The diplomatic representation of the Maduro regime in Lisbon was attacked on the night of Saturday to Sunday with “a sort of Molotov cocktail”. No injuries were reported. “An intolerable act,” declared the Portuguese government.
The Venezuelan Consulate General in Lisbon was the target of an explosive attack overnight from Saturday to Sunday. According to the Lusa news agency, around 10 p.m. on Saturday, an unidentified person launched a “sort of Molotov cocktail” against the building of the Consulate General of Venezuela in Lisbon.
A source from the Lisbon metropolitan police command told Euronews that the police had been called to the scene on Saturday evening, where they had established a security perimeter”to preserve evidence“. After that the matter was immediately “forwarded to the judicial police” who is leading the investigation.
“No one was hit“, another police source told Lusa, who only reports “material damage“in what was”no longer a symbolic act, since it was a wall that was targeted“, added the same source.
Caracas has already reacted to the attack on the consulate general by declaring that “no uncontrolled aggression“wouldn’t stop it”Bolivarian revolution“.
The Venezuelan Foreign Minister wrote on his Instagram account that “fascism attacked our consulate general in Lisbon, Portugal, with incendiary bombs, attacking the services that are provided to our compatriots”said Yván Gil.
“Irrational attacks by unbalanced groups will not be able to reverse the progress of the Bolivarian revolution“added Maduro’s diplomat.”We are grateful to the Portuguese authorities for their rapid intervention, which helped prevent further damage. We hope that the investigations that have been launched will make it possible to find those responsible“, he added.
The head of Portuguese diplomacy condemned the attack on the Venezuelan consulate and promised more security.
In a note sent and published on the X network, the MAE ordered the strengthening of the security of the Venezuelan representation in Portugal and described what happened as “intolerable act“:
Maduro seeks brothers in arms
Nicolás Maduro, contested president of Venezuela, inaugurated for a third term, prepares to “take up arms“. This is what he declared on Saturday at the end of the day, guaranteeing that if he had to act “by force“, he would do it to stay in power.
This is an unprecedented direct threat which raises fears of a possible armed escalation.
The Chavista leader also wanted to boast of his international alliances, even though he only has five: China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Nicaragua. In this regard, Nicolás Maduro declared that he was preparing with these last two countries for a possible “military intervention” external forces in his country.
Meanwhile, historic Latin American leaders, such as former Colombian presidents Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque, spoke for the first time of a possible intervention of international forces on Venezuelan territory to put an end to the regime in place. Until now, the possibility of a regional conflict of this magnitude had not been considered.
One of the keys is support from the military. The Bolivarian National Armed Forces expressed “their most energetic and categorical rejection of the new sanctions imposed“, declared the country’s commander-in-chief. This is a show of support for Nicolás Maduro.
Chavism increasingly isolated
The attack came days after Nicolás Maduro’s disputed inauguration for another six-year term, as the opposition says there is no clear evidence he won July’s elections last.
The Venezuelan opposition, directed by Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machadostates that “a coup d’état has been completed“. Ms Machado was briefly arrested on Thursday as she left a protest in Caracas to try to prevent Mr Maduro from taking the oath of office.
ADVERTISEMENTMr Maduro enjoys limited international support and Venezuela is gradually becoming isolated from the rest of the world. Hugo Chávez’s successor recently unilaterally ordered the closure of a large part of its borders. He first blocked the border crossings with Colombia, shortly before the celebration of his inauguration, and now it is Brazil’s turn.
According to a statement released by Lula’s government, “Venezuelan authorities close the border between Venezuela and Brazil until Monday January 13“.
