With mounting tensions between the United States and Venezuela and fears that the Caribbean could become caught in the crossfire, social activists are raising their voices in protest.
Gathering opposite the U.S. Embassy today, they joined a growing regional call for peace and for Caribbean nations to steer clear of global power struggles.
00:00As tensions continue to mount between the United States and Venezuela with reports of additional airstrikes on vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking,
00:09social activists locally are calling for calm, insisting that the Caribbean must remain a zone of peace.
00:16Zaki Awada, chairperson of the Emancipation Support Committee, led a silent protest outside of the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain.
00:23She and other demonstrators voiced concerns over what they described as a U.S. aggression in the region.
00:28We, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, must stand in unity, regardless of political or any other affiliation,
00:39and raise our voices against this U.S. aggression.
00:44War in our region will negatively affect us for years, all of us for years.
00:49Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, situated a mere 10 miles away from Venezuela, will definitely be caught in the crossfire.
00:59We must all stand in defense of our countries, our present and future generations.
01:06The protest comes amid growing concern that two Trinidadian men were among six killed in a recent U.S. strike on a vessel alleged to be carrying drugs from Venezuela.
01:15Since when is arbitrarily blowing up ships and killing people the way to fight crime or drug trafficking in the Caribbean?
01:25And why would anyone consider this to be acceptable and promote and encourage it?
01:31Let us be clear, the United States has no interest in the well-being of any country other than its own
01:39and may be prepared to secure its hegemony by any means necessary.
01:45Reports suggest that at least seven boats allegedly transporting drugs have been bombed, resulting in the deaths of more than 30 people without due process.
01:55Social activist Abiyo Jackson accused the government of remaining too silent, suggesting its alignment with Washington's policies compromises national sovereignty.
02:04The sale of sovereignty dressed as diplomacy.
02:09What we are witnessing, the invasion of our Caribbean waters, the killing of 32 men on alleged drug boats without due process or evidence, is not justice.
02:17It is murder.
02:19It is imperial violence dressed up once again in the rhetoric dog whistle of security and war on drugs.
02:25Jackson also argued that the conflict is rooted in power and resource control rather than narcotics.
02:31It is about oil.
02:33It is about power.
02:34The United States, abetted by local collaborators, has long used narratives to justify control over territories rich in natural resources and geostrategic access.
02:45Our region has been a pawn in the empire building for centuries.
02:49With the apparent complicity now of our own leadership, the cycle continues.
02:54Protester Shani Lewis issued an emotional plea to young people to act before it's too late.
03:00Do you think the people who treat our lives like numbers on a spreadsheet, who treat our lives like chess pieces on a board, do you think they are going to stay here?
03:14When war comes to our footsteps, they have all the resources in the world.
03:21You are going to be the one to catch.
03:22So I say to see you, with my heart racing, my blood pumping, and literal nightmares in my dreams, I am begging you, we have to do something.
03:36Also joining the demonstration were movement for social justice leader David Abdullah and former Emancipation Support Committee Chair, Krafa Kambon, reinforcing the call for dialogue and diplomacy over aggression.
03:49Their message, loud and clear, the Caribbean must not become a battleground for global power struggles.
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