Venezuelans in Miami protest against electoral fraud, ask international community to end repression in homeland

Thousands of Venezuelans gathered this Saturday in Miami to condemn the electoral fraud carried out by the Nicolás Maduro regime in the July 28 presidential elections, and also to call for an end to the repression, kidnappings and murders of opponents.

In the emblematic Bayfront Park, located in the heart of Miami, the cry of “Freedom!” was heard from the Venezuelan diaspora, coinciding with the rally in Caracas led by opposition figure María Corina Machado.

Thousands of Venezuelans, accompanied by the spirit of solidarity from Miami, came together to show support for Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, recognized as president by the United States and several countries in the region.

"Freedom," "Until the end," "Maduro genocidal," "Not one more dead," "death to communism," and "down with the chains," were some of the slogans shouted by the protesters throughout the more than three hours that the meeting lasted.

Venezuelans not only came together as an act of solidarity with their country, but also to ask for the help of the international community to find a path to democracy.

"This is our opportunity to move forward, to remove these people who have done so much damage, who have separated so many families," said one protester.

In the United States, where there are about 750,000 Venezuelans, of which 60% are in South Florida, according to official data, calls to support the opposition multiplied in several cities in the country, including New York.

At the same time, María Corina Machado was leading a rally in Caracas, where she advocated maintaining a "peaceful and civic" struggle but with "strength" since, she said, the July 28 elections marked a "milestone" on which began the "transition to democracy" in the Caribbean nation.

Between cries of "freedom," Machado highlighted the strength of the citizens who have taken to the streets despite the repression against the demonstrations that took place between Monday and Tuesday, in rejection of the official electoral results that gave dictator Nicolás Maduro the winner.