Rally Poster (Credit: instagram.com/p/DTEIJARko7J)
Community members and local organizations in the Lowcountry will gather Sunday, Jan. 4, at noon for a rally in response to President Donald Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela, voicing concerns about the risk of military escalation and renewed U.S. intervention abroad.
The “No War Against Venezuela Emergency Protest" will take place at Marion Square in downtown Charleston. Participating organizations include Charleston chapters of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Community Services Organization and Democratic Socialists of America, as well as Students for a Democratic Society at the College of Charleston, the Lowcountry Action Committee, Charleston Climate Coalition and Free Palestine Charleston.
Organizers say the rally is intended to send a clear message that some Charleston residents oppose any move toward war with Venezuela and are calling for diplomacy, respect for international law and peaceful solutions.
“The U.S. does not have the right to unilaterally invade and destroy sovereign nations,” said Matt Colburn, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Lowcountry Action Committee. “We demand the immediate release of Maduro, the U.S. out of Venezuela and the immediate impeachment of this criminal administration.”
Rally organizers cited President Trump’s Saturday announcement that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the country” following what he described as a “large-scale strike” by the United States as particularly alarming. They said the action signals a sharp escalation toward war, raises concerns about violations of international law and national sovereignty, and risks retaliation and regional instability.
“These actions will bring devastating consequences for the people of Venezuela and further destabilize the region,” said Erica Veal, district organizer for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and a co-founding member of the Lowcountry Action Committee. “We are gathering to say clearly and collectively: the U.S. people do not want this war.”
Event details:
- What: “No War Against Venezuela” emergency protest
- When: Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, from noon to 2 p.m.
- Where: Marion Square, 329 Meeting St., Charleston
- Who: Community members opposed to U.S. military action in Venezuela