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At the Venezuelan Embassy in DC where activists are staying overnight in anticipation of the U.S. government attempting to invade the sovereign space and claim it for their puppet regime lead by Juan Guiado. Much more content to come tonight and tomorrow 
Some more signs outside the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including one which reads "NICOLAS MADURO IS THE PRESIDENT." Will go live for @MintPressNews on Facebook later in the evening with interviews with activists later in the evening
US Secret Service starting to gather outside the Venezuelan Embassy ahead of the expected raid
About to go live for @MintPressNews on Periscope. Will be filming @JohnKiriakou talk about the history of CIA coups
Here is the livestream
My apologies all. New phone and it went to sleep after a time of inactivity and it cut off the stream. There are a number of other streamers here, though I believe they are mostly on Facebook. I will interview @JohnKiriakou later.
"Hell no / Juan Guiado"
(1/3) former CIA officer @JohnKiriakou spent 23 months in federal prison for blowing the whistle on the torture program. I asked him why he came to the Venezuelan Embassy in DC.
"To express support for the sanctity of the Venezuelan Embassy," he says
"To express support for the sanctity of the Venezuelan Embassy," he says
@JohnKiriakou (2/3) @JohnKiriakou continues to talk about CIA office that oversees its coups & how it was literally his job to help illegally overthrow the Iraqi government. He says he walked into the office one day & saw a senior officer designing a new flag for Iraq with Crayola markers
@JohnKiriakou (3/3) @JohnKiriakou highlights commonalities between the US government's targetting of various countries from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya - and now - Venezuela. It's all about the oil and natural resources, he says. Iran too.
@JohnKiriakou (1/4) @medeabenjamin of @codepink talks about the movement to protect the Venezuelan Embassy from the "fake 'government'" of Juan Guiado. She explains why activists believe the U.S. government is going to seize the embassy any minute now.
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink (2/4) @medeabenjamin says if the embassy isn't raided "and we will not go out easily, then we will stay as long as we can hold the space." She then explains the process of gaining approval for the protest from the elected government of Venezuela. "We've had their total support."
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink (3/4) @medeabenjamin: 'this is really about stopping our government from doing yet another coup, trying to socially engineer another country's leaders. It's so funny we've spent the last 2yrs talking about the Russians... & here the US is trying to overtly overthrow other gov'ts'
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink (4/4) I asked @medeabenjamin whether she thinks the law is on their side. She cites the Vienna Convention, which dictates that the embassy remains under the control of the government in power in Venezuela. 'But lets face it, the Trump admin. has 0 respect...for international law'
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink (1/4) @MaxBlumenthal, editor of the @GrayzoneProject, talks about his recent trip to Caracas. "Clearly there was an economic crisis and people's buying power had been really weakened, but we saw a functional stable society."
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject (2/4) @MaxBlumenthal talks about seeing journalist colleagues he met with in Venezuela who, prior to Bolivarian revolution, couldn't be reporters b/c they couldn't go to college b/c of their dark skin. He then talks about the "bubble of affluence" he saw in pro-opposition areas
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject (3/4) @MaxBlumenthal: 'the way the humanitarian crises is sold to US public is people couldn't buy toothbrushes/toilet paper - they were starving & couldn't brush their teeth'
In reality, "there are reasons rooted in capitalism which made it hard for them b/c of speculation"
In reality, "there are reasons rooted in capitalism which made it hard for them b/c of speculation"
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject (4/4) @MaxBlumenthal: 'I think documenting the invasion of the embassy & removal of people will expose the fact that there are no legal grounds for doing so. Secret service will have to answer the question of who authorized them to do this...it will be an act of squatting'
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject (1/3) lawyer @KBZeese of @PopResistance, A lead organizer of the embassy protection collective, says that if the police come, they'll be trespassing and violating the Vienna Convention. "If they do this, they'll send a message to the world that no embassy is safe in the US"
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject @KBZeese @PopResistance (2/3) @KBZeese argues that brazen moves like the coup attempt & expected seizure of the embassy indicate a US empire in decline. He argues that an invasion of the country could spell the end of US global dominance.
@JohnKiriakou @medeabenjamin @codepink @MaxBlumenthal @GrayzoneProject @KBZeese @PopResistance (3/3) @KBZeese: "VZ has an armed force of 200,000. It has national guard & police & 2 million people the gov't has armed & trained. Would a gov't that's not supported by the people be able to give 2 million people weapons?"
Zeese argues VZ forces may be bigger than US military
Zeese argues VZ forces may be bigger than US military
BREAKING: @ArielElyseGold of @codepink interrupts Elliot Abrams' speech at the neoconservative Atlantic Council think tank, slamming the Trump adminstration's coup attempt in Venezuela
(1/2) I talk to @ArielElyseGold after she interrupted "war criminal" Elliot Abrams' speech at the ultra-hawkish Atlantic Council. Gold explains the message she delivered to the think tank audience
(2/2) @ArielElyseGold says that Elliot Abrams is sending a message to the international community that the US believes itself to be above international law & that Americans know all too well what US coups have done to Latin America, including destabilization & a refugee crisis
I went live for @MintPressNews on periscope. Embassy protection activists are rallying outside right now with organizers delivering impassioned speeches and everyday activists explaining why the showed up
Secret Service currently hiding out across the street
Despite rumours, Secret Service has NOT entered through the embassy garage
US Department of Homeland Security hanging outside the embassy in a black SUV with tinted black windows. One officer sitting inside the back seat.
Ironic that "Homeland" is here because the embassy is sovereign Venezuelan territory according to international law
Ironic that "Homeland" is here because the embassy is sovereign Venezuelan territory according to international law
Rally outside the Venezuelan Embassy getting started
.@BrianBeckerDC calls out media for mischaracterizing the Embassy Protection Collective as "occupiers." Actually, they are lawful tenants
. @ArielElyseGold denounces the Trump coup in Venezuela
Secret Service showed up after just a few minutes
A second Secret Service vehicle just arrived as well
.@luqmannation1 of @Blacks4Peace speaks on the intersection of struggles between black Americans and black and brown nations under the boot of US imperialism, such as Venezuela
.@luqmannation1: "Let's be clear that this is not just a Trump issue. This is a US government issue."
She goes on to denounce America's first black president for overthrowing the government of an African nation.
She goes on to denounce America's first black president for overthrowing the government of an African nation.
Just finished streaming yet another informative talk at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC for @MintPressNews
Embassy Protection Activists Juliana and Barnet Barry Kissing perform Besane Mucho (Kiss Me a Lot)
More music outside the Venezuelan Embassy
It's a packed night at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC
Activist and comedian @Credico2016 does a spot-on impression of Bill Clinton at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC
.@Credico2016 does Ronald Reagan and Bernie Sanders
.@Credico2016 does George W. Bush and some more Ronald Reagan
.@Credico2016 ends the bit with a little more Reagan, Bernie Sanders, and Jimmy Stewart
Randy @Credico2016 with Bianca, who bravely testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russiagate last year, upholding the Bolivarian tradition on Venezuela's DC embassy
@Credico2016 (1/4) @BrianBeckerDC, national director of @answercoalition talks about how MSM portrays the embassy protectors as "occupiers" when in fact they are the invited guests of the legitimate government of Venezuela
@Credico2016 @BrianBeckerDC @answercoalition (2/4)@BrianBeckerDC says that the Trump admin. is pretending to care about people from one Latin American country while incarcerating & deporting people from another.
"Just think about it, the Trump administration clearly hates people from Latin America."
"Just think about it, the Trump administration clearly hates people from Latin America."
@Credico2016 @BrianBeckerDC @answercoalition (3/4) @BrianBeckerDC: "A lot of people who would consider themselves anti-Trump...when it comes to Venezuela are buying Trump's line hook, line and sinker." He says this viewpoint is logically inconsistent but attributes it to a consequence of a social pressure
@Credico2016 @BrianBeckerDC @answercoalition (4/4) @BrianBeckerDC: "You can't make this assertion about the failure of socialism at the same time you're tightening a noose around the neck of a government that aspires to be socialist."
This woman has been totally hysterical, harassing Embassy Protection Collective members for days & getting physical with some. Earlier she tried to lock us in the building with wires on the outside. Today she got her hands on two cameras & a tripod. Wonder who gave it to her 🤔
Democracy in action during this community meeting at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC. Everybody is getting a chance to say their piece
Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective, #GameOfThrones contingent
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