By World BEYOND War, January 3, 2026
The U.S. government is now attacking the capital of Venezuela. If the murderous sanctions were not enough to mobilize the people of the United States and the world to put a halt to this, if the various coup attemps were not enough, if the ongoing brutal murder of over 100 boaters didn’t do it, if the no-fly-zone and naval blockade and pirating of oil tankers didn’t hit the threshold, can this do it? Can we mobilize a massive nonviolent movement against this war now? Can we bring pressure to bear on the pretense of a government on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, where the Senate has twice and the House once voted down resolutions to put a halt to the criminal action of the U.S. military? Can we shame so-called legislators who were told by the White House that there would be no war and that there was therefore no need to oppose one, and who pretended to believe that?
No War on Venezuela
World BEYOND War has chapters all over the world, including in Venezuela.
The United Nations Charter makes it a crime to threaten war and a crime to wage war except in defense or by UN authorization, neither of which is the case here, and neither of which has even been alleged here.
The alleged shortcomings of a government provide no legal basis for a foreign government to attempt to overthrow it.
The illegal drug trade, even where real, provides no legal basis for waging war or committing murder.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims about the illegal drug trade regarding both Venezuela and over 100 people thus far killed in boats with U.S. missiles from drones are without evidence and widely considered not even plausible.
Seizing a nation’s oil provides no legal basis for waging war or committing murder.
Sanctions illegally imposed on Venezuela by the United States, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, have now been exacerbated by acts of war including the declaration of a no-fly zone and of a naval blockade.
Even United States Army Judge Advocates General have denounced Trump’s actions as “patently illegal”.
Sixty-three percent of people in the United States, a purportedly representative democracy, in a recent poll oppose military action in Venezuela.
Wars normalize killing, degrade our culture, proliferate weaponry, fuel arms races, devastate the natural environment, cost a financial fortune desperately needed for human and environmental crises, shred the rule of law, spread bigotry and xenophobia, and increase terrorism.
We must reject Trump’s recent announcement of support for an imperialistic corollary of the Monroe Doctrine.
Take Part in Actions All Over the World on January 17, 2026
Learn about the January 17, 2026, Global Day of Action.
Sign the Petition
Read, sign, and share the petition: VENEZUELA: No War, No Overthrow, No Coup, No Sanctions / Ni guerra, ni derrocamiento, ni golpe, ni sanciones.
Ask Your Local Government to Pass a Resolution
We’ve drafted a local resolution that you can modify and work to pass through a government or other institution. We provide a guide for doing so. Learn more here.
Join in Delivering Petition to U.S. Congress on Jan. 14, 2026
Show up in Washington and help us deliver our petition to Congress Members on January 14, 2026. Sign up here.
Help Us Put up Billboards
Here is a photo of a billboard that we put up in subway stations in Washington, D.C., three years ago. The advertising company allows ads for fighter jets, but never for opposing wars. We got approval of the message “Peace on Earth.” We’ve now asked them to put up a modified version, adding the words “Including in Venezuela.” We are currently waiting for approval or censorship. Learn more and help fund billboards.
Promote Peace on Social Media
The post Halt the Attacks on Venezuela Now! appeared first on World BEYOND War.
From World BEYOND War via This RSS Feed.
URGENT Statement by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV):
The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Venezuela (elected by the 16th National Congress, November 2022) denounces before the country and the international community that, since the early hours of January 3, the city of Caracas and other areas of the central region of the country have been subjected to bombardments carried out by military forces of the United States of America.
According to the information available so far, the attacks have targeted airports and other strategic points, constituting a serious violation of national sovereignty and an act of direct military aggression against the Venezuelan people. As of this moment, there is no official report specifying the extent of the material damage or the number of victims caused by these criminal bombings.
The Communist Party of Venezuela strongly condemns this imperialist aggression, which confirms the belligerent escalation of the U.S. government and its absolute contempt for international law, the self-determination of peoples, and peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In light of this situation, the PCV calls upon the international communist and workers’ movement, as well as popular, democratic, and anti-imperialist forces worldwide, to mobilize immediately in rejection of this new and dangerous military offensive, and to express active solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
Out with the imperialist boot from Venezuela and from Latin America!
Caracas, January 3, 2026.
Declaración del Partido Comunista de Venezuela (PCV)
El Buró Político del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Venezuela (electo por el XVI Congreso Nacional. Nov. 2022) denuncia ante el país y la comunidad internacional que, desde la madrugada de este 3 de enero, la ciudad de Caracas y otras zonas de la región central del país han sido objeto de bombardeos ejecutados por fuerzas militares de los Estados Unidos de América.
De acuerdo con la información disponible hasta el momento, los ataques han tenido como objetivos aeropuertos y otros puntos estratégicos, constituyendo una grave violación de la soberanía nacional y un acto de agresión militar directa contra el pueblo venezolano. Hasta ahora no existe un reporte oficial que precise el alcance de los daños materiales ni el número de víctimas ocasionadas por estos criminales bombardeos.
El Partido Comunista de Venezuela condena enérgicamente esta agresión imperialista, que confirma la escalada belicista del gobierno estadounidense y su desprecio absoluto por el derecho internacional, la autodeterminación de los pueblos y la paz en América Latina y el Caribe.
Ante esta situación, el PCV llama al movimiento comunista y obrero internacional, a las fuerzas populares, democráticas y antiimperialistas del mundo, a movilizarse de manera inmediata en rechazo a esta nueva y peligrosa ofensiva militar, y a expresar su solidaridad activa con el pueblo venezolano.
¡Fuera la bota imperialista de Venezuela y de América Latina!
From In Defense of Communism via This RSS Feed.
The Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity (REDH) issued a statement on Saturday condemning what it described as a military attack carried out by the government of the United States against the territory and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the early hours of January 3, 2026.
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In its communiqué, REDH characterized the alleged strike on Venezuelan territory and civilian population as an act of aggression against a sovereign state, which it said constitutes a violation of the United Nations Charter and represents a threat to international peace. The organization framed the incident not only as an attack on Venezuela, but as an assault on the principle of national self-determination, warning of the precedent it could set for armed intervention against sovereign nations.
According to REDH, the offensive is aimed at undermining Venezuela’s political independence and gaining control over what it described as the country’s strategic resources. The network denounced what it called an attempt to impose a change of government through military means, asserting that such actions seek to subordinate Venezuela to external interests.
#COMUNICADO | La Red de Intelectuales y Artistas en Defensa de la Humanidad condena agresión militar del Gobierno de Estados Unidos contra Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/nlCcFk8bSg
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) January 3, 2026
The statement reaffirmed confidence in the capacity of the Venezuelan people to defend their sovereignty, invoking the country’s historical experience of resistance from the independence struggles of the nineteenth century through later confrontations with foreign pressure.
The organization expressed support for the Venezuelan government’s call for popular mobilization and for the participation of social forces in rejecting the attack. It also backed the involvement of the Bolivarian National Armed Force and endorsed the declaration of a state of External Commotion, which it described as a legitimate measure to protect the population, preserve institutions and organize national defense.
REDH further stated that Venezuela has the right to exercise self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in response to what it considers an armed attack. The network called on peoples, intellectual and artistic communities, social movements and governments in Latin America, the Caribbean and other regions to mobilize in solidarity with Venezuela. It urged international protest, critical debate and political pressure to halt what it described as a broader threat to the sovereignty of nations.
Concluding its statement, REDH cited former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, recalling his words that “ante las dificultades, por grandes que sean, la respuesta debe ser unidad, lucha, batalla y victoria,” presenting this as a guiding principle for its current stance.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.
In his video alleging fraud at Somali-owned day care centers in Minneapolis, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley was led around the city by a purported whistleblower called only “David.” Shirley — and outlets like Fox News that credulously picked up the influencer’s video — credited “David” by first name only.
While Shirley’s video portrays the man as a party interested in purported fraud because he observed day care centers near his office in downtown Minneapolis, David, it turns out, is actually a political operative with connections to the Minnesota state House.
Shirley’s main source is a lobbyist and one-time right-wing candidate for Minnesota attorney general whose full name is David Hoch. Accounts bearing his name have a long online history posting about the Somali community in Minnesota. A TikTok and a recently deleted Instagram account posted almost exclusively on the subject — including derogatory statements about Somalis and Muslims.
“EVERY Somali in MN is engaged in fraud. ALL of them.”
“EVERY Somali in MN is engaged in fraud. ALL of them,” Hoch posted on the now-deleted Instagram account.
In November, he posted, “Even the Blacks have had enough of the demon Muslims.”
Hoch’s last name was not given in Shirley’s video, but The Intercept identified him using information in the video itself cross-referenced with publicly available materials.
According to the video, Hoch received information for his campaign against Somali day care centers from the Minnesota state House. Emails shown in the video reveal he got state-funding figures for specific centers from a Republican staffer named Joe Marble.
Neither Hoch nor Marble responded to requests for comment.
Marble works as a committee administrator for the Minnesota House Republicans, as well as a research consultant for the House GOP Caucus, according to his LinkedIn profile. Marble and Hoch ran two lobbying groups together years ago, including one involved with the gambling industry. The pair were elementary and high school classmates.
[
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After Shirley’s 42-minute video won praise from MAGA figures across the country — including from the Trump administration — Minnesota Republicans were quick to hitch their wagons to the exposé. State Rep. Lisa Demuth said during a virtual news conference Monday that “our caucus has been working to expose fraud for years, including working with Nick Shirley.”
For his part, in an X post on Wednesday, Shirley denied working with or even knowing who Demuth is. Hoch, however, speaks openly about his links to the Minnesota state House in the video.
“I have some contacts in the Capitol going back many, many years and so the data I am getting is 100 percent accurate coming directly from research done by people at the state capitol,” Hoch says in the video.
Printouts Hoch carries throughout the video show a December 3 email to Hoch’s Hotmail from a Minnesota state House address for Marble. The subject line says “mako childcare,” referring to one of the closed day cares the pair visit in the video.
In one of the emails, Marble notes that a Google Maps image of one of the day care centers shows “Somali guys standing out front.”
Identifying David Hoch
Though Shirley doesn’t use Hoch’s last name, the video contains information about his identity.
The logo on Hoch’s shirt is obscured, but his name, email address, and the House email address of his former lobbying partner Marble are all visible on the email printout he carries throughout Shirley’s video.
Shirley interviews Hoch in an office with photographs behind him depicting examples of metal roofing. Several of the same photos are used in online promotional materials for Garlock-French, a roofing company in Minneapolis. Hoch was an employee at Garlock-French, according to social media posts and a campaign finance disclosure related to a political donation in 2020. (Garlock-French did not respond to a request for comment.)
The email address for David Hoch listed in the documents in the video also leads to multiple accounts around the web linked to the lobbyist. The Hotmail address is listed in a public document documenting Hoch’s request for a waiver for a late fee related to the renewal of his lobbyist registration in 2024. (Hoch retains his active lobbyist registration in the state.)
Hoch’s email is also listed on a TikTok account for Ladderwight — a company formed by Hoch to sell ladder safety equipment — where Hoch’s videos on the Minnesota Somali community were posted. One of the posts on the TikTok channel shows the same printed list of Somali-owned day cares Hoch holds in the Shirley video.
After The Intercept began making inquiries for this article, Hoch’s Instagram account was deleted and the name of his TikTok account was changed, with the listed email address removed.
Hoch ran for Minnesota attorney general in 2010 as the Resource Party candidate. A sometime lobbyist on gaming issues, Hoch campaigned largely on a platform of opposing what he alleged was Italian mafia influence in local tribal casinos.
[
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The War on Immigrants ---------------------](/collections/the-war-on-immigrants/)
Far-Right Frenzy
In the viral video, Shirley and Hoch set out to prove that daycare centers listed in Marble’s email committed fraud by showing that no children are present.
Shirley has since told a CNN reporter that he thought day cares are typically unlocked for unannounced visitors. Video footage from local Minneapolis residents revealed Shirley and David arrived with masked men, scaring at least one day care director into not opening the door, he told CBS Minnesota.
Some of the video’s allegations are unclear, with contradictory evidence continuing to emerge. Despite Hoch and Shirley claiming ABC Learning Center was always empty, CBS Minnesota reviewed timestamped footage showing kids dropped off before and after Shirley’s visit to the day care.
Shirley’s YouTube video has garnered millions of views since it was posted last week and sparked a frenzy on social media over the last week.
Vice President JD Vance claimed Shirley did “far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes,” and Attorney General Pam Bondi lauded Shirley’s video. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced thatU.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement investigators were on the “ground in Minneapolis right now conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud.”
The Trump administration froze all child care funds to the state of Minnesota, demanding an audit of the day care centers in the video.
Copycat amateur researchers on X are now trying to recreate Shirley’s methods, showing up at businesses and even home day cares owned by members of immigrant communities in other states.
In an interview on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast, Shirley said Hoch’s research had been suppressed.
“There is a man by the name of David,” Shirley said. “He’s been trying to get people to listen to him for years. He’s gone to journalists, but they won’t even shed a light on what he’s saying.”
The post Unnamed Source in Viral Minnesota Somali Fraud Video Is Right-Wing Lobbyist Who Called Muslims “Demons” appeared first on The Intercept.
From The Intercept via This RSS Feed.
The Venezuelan government on Friday accused the United States of carrying out military attacks against civilian and military locations in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, denouncing the actions as a serious violation of international law and announcing nationwide emergency measures.
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In an official communiqué issued in Caracas, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela said it “rejects, repudiates and denounces before the international community the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population.” The statement said the attacks violate Articles 1 and 2 of the United Nations Charter, which establish respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of states and the prohibition of the use of force.
According to the government, the strikes targeted both civilian and military sites in the capital and surrounding regions, threatening peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean and placing “the lives of millions of people” at risk.
#COMUNICADO | La República Bolivariana de #Venezuela🇻🇪 rechaza, repudia y denuncia ante la comunidad internacional la gravísima agresión militar perpetrada por el Gobierno actual de los Estados Unidos de América contra territorio y población venezolanos en las localidades civiles… pic.twitter.com/x316Fzme5K
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) January 3, 2026
The communiqué asserted that the objective of the operation is to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly oil and minerals, and to undermine the country’s political independence. It described the incident as part of an attempt to impose a foreign-driven “regime change,” which the government said would fail.
The government called on all social and political forces to activate mobilization plans and reject the imperialist attack. It said the Bolivarian National Armed Forces are deployed alongside civilian and police structures to guarantee sovereignty and public order.
At the diplomatic level, Venezuela announced it will submit formal complaints to the United Nations Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), seeking condemnation and accountability from the United States.
#BREAKINGNEWS | Venezuela rejects U.S. attack on national territory pic.twitter.com/Jc2dCxSzD6
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) January 3, 2026
President Nicolás Maduro ordered the activation of national defense plans in accordance with the Constitution, the Organic Law on States of Exception and the Organic Law of National Security. The communiqué said Maduro signed a decree declaring a nationwide state of “External Commotion” to protect the population’s rights, ensure the functioning of state institutions and prepare for armed defense.
Authorities also ordered the immediate deployment of the Comprehensive Defense Command of the Nation and corresponding defense bodies across all states and municipalities. Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, Venezuela said it reserves the right to exercise legitimate self-defense to protect its people, territory and independence.
The statement concluded with a call for international solidarity and quoted former president Hugo Chávez: “In the face of any circumstance of new difficulties, of whatever size they may be, the response of all patriots is unity, struggle, battle and victory.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.