“He risks his life for us”

Oslo was one of the meeting points where Venezuelans demonstrated in favor of the prize awarded to the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, joining those of Peru, Chile, France, Germany and other countries where there were concentrations of Caribbean emigrants, which exceed nine million according to a study by the Venezuelan Diaspora Observatory.

However, the streets of Venezuela remained silent, with only a few of the marches ordered by the regime Nicolas Maduro mobilize the population against the presence of American armed forces in the Caribbean Sea, which have so far killed around 87 suspected drug traffickers.

Maduro, elected president after electoral fraud in July last year, called Machado a “fascist, criminal, Nazi-fascist and murderer” during one such protest, during which he chanted slogans in favor of peace, but not before threatening “the North American empire” to “break its teeth.”

In the streets, citizens of Caracas speak in hushed tones, fearing that someone linked to the Chavista government will denounce them and that they will be arrested and tortured as happened with the 893 political prisoners detained by the regime, according to data from the Foro Penal organization.

This is the same internal surveillance structure that María Corina Machado escaped when she left the country by boat to Curaçao before heading to Norway.

“This is further proof of the criminality of this criminal government,” said an 86-year-old man in the Líder shopping center, one of the buildings that marks the border between Petare, Latin America’s largest neighborhood, and the relatively affluent Cortijos neighborhood. “It’s wonderful that they gave the Nobel Prize to María Corina because she’s a wonderful woman, but it’s not fair and it shouldn’t be the case that she has to move like this to flee the country.”

Another woman, who rushes between stores, points out that the pace of life in the capital leaves her little time to get information, but feels encouraged by Machado’s line of action.

“I was barely able to see what the girl was saying, who spoke very well,” he says, referring to Ana Corina Sosawho received the award on behalf of her mother before arriving in Oslo, and adds: “María Corina had to come out to defend what is hers, what is ours, which is the democracy of the country, and it may be that she could not have come out earlier to be able to deceive those who are pursuing her. “She is risking her life for us Venezuelans,” she explains.

But not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Several young people interviewed by EL ESPAÑOL admit that they were unaware of Machado’s arrival in the Nordic country and downplayed its importance.

A boy in front of the mall points out that Venezuelans “should accept that Maduro is still in power, even though he lost the elections, and work together to face everyone’s problems, like high prices and quality of life, instead of fighting for political reasons, which could lead to a war where children die.”

The United States divides Venezuelans

Outside the Parque Generalísimo Francisco de Miranda, also known as Parque del Este, some teenagers spoke with more disdain: “Is she still there? She made a lot of noise and then nothing,” exclaims one. “We need to focus on our studies, not worry about politics,” responds another.

A man pushing a cart with two cavas filled with soft drinks sums up the feeling of many: “Why should I continue this situation if we are going crazy? What I have to do is work.”

Inside the Parque del Este, full of vegetation that encourages visitors, there are people who do not know that they share their opinions about Machado, even if they belong to opposite positions on the political spectrum.

Alfonso, who testifies under a pseudonym, has dressed for exercise in the park, in shorts and a cap, but he enjoys a cigarette that stains his mustache. “The Nobel Peace Prize is incompatible with the promotion of violent foreign intervention, that cannot be the solution,” he said, coughing, without justifying the “shameful and repressive regime.”

On the other hand, Jaime, who walks among the trees with a bottle of water hanging around his neck, does not hesitate to describe Machado as “this infamous being born to harm the country”.

“The Nobel Prize is a tool to defend the decadent empire of the United States,” he said, expressing surprise that his neighborhood did not agree with him and supported the opponent. “For her to say that they are watching her is a to show media, but our government cannot let her continue because she continues to do harm and can no longer prosecute her because the United States would justify its aggression and war crimes in the Caribbean, even if they should imprison her.

Rosana, who puts on a sweatshirt to prepare to climb the hill of Ávila, justifies the American actions defended by Machado: “Maduro has had a thousand opportunities for dialogue to reach an agreement, and if María Corina supports the situation of the boats, it is because it seems that there is no other option to defend peace and democracy in such a difficult situation.

When he talks about people who ignore the political process, he describes them as “hypocrites who support the government when they get the food bonus.” “But you will see how everyone will position themselves alongside María Corina when the government falls,” he predicts.

Machado explained that his team has a stabilization plan with a series of actions for the first 100 hours and another for the first 100 days, but so far he has not detailed what he plans to do with officials and members of the armed and security forces loyal to Maduro.

Fear and silence

Plaza Venezuela is one of the most central points in Caracas, a short distance from the Miraflores Palace, seat of Venezuela’s government, the National Electoral Center (CNE), which facilitated electoral fraud by not presenting ballots and transferred the responsibility for declaring the president to the Supreme Court of Justice, and the Central University of Venezuela, whose students participated in several of the bloody protests repressed by the army, police and Chavismo paramilitary groups. Several Venezuelans pass by its fountain, some sitting down to rest or eat.

Graciela, who prefers to hide her real name, smokes a cigarette with her back to the fountain. As he speaks, he keeps glancing at several Caracas Guardians, a recently created security force, who are monitoring the unloading of seats for an event. “The Nobel was won through a good fight, María Corina represented all Venezuelans well and it is an injustice that she must hide in a so-called free state.”

When he talks about the elections, he hesitates, he uses euphemisms. “I wish the elections could… be finalized, listen, there would have to be… a change,” he said. When one of the overweight uniformed men walks toward a food stand near her seat, Graciela gets up and leaves.

Sitting in the shade of a crane, Yéiber prefers not to express an opinion. “It’s scary, and I don’t know who’s recording or who a stranger is going to tell what I’m saying,” he says, waving his hand dismissively.

Instead, Brayan stands up to explain himself. “If the prize had been there, she would not have been able to receive it because there are bad guys who want to catch her,” he said, pointing to the national guards in one of the CNE buildings, who carry long weapons and gestures of boredom.

This is why “it cannot move like you or us, with our crane. Even though he keeps emphasizing that “she’s a politician, like everyone else,” he says he supports her. “But what I really want is for the people there to leave,” he said.

Neither the national guards nor the Caracas guards hear him, they are too far away, and Brayan can continue laughing without being disturbed.