Venezuela’s DC Embassy Protection Collective
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
On Thursday, a showdown looms in Washington. Activists calling themselves the Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) support Venezuela’s legitimate government and social democracy.
They’re living in, protecting, and aiding the skeleton diplomatic staff remaining in the country’s Washington embassy.
The Trump regime ordered them out by today. They’re holding firm, courageously resisting the illegal order to leave.
Like diplomatic facilities everywhere, the Washington embassy is sovereign Bolivarian Republic territory, forced entry a flagrant violation of international law. So is forcibly arresting its occupants.
Host country agents may only enter the premises if mission head permission is granted – not received nor will it be as long as Trump regime hardliners continue their failed coop plot to topple democratically elected and reelected President Maduro, wanting Venezuelan social democracy eliminated.
Anti-Bolivarian elements, in cahoots with Trump regime hardliners, intend forcibly taking over Venezuela’s DC embassy on Thursday – a flagrant Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, US Constitution, and UN Charter breach if occurs as expected.
UN Charter Article 2(4) states: “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations” – what the US does repeatedly.
In mid-March, anti-Bolivarian elements took over Venezuela’s New York consulate and DC military attache office, its Washington embassy next to be targeted today.
Activists Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers inside the facility said the following:
“We view the struggle to prevent the takeover of the embassy as fundamental to stopping this new phase of US imperialism in which the US attempts a coup and fails, but goes ahead and acts like it succeeded.”
“President Maduro remains in power and is actively serving as the president. Juan Guaido has no power, yet the US is giving Venezuelan assets to him.”
“It is truly Orweillian. If the US succeeds in this farce, then no country is safe. Where will the US turn next to appoint a president and give them power and assets? Nicaragua? Cuba?”
Will similar tactics be used against Iran, Russia, China, and other sovereign independent countries?
Is suspending the Constitution and declaring martial law planned — on the phony pretext of protecting national security at a time America’s only enemies and threats are invented, not real?
Wherever US long arms reach, mass slaughter, destruction, abolition of fundamental rights, and human misery follow.
EPC activists are living and working in Venezuela’s DC embassy with permission from its democratically elected government.
In messages to the State Department, they said they’ll pursue legal action against the Trump regime if forcibly arrested and removed.
One message titled: “Any arrest in the Venezuelan embassy would be unlawful” said the following:
“Members of the Embassy Protection Collective are writing to make it expressly clear and ensure all personnel are put on notice that any arrest of persons inside the embassy would constitute an unlawful arrest.”
“We understand from our communications with your office that you are threatening to arrest persons inside the Venezuelan embassy.”
“Not only are we here at the invitation of persons lawfully in charge of the premises, but we are also here as people with lawful rights under Washington, DC tenancy law.”
“It is our intention to hold responsible any person who orders or effectuates any unlawful actions against us.”
“We have received no eviction notice and due process opportunity to challenge any attempted eviction as is required by law.”
An earlier message said the following:
“The US will be violating international law if they enter the embassy and do not protect it from takeover by the fraudulent puppet government the US is trying to install despite the democratically elected legitimate government of President Maduro.”
“President Maduro was elected in an election where more than 150 international election observers unanimously agreed that the election was legitimate by international standards.”
“The US puppet president Juan Guaido’s self-appointment violated the Venezuelan Constitution in multiple ways.”
“The State Department is on public notice that it will be violating the law if it enters the embassy.”
Note: Following Maduro’s democratic reelection in May 2018, a statement from independent international observers said the following:
“We were unanimous in concluding that the elections were conducted fairly, that the election conditions were not biased, that genuine irregularities were exceptionally few and of a very minor nature” — having no effect on the outcome.
Six candidates competed for the presidency. Maduro won overwhelmingly with a 67.84% majority.
Henri Falcon finished second with 20.93% support, Javier Bertucci with 10.82%, Reinaldo Quijada with 0.39%.
The process was monitored by over 150 observers, 14 electoral commissions from eight countries, including the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America, two technical electoral missions, and 18 journalists.
Jimmy Carter earlier called Venezuela’s electoral process “the best in the world.” It mocks the money-controlled US system — one-party rule (the war party) with two extremist right wings.
Ordinary Americans have no say over how they’re governed, a fantasy democracy. Venezuelans have the real thing — why the country is targeted for regime change, along with US hardliners wanting control over its world’s largest oil reserves.
A Final Comment
Reflecting how the US operates, EPC activists posted the following Imperial Checklist:
“Make the economy (of targeted countries) scream
Finance the opposition
Assassinate the president
Sabotage the peace process
Call (the targeted) leader a dictator
Interfere with (the targeted country’s) election
Install (a) puppet government (serving US interests)
Attack (the targeted country’s) infrastructure
Exploit human needs”
The Trump regime did all of the above, other than assassinating Maduro, toppling his government, and installing puppet rule — so far.
After over three months of trying to oust Maduro, the coup plot failed — short of unlikely military intervention.
Will Trump regime hardliners admit defeat and back off?
Not a chance, war on Venezuela by other means almost surely to continue as long as Trump remains in office.
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