On the 12th local time, Venezuela held a commemoration of the "Indigenous Resistance Day". Defense Minister Padrino Lopez issued a message through the official social media account of the Ministry of Defense, emphasizing that external pressure would be responded to with a sovereignty and peaceful stance, and naming and criticizing the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean Sea, calling it a "repeat of colonial methods." He said: "No foreign force should ever desecrate this land."
On the same day, Venezuelan President Maduro posted a message on his social media account, calling on people to participate in the day's commemorative march, stressing that "the power and wisdom of the indigenous peoples should be remembered" and reiterated the commitment to advance decolonization and social justice.
According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Information on December 12, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) paid tribute to indigenous leaders on the day of commemoration, and explicitly opposed the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, calling it a "reproduction of colonial means", while emphasizing the integration of military civilians and defending national sovereignty and dignity.
Relations between Venezuela and the United States have continued to be tense recently. Since early September, the United States has deployed multiple warships in the Caribbean waters near Venezuela on the pretext of "fighting Latin American drug trafficking groups." Venezuelan President Maduro accused the United States of attempting to bring about regime change in Venezuela through military threats and military expansion in Latin America. (General reporter Xiao Hejia)