Dozens of Venezuelans gathered this Saturday at Puerta del Sol in Madrid to celebrate the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro, in a spontaneous gathering marked by folk music, chants of "Free Venezuela," and tricolor flags waving in the heart of the Spanish capital.
The gathering was documented by journalist Fernando Peinado from the Spanish newspaper El País, who shared live images from the heart of the Spanish capital through his account on X, where attendees danced to the rhythm of llanera music and openly expressed their relief and joy following the news of the former Venezuelan president's arrest.
Without formal speeches or a visible prior announcement, the gathering had an overwhelmingly popular and emotional character.
In the video, shouts of "Free, free!" and "He fell!" can be heard, accompanied by applause, whistles, and slogans referring to a return to Venezuela.
Some participants wrapped themselves in the tricolor flag, while others recorded the moment with their mobile phones amidst the crowd.
Alongside the gathering at Puerta del Sol, another video circulated on social media showing a Venezuelan holding up a sign that says "Venezuela libre" from a bridge, a gesture that was replicated and shared as a symbol of the moment experienced by the diaspora in Spain.
The scenes in Madrid are joined by similar demonstrations recorded in cities such as Montevideo, where Venezuelans and Cubans also took to the streets to celebrate the capture of Maduro.
These public expressions of joy contrast with the warnings from analysts and intellectuals who have questioned the manner in which the president was removed from power, amidst a foreign military intervention and an still uncertain political landscape in the South American nation.
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