Inside the Venezuelan Embassy in DC: An Interview With Margaret Flowers and Pat Elder

Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC, April 2019

By Marc Eliot Stein, April 29, 2019

A remarkable resistance movement is taking shape inside the Venezuelan embassy in Washington DC. The Georgetown building is currently being held by a determined group of activists from CODE PINK, Popular Resistance, the ANSWER coalition and other groups, who moved in with permission of the Venezuelan diplomats and staffers when they were suddenly forced to leave earlier this month. These activists are holding the embassy for its rightful owners, risking possible arrest from federal agents who may attempt to illegally enter the building.

Greta Zarro and I interviewed Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance and Pat Elder of World BEYOND War for the World BEYOND War podcast yesterday, speaking in-depth for an hour about the real-world consequences of the standoff that is taking place, and about the hope these protestors all hold that their actions will help to bring about an atmosphere of negotiation in the midst of a global crisis that threatens to severely worsen.

As one of the interviewers speaking to Margaret and Pat, I was truly inspired by the stories of cooperation and spontaneous organization taking place inside this building. The occupiers are settling in for a long stay, and have formed a loose organizational structure, the Embassy Protection Collective. From Margaret Flowers’s breakdown of the international situation and urgent call for new arrivals to Pat Elder’s touching stories of helping out by cleaning a kitchen full of dishes and observing the tributes to Simon Bolivar, Che Guevara and Detroit Tigers baseball player Miguel Cabrera found inside this building, this special episode of the World BEYOND War podcast aims to broadcast the cooperative spirit of a people-led resistance movement to all those around the world who understand the importance of resistance. We all stand with these courageous and resourceful occupiers, and will be sending updates as this situation continues.

Outside the Venezuelan Embassy in DC

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