UPDATE - People Gather At New York's Wall Street To Protest US 'Imperialist' Policies On Venezuela

NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2019) Supporters of the Venezuelan government gathered at Wall Street in New York on Saturday, protesting what they call the US imperialism and possible military intervention in the Latin American country, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

The protesters have gathered in front of the Trump Building in Downtown Manhattan to demonstrate their support for President Nicolas Maduro, with their banners that read: "Defend Venezuela against US imperialism," "Stop Trump's Venezuelan coup," "End the sanctions," "Humanitarian aid is a Trojan horse."

"I am here to oppose the United States' engineering of a coup in Venezuela. Anybody who is concerned about humanitarian aid to Venezuela should demand that the United States allow Venezuela access to its gold reserves in England," a public school teacher taking part in the protest told Sputnik. "I am not Venezuelan, but all I can do as an American is to say: let the Venezuelan people decide, hands off Venezuela."

Another group of activists marked themselves in the crowd by carrying banners demanding that the United States stop what they say the oppression of other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"I am here actually [with] solidarity groups [of] Puerto Rico and Amazonia, which are neighbors, as well as also oppressed by the US empire, and [I am] showing support for Venezuela," an employee from the Extinction Rebellion social movement told Sputnik. "Regardless of what we think of the government there, we do not think that the United States should be opposing the new government and supporting the coup d'etat."

According to the International Action Center, thousands of individuals from across the globe, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Azerbaijan, India, Italy, Iran and Mexico among other countries, have supported the call to take action on Saturday.

The geography of the participants of the march in New York's Financial District also included people from Venezuela itself, Spain and the Dominican Republic.

"We are here supporting the government of Maduro, the government that was elected fairly, we are against the involvement of the US in any country in the world, in any country that is going through the same that Venezuela is going right now," an activist from the Dominican Republic told Sputnik.

The people also shouted "Hands off Venezuela," expressing their concern over attempts to intervene in Venezuelan internal affairs and force the unauthorized US humanitarian aid into the country.

"Humanitarian aid delivery through the Colombian border is a show, we know that is a way to bring weapons into Venezuela, and it is not truly humanitarian help, it is only a scheme," a protester said.

Another activist described the delivery of humanitarian aid as a "great show of support [for opposition], which might be preceding "what could be an awful conflict," adding that "we know that already there is a military presence there, so we do not know when the conflict will start."

On Saturday, the Venezuelan opposition tried to ensure deliveries of the US-sponsored humanitarian aid to the country via neighboring Colombia and Brazil, which resulted in numerous clashes. Maduro previously warned that he would not allow in unauthorized aid deliveries, saying that they are a ploy to topple his government.

Later in the day, Maduro said that the country cut off diplomatic and political relations with Colombia, while the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry announced that Colombian diplomats must leave the country in 24 hours.

The situation in crisis-torn Venezuela escalated on January 23 when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and was immediately recognized by Washington, which prompted Maduro to accuse President Donald Trump's administration of trying to orchestrate a coup. Russia, China, Mexico, among other nations, have reaffirmed their support for Maduro as the country's only legitimate head of state. In addition, the United Nations also still recognizes Maduro as Venezuela's president.