Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has ordered a mass distribution of arms to citizens across the country to arm workers against a likely invasion by the US. This comes after weeks of attacks, manoeuvres and posturing by Donald Trump, whose regime has admitted it wants Venezuela’s huge oil and gas reserves.

In a speech, Maduro said that the weapons will go:

to the coasts, the mountains, cities, villages, plains, hamlets, borders, popular neighborhoods, all in order to defend our rights, our peace, our lives, and our sovereignty.

In January, Maduro issued a similar order against an expected US-backed coup with far-right, pro-US figures at its head – one of whom has now been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize despite welcoming Trump’s murderous attacks on Venezuela’s ordinary people and illegal $50m bounty on Maduro’s head. Maduro responded to the bounty by offering a similar reward for the Epstein files of paedophile Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein, in which Trump is said to feature heavily.

Nobel Peace Prize ‘winner’ Maria Corina Machado:

I totally support [Trump’s] strategy and I’ve said on behalf of the Venezuelan people that we are very grateful. I think it is the right thing to do. It’s courageous. It’s visionary. But attacking a speedboat? Killing 11 citizens? “I’m in favour of the US dismantling this criminal structure.

Eight million Venezuelans belong to civilian militias sworn to defend the country from internal or external threats.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

This post was originally published on Canary.