On May 21, the Venezuela government released a statement explained it had given permission to the US embassy to carry out an "evacuation simulation" in preparation for any medical emergency or natural catastrophe. The following day, the statement was deleted from official government websites. On May 23, the US embassy posted on X that: "At this time, a U.S. military response exercise is being carried out at the United States Embassy in Caracas. Ensuring the army's rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world. We continue to advance @POTUS's three-phase plan for Venezuela." Present as part of the military deployment was the head of the United States Southern Command, which led the January 3 military assault on Venezuela. May 23 also saw the first expressions of independent protest action against the ongoing US occupation and neocolonial administration of Venezuela, which was preceded by days of social media activity. Below is an article by former Venezuelan VP Elias Jaua on the significance of these protest actions (as small and dispersed as they may have been). --------------------------------------- The silence has been broken By Elías Jaua, director of Cedes Ve This message of gratitude is addressed to every Venezuelan man and woman who today [May 23] expressed their anger and discontent. To every man and woman who showed their love for Venezuela by posting something on social media or signing a statement. To every family who hoisted the beautiful tricolour flag — ours, that of Miranda and Bolívar, that of all Venezuela — in the window of their home. To every young person who even made the walls speak through graffiti, a tag, a mural. To every political, social and cultural movement. To every group of patriots gathered in a square or any other public place, with our flag, banners and posters, who sang ‘Glory to the Brave People’, who broke the silence with fiery words of protest against this disgrace, with heartfelt words of love for our homeland. There were hundreds of thousands of gestures, actions and initiatives — perhaps modest but deeply significant. These small and beautiful forms of civic and popular resistance in the face of a new violation of our airspace by the occupying power leave lessons for the struggles to come. The first of these lessons is that there are significant sections of the population who are not prepared to accept the occupation or colonial administration that has been imposed on us as a nation. The second is our capacity to organise ourselves: thousands of initiatives circulating online and by word of mouth, breaking the consensus that is being forced upon us through the traditional media and leading in actions of great moral significance. The third is that we demonstrated the creativity to act without resources, which reflects an awareness of the need to do something. Today we did it. Organisation will follow; no one should despair. Perhaps this May 23, 2026, will go down in history not as the day the foreign occupier dared to conduct military exercises on our homeland, but as the day the civic resistance began — one that will lead us to regain our national independence, the one our ancestors won with Bolívar at the helm. Fellow compatriots, you have managed to break the silence. Thank you! >From a Venezuelan like yourselves, Elías Jaua Milano Caracas, May 23, 2026. 8:33 p.m
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