Demonstrators around the nation are condemning the strike as an outrageous escalation of aggression toward the Latin American country. But some are celebrating.<\/b>
\nProtests against the actions the United States took in Venezuela overnight were being hastily planned Saturday across the nation and Southern California, including in downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga and elsewhere.
The U.S. carried out a military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, capturing President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is \u201cgoing to run\u201d Venezuela until a transition of power can occur and the U.S. will tap the country\u2019s vast oil reserves as part of a rebuilding effort.
Protest organizers have characterized the strike as an outrageous escalation in a campaign of murder in international waters.
The activist group The ANSWER Coalition set up a website with nationwide protest locations and times.
\u201cWe need to take to the streets and say no to another endless war! The people of this country do not want another war! A U.S. war would cause death and destruction for the people of Venezuela,\u201d the organization stated on its site.
\u201cThe war machine consumes an unimaginable amount of our tax dollars while working families struggle to make ends meet. In an all-out war with Venezuela, it will be working-class young people who are sent to kill and die \u2026\u201d it continued.
Local activist groups planned hastily arranged protests in Los Angeles on Saturday. At noon, Union del Barrio, the Community Self Defense Coalition and other organizations planned to denounce the U.S. attack. And at 2 p.m., CodePink and other organizations planned an \u201cemergency\u201d protest at Pershing Square.
In Rancho Cucamonga, a protest is scheduled at Foothill Boulevard and Haven Avenue for 4 p.m.
But not everyone is against the U.S. strike. It some places, it\u2019s been cause for celebration.
In Miami\u2019s Little Havana, flags flew and cheers rang out after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured Maduro.
\u201cTo be able to celebrate the operation that the U.S. government carried out today is phenomenal,\u201d Jorge Jaen of the Venezuelan American Republican Club told Local10.com. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t stop here because they took out Maduro. It\u2019s like a table has four legs. There are still three more legs that need to go in order for Venezuela to really be free.\u201d
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.<\/p>\n