Repression Turns to Rage After Quakes in Venezuela

In Venezuela, recent earthquakes have triggered public outrage against the government’s disaster response. Despite the risk of imprisonment, citizens are voicing their discontent openly.

In La Guaira, the area most impacted by the earthquakes, residents have been confronting police and National Guard members. They accuse officials of inaction while civilians and international aid workers search for survivors and retrieve the deceased from the ruins.

Criticism of the ruling party and its leader, Delcy Rodríguez, is emerging, which was rare one year ago. The Trump administration, which has facilitated recent economic deals with Venezuela, is also facing public anger for supporting the government’s disaster management.

Fear of arrest, torture, or exile, previously powerful deterrents, is being overshadowed by growing frustration and anger. José Silva, a 47-year-old resident, expressed his lack of fear, highlighting the change in public sentiment. “Why would I be afraid?” he questioned while resting near a destroyed public housing complex that housed about 700 families.