The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, described the massive mobilization of the people in squares across the country to enlist in the armed forces as "beautiful" and "successful." "We have seen a gigantic expression of nationalism, patriotism, and love for Venezuela," he affirmed following the people's response to the U.S. military deployment in the region's waters.
"Never again will the boot of any empire tarnish this soil. There is no air, sea, or land that the Bolivarian National Militia does not reach. Let's step forward and protect what is ours," stated the president at the beginning of the enlistment day, which started yesterday and will continue this Sunday.
Thousands of people, public employees, housewives, and retirees, among others, joined the ranks of the militia to demonstrate the "firmness, organization, and resistance" of the nation against a potential U.S. invasion, under the slogan #IAmEnlisting.
"Have you served before?" asks a militiaman in camouflage uniform to Óscar Matheus, who patiently waited in line until reaching the plastic registration table. "I am here to fulfill my duty to our country," said the 66-year-old auditor to the AFP. "The homeland calls us, the country needs us," expressed 51-year-old Rosy Paravabith.
Once registered, the volunteers moved to a room where a documentary about the blockade of European nations to the Venezuelan coasts between 1902 and 1903 was being screened, in response to the then-president Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay the foreign debt. The 2017 film shows armed peasants. Some shoot, others analyze maps. Warships are seen in the distance.
The Bolivarian militia, a body affiliated with the armed forces that includes civilians and which its critics claim has a high ideological burden, opened registration centers in squares and military and public buildings, including the presidential palace of Miraflores in Caracas and the so-called Mountain Barracks, where the remains of the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez rest.
Venezuela's Defense Minister, General Chief Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the "patriotic response of the people to the United States' attempt to fabricate lies and false positives, before a military aggression," Telesur reported.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado urged on her X account not to enlist in the Bolivarian militia because "they want to use you to pretend strength when the reality is that they are crumbling. They want you to go out and defend them while they hide."
The South American government's call comes amid expectations of the advance of three warships with 4,000 U.S. soldiers toward the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking in the region, as reported by the government of Donald Trump.
