Latest update April 15th, 2025 7:12 AM
Latest News
- 7th oil project likely to cause higher cost-of-living for Guyanese – Exxon study reveals
- ‘Apologise and retract false statements or face litigation’ – Former GECOM Legal Officer tells Chair and CEO
- Conditions at Gaza hospitals ‘beyond description’ after Israeli attacks -WHO
- Teen arrested in connection with murder at Melanie
- Man pretending to be Housing Minister’s father charged with obtaining money by false pretense
Territorial claim…Venezuelan Embassy attracts protest
“We ain’t giving up no mountain”- protesters sing
By Abena Rockcliffe
The melody of Dave Martins’ ‘Not a blade a grass’ blasted yesterday in front of the Venezuelan Embassy, Thomas Street, Georgetown as a group of persons mounted a protest to register their disapproval with Venezuela’s most recent attempt to deprive Guyana of its territory.
Yesterday’s group was not strong in number but the message of active
The Ambassador leaves her office in the midst of the protest
resistance was powerful.
Leader of the Independent Party, Mark Benschop led the demonstration and provided the music.
Venezuelan Ambassador, Reina Margarita Arratia Díaz heard a few of the comments by the protesters as she made her way from the embassy
Subsequently, Benschop told Kaieteur News that he will spare no effort in doing his part as a Guyanese citizen in fighting for “what belongs to us”. The social activist indicated that he has plans to sustain his protest action until Venezuela gets a message that Guyana will not be bullied.
When pointed to the fact that he was practically accompanied, in his noble quest by four others, Benschop expressed optimism that “the support is going to pick up.”
He said that Guyanese will soon understand the seriousness of the situation that is facing Guyana and “come out in their numbers.”
Benschop added, “We are against a greedy country which is bullying us for our land and natural resources, this got to stop and Guyana got to wake up. So yes, we expect that the crowd will grow.”
Even as he spoke to Kaieteur News, Benschop continued to play the popular Dave
The demonstration in progress.
Martins’ song. He said that Martins hit should be the song of the season as “Maduro is playing politics with us…He is failing terribly, he is a dictator and his people are upset with him so he is trying to stir up emotions so his people may feel he is working…We do not give a damn about Maduro, he has to find another way out.”
Benschop continued, ‘Since I was a boy Guyana has been going through this with Venezuela and it has to stop once and for all.”
He opined that the Guyana government should recall its Ambassador to Venezuela and send Venezuela’s ambassador to Guyana packing “nothing personal, but we have to stand up and defend what belongs to us.”
Asked if he really thinks Guyana is in a position to fight off Venezuela, Benschop said “Guyana has friends and the international community is not going to sit back and allow a greedy country to take what belongs to us.”
Denis Atwell, another protester held a placard written in Spanish that basically translated Madura is mad to try to take Essequibo away from Guyana. He said that he spent most of his formative years in Essequibo, so he became outraged when he got news of Venezuela’s new claim.
Atwell opined that at this time, the Guyana Defence Force should seek to train volunteering citizens to deal with any eventualities that may come from Venezuela’s latest threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity.
A Pastor, Roy Thomas, was going about his daily routine when the group caught his attention. He stopped and joined. Thomas said that he saw the need to take a firm stance with fellow Guyanese against Venezuela.
“We will not give up anything that belongs to us. We will not give up our wealth to anyone. We will take a firm stance against the enemy.”
Don Gomes expressed that he was disgusted with the President of Venezuela for making “a decree that claims almost two-thirds of Guyana…I closed my office today and I am out here to ensure that everybody knows that danger is against us.
He said that the government should make a strong statement telling the Guyanese people that “we have to prepare for the inevitable. If these people move against us then we have to defend ourselves.”
Another Pastor, Vanrick Beresford, who has a church nearby the Venezuelan Embassy, said that Venezuela must be made to know that while Guyana is a small country, “we have a big God”.
He called on all churches in Guyana to “take the situation seriously and intercede for this land of ours.”
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on May 27, 2015 issued a decree, extending Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territorial waters. A map which was issued, accompanying the decree, shows that the claim includes the area where the US giant oil company, ExxonMobil is currently drilling for oil.
Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge has since noted that Venezuela, in the decree, has threatened the use of force.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Of Silk and Steel
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- By the time the first container ship from China—the Liu Lin Hai—steamed into a port... more
Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- On April 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day suspension of the higher... more
Weekend Cartoon
