Venezuela: Anti-Imperialist Popular Front Launches Campaign to Ramp Up Grassroots Resistance to US Intervention
Grassroots collectives are preparing agitation campaigns and cultural activities to spark debates within communities in defense of Venezuelan sovereignty.
Caracas (theassemblymedia.com) — Venezuela’s Anti-Imperialist Popular Front has launched a grassroots campaign aimed at fostering collective awareness through political and cultural initiatives in the face of renewed US efforts to recolonize the hemisphere.
In a statement released on August 19, the Front emphasized that the campaign aims to create “open classrooms” for community debates on “contradictions spurred by imperial aggression.” The initiative is a direct response to the renewed ties between Caracas and Washington following the US military attack on January 3 that killed around a hundred people, including 32 Cuban nationals who were part of the presidential security.
The military intervention culminated in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, congresswoman Cilia Flores, currently held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial set for June 2027. They have both pleaded not guilty to federal narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges brought by an indictment issued by the US State Department. The charges are based on US officials’ accusations and no public evidence has been presented. International law scholars and institutions maintain that Washington violated the immunity of a sitting head of state as well as Venezuela’s state sovereignty and the UN Charter.
The US armed aggression was followed by Washington taking control of the country’s oil exports, with the profits deposited into an account managed by the US Treasury Department. According to estimates by the Financial Times, these seized oil revenues have reached US $13 billion by late July. The oil-grab has been denounced by Venezuelan grassroots as neocolonial and a violation of the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources.
The acting government of Delcy Rodríguez—who served as vice president under President Maduro—took power by constitutional mandate on January 5 and soon after reinstated ties with Washington, ranging from embassy-level diplomacy to accepting Washington’s conditions of limiting commercial and oil dealings exclusively to US companies.
President Rodríguez’s rapprochement with the Trump administration has been perceived by sectors of the Chavista grassroots as a strategic retreat aimed at avoiding a full-scale military intervention, securing peace and governability, and ensuring a gradual easing of sanctions to sustain the economic recovery that began in late 2021. Other sectors of Chavismo have expressed concerns over the loss of Venezuelan sovereignty and the lopsided relationship with the United States, in which the seized oil revenue has become a tool of political and economic leverage.
“Through militant art, the preservation of historical memory, and grassroots organization, we promote education that encourages active resistance [to the US],” the Anti-Imperialist Front stated in its recent communique. The planned activities include “agitation campaigns” and the distribution of “ideological materials” to foment dialogue and grassroots organization focused on “defending national sovereignty, self-determination, and dignity.”
“This ensures that every militant, worker, student, and patriotic soldier recognizes that true sovereignty is achieved through grassroots organization within their communities,” explained the organization.
Formed in May, the Anti-Imperialist Popular Front brings together a handful of grassroots collectives and social movements and it has carried out rallies in Caracas to condemn US intervention and oil grab in Venezuela. The Front has likewise rejected the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between Caracas and Israel, announced on August 11 following 18 years of broken relations and governmental support for the Palestinian liberation cause.
The Front has called for unity among popular forces aligned with Chavismo and has not issued any public statement withdrawing support for the Rodríguez government.
Here’s the full communique:
In Bolívar and Chávez, We All Unite
The Anti-Imperialist Popular Front emerges as a united front of organized people, forming a broad and diverse alliance that includes political parties, labor unions, social movements, progressive sectors of the church, patriotic military members, and grassroots organizations. This coalition is founded on a strategic and urgent objective: to engage in historical resistance and a direct struggle against US imperialism and the genocidal Zionist state of Israel—two enemies of humanity—in order to defend the sovereignty, self-determination, and dignity of Nuestra América.
In this context, agitation campaigns, loudspeaker announcements, direct distribution of propaganda, and the sharing of ideological materials within communities transcend simple street outreach. They embody genuine pedagogical efforts and political education initiatives designed to dismantle the communicational dominance of capital. These activities aim to stimulate collective awareness and awaken the creative potential of the people, consciously equipping them for a comprehensive defense of the homeland.
Each mobilization and territorial deployment merges the cultural richness of our heritage with the robust civic-military unity that is a cornerstone of Bolivarian thought for strategic defense. Through militant art, the preservation of historical memory, and grassroots community organization, the Front fosters education geared toward active resistance. This transforms local spaces into open classrooms where the people engage in critical analysis of the contradictions inherent in imperial aggression, empowering them to take a proactive role in shaping their own future.
In essence, the Anti-Imperialist Popular Front serves as more than just a political gathering; it is a dynamic hub for revolutionary practice. Its initiatives go beyond immediate concerns, fostering a critical awareness among the masses. This ensures that every militant, worker, student, and patriotic soldier recognizes that true sovereignty is achieved through grassroots organization within their communities. With truth as their guiding principle and anti-imperialist unity as the key to success, they are empowered to defend their rights and shape their collective future.
In conclusion, we reaffirm the Bolivarian doctrine as a crucial ideological tool for awakening consciousness and making significant strides in our struggle. We recognize that it is the organized and progressive masses who are the sole historical agents capable of driving this process forward and solidifying Popular Power from the ground up.
Caracas, Venezuela
August 2026
