Maduro arrest: Florence protests as Italy outlines its stance on US action

A protest was held on Saturday afternoon in Florence outside the United States Consulate, near Piazza Ognissanti, against US actions towards Venezuela. The short march, accompanied by songs by the Chilean group Inti-Illimani, moved from the square to the nearby consular building and ended without tensions.

The initiative was promoted by migrant communities from Peru, Cuba, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and Colombia. Social centres, Palestinian youth groups and a delegation calling itself “Americans against war” also took part. Protesters displayed banners reading “Hands off Venezuela” and repeatedly called for the release of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, alongside Venezuelan and Palestinian flags and symbols of left-wing political organisations.

Police said the demonstration passed peacefully, with no reported incidents.

Funaro: condemnation of Maduro, but no to war

Florence mayor Sara Funaro commented on the international situation in a message published on social media. She said the city administration was following developments in Venezuela with concern and reaffirmed the constitutional principle that rejects war as a means of resolving international disputes.

Funaro described the Maduro government as one of the world’s most brutal regimes, responsible for systematic human rights violations. At the same time, she warned that a military attack would constitute a serious violation of international law and risk triggering instability at regional and global level. She called on Italy and the European Union to act together to defend international law with determination and responsibility.

The Italian government’s position

At national level, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has followed the situation in Venezuela since its earliest developments. In a statement released by Palazzo Chigi, the government reiterated Italy’s long-standing support for the Venezuelan people’s aspiration to a democratic transition and confirmed that it has never recognised Maduro’s self-declared electoral victory.

The statement stressed that Italy does not consider external military action aimed at toppling regimes to be the right approach. However, it also stated that defensive interventions may be considered legitimate in response to hybrid threats to national security, including those linked to drug trafficking supported or facilitated by state actors. This amounts to political backing for defensive international action, while stopping short of endorsing broader military escalation.

The government also said it is working closely with the foreign ministry to monitor the safety of the Italian community in Venezuela, defining it as an absolute priority, and called for the rapid release of all Western citizens still detained in Venezuelan prisons, with full respect for fundamental rights.

Updates: Venezuelan exiles in Florence call for broader political change

Around 70 Venezuelan nationals and exiles gathered in Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence on Sunday January 4, 2026, to express support for the US-led operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, while warning that the country’s political crisis is far from over.

Participants said that removing Maduro was a significant step but argued that Venezuela’s power structure would only weaken if other members of the current government were also held accountable. Several demonstrators, including long-term residents of Tuscany, described daily hardship for families still in Venezuela, citing shortages of food and medicines, and called for the release of political prisoners, stressing that authoritarian rule continues despite the arrest.

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