No war on Venezuela! Scrap AUKUS!

Socialist Alliance strongly condemns United States President Donald Trump’s military invasion of Venezuela and demands that the Australian Labor government rejects the US’ flouting of international law and breaks the AUKUS war alliance.

We stand with the people of Venezuela who are defending their sovereignty and support the emergency protests being organised across the country.

The US’ bombing of at least two military bases in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and its abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro is a reminder of Trump’s lawlessness and lack of commitment to democracy.

This latest act of war comes after illegal attacks over the past few months, including the US navy blowing up small boats near the Venezuelan coast and Colombia’s Pacific coast. More than 100 people have been killed this way.

The US military build-up, including warships, planes and soldiers in the Caribbean, is being posed as necessary to fight drug trafficking and narcoterrorists, despite no evidence being produced.

US imperialism’s plan is to impose full dominance through various means including: military (target strikes, threats of war); economic (tariffs, naval blockade); and political (support for far-right allies).

For more than 20 years, the US has been trying to overthrow the government of Venezuela, which was led by President Hugo Chavez from 1999 until his death in 2013, and which is now led by Maduro.

It has supported attempted coups and imposed an economic blockade preventing Venezuela from participating in international trade. The US sanctions have caused great suffering to the Venezuelan people.

The attack on Venezuela is US imperialism’s latest attempt to install a pro-US government there, even though the Trump administration has said it would rule Venezuela for now.

Venezuela and Colombia have criticised Trump’s policies in the Middle East, including US support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The US has repeatedly declared it wants control of Venezuela’s oil deposits - one of the largest in the world. It also made this clear by seizing Venezuelan oil tankers.

Socialist Alliance is also deeply concerned by the outright flouting of international law this attack represents and the lack of criticism from the Labor government.

Labor must immediately condemn the US extrajudicial attacks and break the US war alliance – which AUKUS represents.

The US has said Colombia, Mexico and Cuba are next in line for such aggression. Australia must not agree to Trump’s new Monroe doctrine. Albanese must call out the US’s attack on a sovereign country.

All those who support democracy and the rule of law should step up solidarity with the peoples of the Americas and help build the broadest possible campaigns to defend self-determination there.

We must also pressure Labor to break its alliance with US imperialism, including cancelling the AUKUS agreement and closing US military bases.

Socialist Alliance encourages you to join your local “Hands off Venezuela” rallies.

We support a foreign policy based on peace and justice therefore we demand;

• Stop US attacks on Venezuela!
• Stop the US military operations in the Caribbean and withdraw all warships, planes and troops!
• Stop all US interference and interventions in Latin American domestic politics!
• Shut down US military bases in Australia!
• Scrap AUKUS now and break from the US military alliance!
• Immediate release of Nicholas Maduro and his wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro!

[The Socialist Alliance National Executive adopted this statement on January 4, 2026].