Winnipeg's Latino community voices support for Venezuelan people amid disputed election
Community members call on Canadian governments to show their support toward Venezuelans
Venezuelans in Winnipeg waved their country's flag and chanted outside the Manitoba Legislature to bring awareness to an onslaught of protests and violence amid controversy over the recent presidential election in Venezuela.
Carlos Barrios was among roughly 35 people who gathered outside the building at 6 p.m. on Tuesday holding signs such as "count the ballots" and "Edmundo won."
"It was a big fraud, everybody knew that from the beginning," said Barrios, a Venezuelan who's been living in Canada for about 30 years. "[Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro] used every single chapter in the book on how to cheat the election."
On Sunday, Maduro was re-elected for his third six-year term, which has sparked protests across the country with many questioning the legitimacy of the electoral results. Countries including the U.S., European Union and Canada have called for detailed vote results.
Venezuela's election authority, the National Electoral Council, says Maduro won the election with 51.2 per cent of the vote while the opposing candidate Edmundo González received 44.2 per cent of the vote.
Barrios said Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world because it sits atop the world's largest oil reserves, however, he says the people are suffering in the hands of a dictatorship.
WATCH | People in Winnipeg's Latino community protest Venezuela's election results:
"We want people in Venezuela to know that we're here and our heart is broken," he said.
"We want our voice to be heard. We can't be silent because it means if you're silent, you have no heart."
Barbara Guzman Romero, a protester holding a "free Venezuela" sign, said she is using her voice to protest against the government of Venezuela.
"I am just sad. They are killing people. They are arresting my friends," said Romero, who's been living in Canada for seven years.
She said it was hard visiting her family in Venezuela last month because the country appears worse every time she goes home.
"All my life, all I've known is this dictatorship and like, it's sad seeing things just go bad every time I go," Romero said.
Another protestor, Elymar Rondon, said hundreds of people have been arrested during the protests. At least 11 people have been killed since Sunday in incidents related to the count or associated protests, the rights group Foro Penal said.
"It's very sad. Every Venezuelan has been feeling anxiety, sadness, even powerless because … it's just oppression there, a dictatorship," Rondon said.
"We are tired. We want a change. We want our human rights to be respected," she said.
Rondon, who left Venezuela seven years ago and has been living in Manitoba for three years, said Venezuelans in the Latino community in Winnipeg would like Canadian governments to show their support by demanding that Maduro prove that the results of the election are legitimate.
After the group sang traditional songs, they marched to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to share speeches.
Barrios said the group will host another march on Saturday which will begin at the Manitoba Legislature at 10 a.m.
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With files from Zubina Ahmed, Thomson Reuters