BREAKING: A US-backed coup is taking place in Venezuela right now. Imperialism is alive and well.

As The Canary has reported recently, the US has been laying the groundwork for another coup in Venezuela. And as of 23 January, this coup is now in full swing.

Donald Trump officially gives coup-plotters the green light

During the first weeks of January, US national security adviser John Bolton, Florida senator Marco Rubio, and secretary of state Mike Pompeo have all argued that opposition leader Juan Guaidó is Venezuela’s legitimate ‘interim’ president. That is in spite of the current president, Nicolás Maduro, having won democratic elections only last year.

On 23 January, Donald Trump issued a vital statement recognising Guaidó, giving the coup Washington’s green light:

President @realDonaldTrump has officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela.

— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) January 23, 2019

Statement from President Donald J. Trump Recognizing Venezuelan National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela pic.twitter.com/OeoNuHwDmw

— White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) January 23, 2019

The US is declaring Guaidó’s National Assembly the “only legitimate branch of government”m on wildly dubious grounds. The reality is that:

• Maduro is the democratically elected president of Venezuela. Guaidó is not.
• On 21 January, Venezuela’s Supreme Court rejected Guaidó’s claim to power.
• There is no evidence that Guaidó is any more popular than Maduro. His National Assembly certainly isn’t.
• There is no evidence that a majority of Venezuelans support US-backed intervention. In fact, past polls have shown they overwhelmingly oppose it.
• History suggests that the US is simply looking out for its own political and economic interests, and that the well-being of ordinary Venezuelans is not its priority.
• Nothing gives the US the right to decide another country’s domestic affairs.

“The coup has begun”

Abby Martin of The Empire Files tweeted:

Trump’s admin & fascist allies across Latin America have officially recognized a rogue opposition leader as the new president of Venezuela despite Maduro being democratically elected & sworn in for 2nd term. The coup has begun. The US is a terrorist state https://t.co/4Q1DvJHpoL

— Abby Martin (@AbbyMartin) January 23, 2019

Author Eva Golinger, meanwhile, called Washington’s move an “unprecedented” and “devastating example for democracy and sovereignty in Latin America and around the world”. And she pointed out:

Do not forget that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves on the planet. The US has long been waiting to put a government in place that will favor US interests. It is a dangerous precedent to recognize an opposition leader as president while the actual president remains in office https://t.co/rXmGLVY7IO

— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) January 23, 2019

Independent media site Venezuelanalysis insisted that the move is “illegal under the UN Charter and the OAS Charter, both of which the US has signed”. It also stressed that:

.@jguaido's self-appointment as president has no constitutional legitimacy. Under Art. 233, if presidency is declared vacant (which it isn't) after president is sworn in, vice president, not parliamentary president, takes office. This is coup dressed in faux constitutional garb https://t.co/vrGXlJsida

— Venezuelanalysis (@venanalysis) January 23, 2019

It then pointed out that this attack of Venezuelan democracy has been a long time coming, saying wryly:

In case you had doubts, it’s Washington, not democratic elections, that confers democratic legitmacy.

Woeful media response

The mainstream media’s response has been predictably awful. The Guardian, for example, reported that “opponents of Nicolás Maduro hope will prove a turning point for the country’s slide into authoritarianism and economic ruin”. It didn’t mention, however, that an attempted coup is implicitly authoritarian.

Bloomberg, meanwhile, downplayed the attempted coup as simply Washington’s “most provocative move yet against the leftist regime”.

CNBC reported that Guaidó was “willing to replace Maduro with the support of the military”. And while this is the very definition of a coup, the broadcaster didn’t describe it as such.

Indepedendent journalists speak out

The critical response online has been overwhelming. And independent journalists led the way. Rania Khalek, for example, outlined US hypocrisy:

A country that has spent two years screaming about alleged meddling in the 2016 election has been meddling in Venezuela in the most extreme way. The silence from #resistance luminaries reveals some serious hypocrisy

— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) January 23, 2019

Eoin Higgins, meanwhile, highlighted how US imperialism is a cross-party affair:

https://twitter.com/EoinHiggins_/status/1088140459866771458

And Adam Johnson reminded people that the same newspapers reporting favourably about this attempted coup were the same that reported favourably about the last one in 2002:

before reading their sanctimonious editorials on the importance of democracy recall both WaPo & NYT editorial boards supported the CIA-backed military coup against the duly elected Chavez in 2002. NYT explicitly, WaPo more subtly.https://t.co/0oDXVK2fjihttps://t.co/9uyfQlN1Oe pic.twitter.com/4Sl1yTCVab

— Adam Johnson (@adamjohnsonCHI) May 22, 2018

Overall, there was little sympathy for a handful of powerful US politicians deciding who should be in charge in Venezuela:

Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Marco Rubio got to decide who is president of Venezuela. That’s democracy you guys

— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) January 23, 2019

Three white guys picking the president of a 30 million-strong black and brown majority country. But imperialism totally isn't a thing anymore https://t.co/3cOrv7WXnl

— Venezuelanalysis (@venanalysis) January 23, 2019

Today, a coup is underway in Venezuela. And the US is backing it fully. Imperialism is not a thing of the past. It’s on display right now.

The international community must condemn Washington’s move immediately.