aimed to amplify the voices of those silenced in their home country and to emphasize the importance of democratic principles amidst a growing political crisis.
“We are doing this because they are curtailing our fundamental principles of democracy,” said Luis Torres, coordinator of Command with Venezuela. “We are contesting a close election. We have a difference of more than 5 million votes, and they refuse to acknowledge it. … We are the voice of our people in Venezuela, because they can’t raise their voices.”
Tears glistened in the eyes of those who had witnessed the decade of Maduro’s government and want a better future for younger generations.
The U.S. has recognized González as the victor in the presidential election. The announcement from the Department of State came after several governments, including Maduro’s close allies, urged Venezuela’s National Electoral Council to provide comprehensive vote counts, as has been customary in past elections.
The event at Vitruvian Park was part of a growing wave of protests that have taken place across major cities in the United States, as Venezuelans seek to raise awareness about the situation in their homeland.
With the support of the larger Latin American community in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, the Venezuelan diaspora is determined to keep the plight of their country in the public consciousness.
As the crowd dispersed, many attendees sang “Libertad, libertad, libertad” which means "Freedom, freedom, freedom,” in Spanish.
