Caracas, September 21 (RHC)-- Thousands of Venezuelans gathered in front of the Venezuelan prosecutor's office in Caracas to support the government campaign that collected nearly 13 million signatures of those against the United States blockade against the South American nation.
Vice President Delcy Rodrigues and Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza will present a letter and the signed petitions to the United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres during this week's U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York.
"I congratulate the immense anti-imperialist mobilization of our people that flowed into the streets of Caracas in a beautiful act of love and patriotism to hand in 13,287,742 signatures for peace and national sovereignty," said the President Nicolas Maduro during the Caracas rally. "From Venezuela we say to the world: No More Trump!" shouted the president to massive crowds.
According to Vice President Rodriguez the petition “expresses the will of a people who want peace, progress, tranquility and above all, a free and sovereign homeland.”
The campaign was convened on August 10th by President Maduro after Trump signed an executive order a few days earlier -- on August 5th -- that officially seized Venezuelan state assets in the U.S., essentially imposing a complete economic and diplomatic blockade on the country.
The seizure includes the multibillion-dollar CITGO company, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA, depleting the nation of $US12 billion that could be used to “pay for five full years of food and medicine for the Venezuelan population," according to Arreaza. The decree also makes it difficult if not impossible for any other countries to do business with the South American nation, lest those nations risk U.S. sanctions themselves.
A recent economic study showed that the ongoing economic attack on Venezuela has left some 40,000 people dead because of lack of access to medicine and supplies from abroad.
The demonstrators on Saturday also protested the links between opposition lawmaker, Juan Guaido and Colombian paramilitaries, Los Rastrojos that were revealed through videos and photos this past week.
