PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Protesters gathered at the Arizona State Capitol Saturday to oppose the U.S. strike on Venezuela, while a Venezuelan native expressed tears of joy over the military action.<\/p>\n
Demonstrators filled the State Capitol courtyard for hours Saturday afternoon, expressing strong anti-war sentiments about the U.S. involvement overseas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt the need to mobilize American people who flat out reject war and want our tax dollars to be used for something else,\u201d said Lexsiri Coronado, one of the event\u2019s organizers.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators then marched for an hour along Van Buren, making their message loud and clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we see this as, and what even the current president has claimed, is that this is a war for oil and it\u2019s not a war in the name of democracy or freedom but a war just so that the big oil executives in America go in and reap the benefits of it,\u201d Coronado said.<\/p>\n
Devan Clyde, a protester, said the strike represents broader U.S. policy in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not about drugs, this isn\u2019t even ultimately about oil, this is about consolidating US imperial influence in Latin America,\u201d Clyde said.<\/p>\n
Joshua Leingang, another protester, said his message was simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt says no war, and I mean no war,\u201d Leingang said, referencing his face paint. <\/p>\n
Venezuelan native celebrates news<\/b><\/p>\n
While protests took place in Phoenix, demonstrations in other U.S. cities were very different. In Miami, Venezuelans took to the streets to celebrate Saturday\u2019s news.<\/p>\n
Yordana Bolanos, a Venezuelan native who started a Venezuelan organization in Arizona, said she believes the strike will give her a chance to return to her home country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a historic day for Venezuela,\u201d Bolanos said. \u201cI\u2019m going to be able to see my grandmother again. I\u2019m going to be able to see my mom. I\u2019m going to be able to, for my family to meet my daughter, to know my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about Saturday\u2019s protest, Bolanos questioned the composition of the demonstrators.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to ask you how many Venezuelans were there? Seriously, how many Venezuelans were there?\u201d Bolanos said.<\/p>\n
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