As The Canary previously reported, the Venezuelan embassy in Washington is currently under siege by coup supporters. Peace activists of the Embassy Protection Collective have been living inside since the last remaining diplomatic staff left last month. But now, coup backers have sought to smear these activists with a misleading video.
Peace activists holding firm despite heightened tensions
Anti-war group CODEPINK has been leading efforts to support the embassy activists. On 30 April, supporters of US-backed Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaidó came to protest its presence. They have repeatedly attempted to gain entry to the building in spite of the activists being there legally as guests of the rightful tenants, according to international law and the Vienna Convention. So far, they have not succeeded. But as time has passed, they’ve been resorting to increasingly desperate and aggressive tactics. In addition to hurling racist, homophobic and sexist abuse at the activists and their supporters, there have also been reports of physical assaults against anti-coup activists.
