‘Naked imperialism’: Netizens condemn US for attacking Venezuela and kidnapping its leader

A wave of condemnation swept across social media on Saturday after the United States launched large-scale attacks on Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers, journalists, and analysts from around the world denounced the military action as illegal, imperialist in nature, and a dangerous escalation that risks destabilizing the region.

US President Donald Trump said the strikes targeted Venezuelan military and government sites, adding later that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been taken into US custody. Caracas described the move as an act of war and requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

US lawmakers condemn legality and lack of authorization

Several US lawmakers said the attack violated both domestic and international law, noting that Congress had not authorized military action.

Congressman Jim McGovern said in a post on the social media platform X that Trump launched an “unjustified, illegal strike” without congressional approval and against public opinion.

“He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans — but somehow we have unlimited funds for war?” McGovern wrote.

US Senator Andy Kim said senior administration officials had misled Congress about the intent of US policy toward Venezuela.

He said the White House bypassed constitutional requirements because it knew the American public opposed another war.

“This strike doesn’t represent strength,” Kim said. “It puts Americans at risk in Venezuela and the region, and sends a disturbing signal that targeting a head of state is acceptable US policy.”

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego echoed the criticism, calling it the second unjustified war of his lifetime.

“We went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year,” he said, adding there was “no reason” for the US to be at war with Venezuela.

UK politicians denounce ‘imperialism’ and resource plunder

British lawmakers were also quick to condemn the US attack on Venezuela, describing the aggression as an attempt to seize control of the South American country’s vast natural resources.

MP Zarah Sultana described the assault as “naked US imperialism,” saying it was aimed at overthrowing a sovereign government and plundering the world’s largest oil reserves.

She called on the UK’s Labour government to condemn the action unequivocally.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the aggression as an “unprovoked and illegal attack.”

Corbyn warned that the military action put millions of lives at risk and represented a blatant violation of sovereignty and international law.

Commentators and journalists focused on the implications of abducting a sitting head of state and the precedent it could set globally.

British journalist Richard Medhurst called the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife “a new low even for the US,” describing it as “primitive and barbaric behavior.”

Political commentator Ben Rhodes said the bombing of Venezuela followed a pattern of unchecked military aggression. 

“Bombing Venezuela, Nigeria and Iran with no legal basis, coherent rationale or even public debate — and Trump seems to just be getting started,” he wrote.

Independent journalist Matt Kennard drew parallels to the failed 2002 US-backed coup against Hugo Chávez, saying Washington had effectively been at war with Venezuela for decades because it “slipped the imperial leash.”

Award-winning British journalist Afshin Rattansi rejected the US claims that the abduction of Maduro is part of a war on narco-trafficking. 

"This is not a war on narco-trafficking; that is a claim even more ludicrous than the Bush Administration’s WMD justification for the Iraq War. Venezuela plays no role in fentanyl production or trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Venezuela is not a cocaine-producing country," Rattansi tweeted. 

He added, "This is not a regime change war to bring about ‘democracy’ either. The United States has supported a long list of fascist dictators in Latin America." 

"Democracy is of no importance to the United States. What matters is the domination of Latin America to extract its natural resources for the profit of US corporations. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves on Earth, and the rapacious vultures of American capitalism have been salivating at the prospect of stealing the nation's natural resource wealth," Rattansi opined. 

Online commentators also warned that the attack on Venezuela could plunge the country into prolonged instability or civil war.

Documentary filmmaker Robert Inlakesh said the US bombing of Venezuelan government buildings was a deliberate message to the world.

“It just goes to show that there’s no such thing as international law,” Inlakesh said, warning of a potentially catastrophic outcome for the country.

A writer and journalist described the operation as driven by “pure, distilled greed,” saying the Trump administration kidnapped Maduro to steal Venezuela’s resources and weaken other nations.

Venezuelan officials have said the US bombardment was designed to overthrow the Maduro government and install a “puppet” regime that would enable the plundering of the country’s natural wealth, including the world’s largest oil reserves.

The US military action follows months of pressure on Venezuela, including a buildup of forces in South America and attacks on vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, accused of carrying drugs.

Maduro has rejected the accusations, calling them a pretext for the White House to attack the South American country.

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