Anti-war, socialist organizations in Detroit protest US's arrest of Venezuela president

Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News on Jan 4, 2026

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DETROIT — Anti-war activists held signs that said "No War" and yelled "Viva Venezuela" as a response to Saturday's arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The Detroit Anti-War Committee and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization as well as several other organizations held their second protest within 24 hours Sunday to condemn actions from the Trump administration regarding Venezuela.

Jo Pico, education chair of the Detroit Anti-War Committee, said the purpose of the protest outside the McNamara Federal Building in Detroit was to show resistance to war involvement globally.

"We want to show Trump that we're going to resist his wars every step of the way. We don't want another war. We're tired of forever wars. We're tired of wars for oil. We're tired of people losing their lives for oil.

"This is a clear sign that Trump wants to force Venezuela to do what the U.S. wants and as the Detroit anti-War Committee we reject that.

"We reject all U.S. wars, interventions and sanctions because we think that they're just ways in which the United States gets to influence other countries and force its will upon them. We've seen that time and time again with Iraq, Afghanistan, even Palestine," Pico said.

State Sen. Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, said he wasn't aware of the protest and declined to comment.

Sean Schaefer of Rochester, 26, held a sign with that read "America's Most Wanted" with a contorted picture of President Donald Trump. Schaefer thinks the U.S. should not be involved in criminalizing the leadership of Venezuela.

Schaefer has a background in campaign finance organizing and stood on the corner of Michigan and Cass avenues with about 20 other anti-war activists.

"I think there's a lot of U.S. intervention globally. He (Trump) claimed to be the 'president of no war,' and that's clearly not happening," Schaefer said. "We've got a huge health care crisis. ... They didn't have billions for that, but they have billions for a coup in another country."

"I would like to see the U.S. out of Venezuela. I think that's up to the people of Venezuela to decide what happens," he said.

"It's a crime. The legitimate elected president of Venezuela, ... the internationally recognized president of that country was kidnapped. He was stolen from his country. Just absolute war crimes and that's what I see it's an attack on the Venezuelan people.

"It's a boldface 21st-century imperialism," said Jackson Robak, a leader in the socialist organization. "I want to see Maduro be freed and brought back to his country."

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