By Sue Harris
July 28, 2026

July 22 — New York City activists demonstrated in support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores, going from 8:00 a.m. until almost 11:00 a.m. at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in lower Manhattan, New York City  When they left, they marched out in a cohesive group.

People at the rally represented many organizations, including Bronx Anti-War, Brooklyn Against War, Black Alliance for Peace, December 12 Movement, Struggle for Socialism Party and Workers World Party. Speakers addressed not only the kidnapping of Maduro and Flores from Venezuela, but also the hypocrisy of U.S. government officials, talking about peace, freedom and democracy while killing people all over the world to assert imperialist hegemony. Speakers made historical references to the genocidal massacre of Indigenous people throughout U.S. history and ruling class and government support for enslavement until the Civil War and after.

There were statements by more than one speaker about how times are changing, and the people of the Global South are beginning to unite and demand their sovereignty and that the days of the empire may be numbered.

Also on July 22, Judge Alvin Hellerstein, in the courtroom, set a June ​1, 2027, trial date for Maduro and Flores on the bogus charges of drug trafficking in the U.S. Their defense lawyer, Barry Pollack, vowed to seek dismissal of the case on the grounds that Maduro is immune from prosecution as the head of a sovereign state. In a previous court appearance, the defense also suggested that Maduro’s capture may not have been legal.

In fact, the large-scale U.S. airstrike on Venezuela was unprecedented in modern history. Maduro and Flores, his spouse, were forcibly kidnapped from Fort Tiuna on the outskirts of Caracas in a surprise attack on Jan. 3. U.S. forces killed over 100 people in the early morning hours, reportedly including some civilians in the neighboring Ciudad Tiuna social housing complex as well as 32 Cuban presidential guards.

Attacks by the United States on Venezuela have been going on since the triumph of the Bolivarian revolution 27 years ago.

There are three court dates scheduled before the trial in June 2027, supposedly to evaluate the defense’s request for dismissal of the case and also possibly the legality of the capture of President Maduro and First Combatant Flores. Those dates are Sept. 2, 2026, Nov 17, 2026, and Jan 11, 2027.

After the action, International Action Center Director Sara Flounders stated that, “As part of the Defend Venezuela Sovereignty Working Group, formed even before Maduro and Cilia’s kidnapping, we were able to again hold a strong rally in front of Federal Court in Lower Manhattan today for President Maduro and Cilia’s court hearing.”