By Ayomide Otitoju
Nicolás Maduro’s son, Congressman Nicolás Maduro Guerra, called on Sunday for Venezuelans to take to the streets in protest following the ouster of his father by US forces and his subsequent transfer to a New York jail.
“You will see us in the streets, you will see us by people’s sides, you will see us fly the flag of dignity,” Maduro Guerra, 35, said in a defiant audio message shared on social media. His aides confirmed the authenticity of the recording to AFP.
“They want us to appear weak, but we will not show weakness,” he added. Maduro Guerra is among six people, including his father and stepmother Cilia Flores, facing US “narcoterrorism” charges.
Speculation has grown that Maduro, 63, may have been betrayed from within his inner circle during the US-led pre-dawn operation in Caracas that removed him from hiding and transported him to the United States. “History will tell who the traitors were, history will reveal it. We will see,” said his son.
Maduro Guerra, the only biological child of the ousted president, expressed confidence that “chavismo” — the socialist, anti-imperialist movement founded by the late Hugo Chavez — would endure.
Some supporters of Maduro were seen demonstrating in Caracas on Sunday, waving flags and holding posters of the former leader.
Maduro and Flores, 69, were held in a New York jail within hours of the raid. Maduro is scheduled to appear before a federal judge at noon on Monday to be formally notified of the charges against him. Meanwhile, his deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, has been appointed acting president of Venezuela.
