Local organizations in Charleston, South Carolina, are holding an emergency anti-war protest today at 12 p.m. in Marion Square against the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro. The event responds to Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by President Trump on January 2, 2026.​
Operation Details
U.S. forces, including Delta Force and over 150 aircraft, executed the raid on Maduro’s compound in Caracas early January 3 local time, disabling air defenses and extracting Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores without U.S. casualties. Maduro faces federal charges in New York for narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses, as announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump stated a U.S. team would run Venezuela temporarily to rebuild oil infrastructure.​
Local Reactions
South Carolina leaders like Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, Governor Henry McMaster, and Rep. Nancy Mace praised the action. Democrat Mac Deford, a Coast Guard veteran challenging Mace, criticized it as one of few Palmetto State Democrats opposing the operation.​
Protest Organizers
Groups including Lowcountry Action Committee, Charleston chapters of Community Service Organization, and Democratic Socialists of America call the raid an illegal assault on Venezuelan sovereignty for oil resources. They dispute drug trafficking claims, noting Venezuela’s limited role in U.S. cocaine flows per DEA reports.
