Venezuelans in Ottawa celebrate Maduro’s arrest, push back against ‘Hands Off’ protest

Many in Ottawa’s Venezuelan community say they are hopeful for the future of the country following the leader’s removal. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

Some Venezuelans in Ottawa say they’re still celebrating after the United States captured President Nicolás Maduro, even as protestors in the capital took to the streets Sunday calling for Washington to stay out of Venezuela’s affairs.

Daniela Manrique, who moved to Canada from Venezuela 25 years ago, says the news brought an immediate sense of relief for many in the Venezuelan community.

“We were instantly celebrating,” Manrique says. “Of course, it’s been 25 years of a dictatorship in our country.”

Manrique says her family left Venezuela after the seeing the country’s economic and social decline firsthand, a situation she says only worsened over time.

“We kind of knew what was coming and we didn’t necessarily agree with it,” she says. “Since we moved here, all we’ve seen is year after year things deteriorate. People are starving, there’s no education, there’s no health care. There’s absolutely no reason why that country should have been in the state that it was in.”

She says many Venezuelans see Maduro’s arrest as a possible turning point and a fresh start for their home country.

But not everyone agrees.

On Sunday, dozens of people gathered in downtown Ottawa to protest what they described as an overreach by the United States, chanting “Hands Off Venezuela,” and calling for Maduro’s return.

The demonstration has sparked frustration among some Venezuelans living in the city, who say the protest misrepresents how they feel.

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“It makes me personally very angry,” Manrique says. “If you haven’t lived there and you don’t know all the information that all Venezuelans do, then you shouldn’t be protesting against it.”

“It’s one thing to protest against Trump if you want to do that, another thing is to talk about the situation that Venezuelans have been going through for many, many, many years and, how happy we are and how we are celebrating this end of a dictatorship,” adds Manrique.

David Seba, who has lived in Ottawa for 13 years, echoed that frustration.

He says many Venezuelans had been expecting and hoping for this outcome.

“Reality is that Venezuelans were expecting that, we’ve had enough of that regime,” Seba says. “What happened at the Embassy – most of them were not even Venezuelans.”

Seba says calls by protestors for the U.S. to return Maduro is not what any Venezuelan wants.

“Nobody wants him back, I can assure you that,” he says. “I’ve never seen people more happy and joyful than this Saturday, Sunday, Monday. People are happy about it.”

While uncertainty remains about what comes next for Venezuela, both Seba and Manrique say they’re holding onto optimism.

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“With the help of the U.S., I think it’s going to be very beneficial for Venezuelans,” Manrique says.

“Let’s hope it’s for the best for all Venezuelans,” Seba adds. “It’s been too many years of suffering, and I think it’s time for Venezuelans to be happy again.”