Hundreds of protesters rallied in Times Square Saturday afternoon decrying the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean amid boat strikes that have blown up suspected drug-carrying vessels off Venezuela’s coast as tensions between the two countries escalate. Demonstrators held signs saying, “U.S. out of the Caribbean,” and toted the Venezuelan flag as they chanted, “No war on Venezuela!” “Fight back!” and “Biggest threat in the world today? Donald Trump and the USA!” while marching through the Midtown crossroads around 2 p.m. The ANSWER Coalition helped organize the protest, dubbed “No War On Venezuela, national day of action.” Carmela Medina and Alejandro Carranza, parents of Alejandro Carranza, a Colombian man who allegedly died when the U.S. bombed a boat in Colombian waters allegedly carrying drugs, at their house in Santa Marta on Oct. 21, 2025. (Photo by Marco Perdomo / AFP) (Photo by MARCO PERDOMO/AFP via Getty Images) “70% of the people in this country oppose military intervention against Venezuela,” the ANSWER Coalition said, citing a poll last month by CBS News. “People are seeing through the bizarre and twisted pretexts the Trump administration is providing about drug trafficking, for which he has provided no evidence. Trump is unconstitutionally bypassing a Congressional declaration of war or even authorization of use of force, while Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth is giving out appalling “kill them all” orders and justifying illegal “double-tap” strikes to target stranded survivors (of boat strikes). The whole world sees all of this as transparently illegal, and is calling for peace.” “No country the US has invaded has ever been left better. It has only left destruction in it’s wake. And now, 22 years after the US went to war in Iraq based on lies, we’re seeing the same script unfold again, this time, against Venezuela,” Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of the People’s Forum said on X. There were no arrests at the protest, cops said. President Trump and the Pentagon have defended the boat strikes, saying they’re battling narcoterrorism by taking out drug smugglers who are helping fuel the overdose scourge in the U.S. Strikes on at least 23 vessels have killed around 90 people since early September. Federal officials say a boat blasted out of the water on Sept. 2 was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang and smuggling drugs to the U.S., and thus presented a threat to Americans. But, according to CNN, the boat’s crew planned to transfer contraband to a larger ship headed southeast along the Atlantic coast to the South American country of Suriname. The boat strikes came under new scrutiny last week, with critics saying the Sept. 2 attack — during which two survivors of the initial strike were then killed in an alleged “double-tap,” or second strike — may violate the law of armed conflict, which forbids targeting an enemy combatant who’s out of the fight due to injury or surrender. Under socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela — despite having more oil reserves than any country in the world — suffers from extreme corruption and grinding poverty. The Trump administration has described Maduro as an “illegitimate” leader. ...read more read less