The Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, honored a female militia member who was mocked by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, following the viral spread of a video in which she appears participating in military exercises.
During an event broadcasted by Venezuelan state television, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, announced that the woman, along with other members of the Bolivarian Militia, was recognized for "her heart" and commitment to the homeland.
"Today, they were honored by the instructions of our Commander in Chief, Nicolás Maduro Moros, by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces [...] Let's give a round of applause to these women. I want to tell you something, militia members: whoever mocks us, our appearance, our abilities, or our cause which is the homeland, we say to them: go to hell, as our commander used to say," expressed Padrino López at the event, surrounded by armed militia members and members of the Chavista leadership.
And he added, visibly agitated: “Because we have a dignity that originates from 200 years ago. We have plenty of examples and history here in Venezuela of our freedoms. So go to hell and let our people be happy, self-determined, and free. We never want to be slaves again. My congratulations to the Bolivarian militia for their character, strength, and love for the homeland.”
The scene occurred in direct response to a video posted days earlier by the U.S. president on his Truth Social network, in which he mocked the Venezuelan militia by sharing images of the woman in uniform, holding a rifle in her hands.
"TOP SECRET: We have caught the Venezuelan military training. A very serious threat!" Trump wrote with an obvious sarcastic tone.
The publication generated immediate reactions within chavismo, which sought to transform the incident into a moment of vindication. In another earlier event, Maduro stated that “those women with those rifles will be the terror of the empire”, a clear allusion to Trump's message.
The Bolivarian Militia, created by Hugo Chávez in 2008 and reinforced by Maduro in recent years, has faced criticism from the opposition and human rights organizations, which denounce its role as a mechanism of social control in communities, beyond strictly military functions.
Images of the award ceremony, as well as those from the original military training, have circulated widely on social media, fueling both political controversy and memes surrounding the military training of the Chavista regime.
With this action, Maduro seeks to politically capitalize on an international mockery, highlighting the symbolic role of his female militia in light of growing tensions with Washington.
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