Anti-imperialist group protests oil deal with U.S.

A group identifying as the Anti-imperialist Bloc staged a protest in Caracas, voicing strong opposition to a recently announced oil agreement between Venezuela's interim government and the United States. The demonstration took place near La Hoyada, where supporters of Chavismo gathered to reject the deal, which grants the U.S. majority control over an estimated 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves.

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We are not against Delcy Rodríguez, but we have differences. There are issues on which the people do not agree.

Protesters clarified that their dissent was not directed at interim president Delcy Rodríguez personally, but rather at specific policy decisions. "We are not against Delcy Rodríguez, but we have differences," stated one demonstrator. "There are issues on which the people do not agree." They emphasized their commitment to the Venezuelan Constitution and identified "the empire" as their sole common adversary, distinguishing it from socialism or the Bolivarian government.

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The only common enemy is the empire; the Bolivarian government is not our enemy. But we can criticize as a sovereign people, that is a constitutional matter.

The agreement, announced by then-President Donald Trump and confirmed by Rodríguez, has been hailed by U.S. officials as "the biggest oil deal in world history." Rodríguez described it as a "historic milestone in bilateral relations." The pact stipulates that U.S. companies will exploit a significant portion of Venezuela's vast oil reserves, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported at over 303 billion barrels in 2023. This deal, involving approximately 65 billion barrels, represents a substantial portion of those reserves.

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So we do not agree, and much less can we agree that they are stealing our oil and making agreements, redundancy aside, that are not framed within the National Constitution. That is why we ask that the people be consulted.

Central to the protesters' demands is the principle of popular sovereignty. They insist that such a significant agreement, particularly concerning the nation's primary economic resource, must be subject to a direct consultation with the Venezuelan people. "Only the people, through a consultation, can decide if this happens or not, because everything must be in accordance with the Constitution," a demonstrator asserted, underscoring their belief that the deal, as it stands, may not fully align with constitutional mandates.

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Only the people, through a consultation, can decide if this happens or not, because everything must be in accordance with the Constitution.