Fury, fear, hope, joy. Venezuelans react to Maduro’s capture

When the news of Nicolás Maduro’s arrest broke, the expression “that’s crazy” seemed to capture the spirit of the moment. Venezuelans around the world grabbed their cell phones and anxiously followed the news, trying to understand what they were seeing.

On Friday night, military forces from the United States, the capital of Venezuela, captured the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.

Witness reports and interviews presented in an article on Matt Wilde e Harry Rodgersauthors of a long-term ethnographic study of Venezuelans living in Spain, the United States and Venezuela itself, show the diversity of forms how these events are being experienced and interpreted.

In the Spanish capital, Madridmany Venezuelan migrants celebrated what they considered a long-awaited turning point. But among the Venezuelan diaspora and within the country itself, others described an uneasy silence and deep fears as to what might happen next.

It is contrasting reactions reveal a moment shaped as much by uncertainty and distrust as by relief and hope.

Already Puerta del Sol Squareheadquarters of the regional government of Madrid, hundreds of Venezuelans gathered to celebrate the news that Maduro had been taken into US custody. What started as a small gathering quickly grew, creating a party atmosphere.

Chants against the government, like and it has already fallen, and it has already fallen, this government has already fallen (“it has fallen, it has fallen, this government has already fallen”) and se fue, se fue (“gone, gone”), echoed through the square.

Venezuelans, many of them political asylum seekers in Spain, they hugged each other, they screamed, cried and danced under a 32 meter tall Christmas tree, enjoying a rare moment of relief. An older Venezuelan woman, masked by Donald Trumpdistributed fake dollar notes like “prize” for Maduro’s capture.

Another participant, a 26-year-old courier, told how he partied until the early hours of the morning in a bar decorated with Venezuelan flags. “I’m very, very happy,” he said. “They finally captured that dictator.”

But these dinners of euphoria were not the only reaction. Other Venezuelans expressed a more cautious hope and dependent on circumstances.

In an interview carried out over the weekend in Madrid, a Venezuelan named Araceli explained that he did not feel comfortable participating in the Puerta del Sol celebrations.

“I just feel very sad. I’m glad Maduro is going to prison, but I know the repercussions. I know what war means”. And, through tears, he continued: “I just want my family to be safe. I just want the simple things. I can’t celebrate until I know my family is safe.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Guillermoa Venezuelan who currently lives in Chicago, USA. “It’s all very confusing. I’m relieved that Maduro has lost power, but I’m afraid of the consequences of the US taking control of my country.”

Many Venezuelan migrants wish to be able to return to a stable countrybut they fear how Venezuela’s highly militarized regime will react to the US attack.

Since Maduro’s capture, pro-government security and motorbike forces, known as “coletivos”, have patrolled the streets of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Also deeply distrust Trump’s motivations. After Maduro’s abduction, Trump claimed that the US would “govern” Venezuela, although several prominent Republicans quickly backed down on those statements.

Reaction inside Venezuela

It is feeling of caution It is also felt on the streets of Venezuela. Ernesto, owner of a small business in the city of Barquisimeto, described how friends and neighbors are reacting to Maduro’s arrest.

“A lot of anticipation and uncertainty. There is joy that Maduro was takenbut no one celebrates in public. Many do not go out on the street for fear of being stopped and robbed, or having their car and money taken. Others went out to stock the pantry and buy fuel if there is a shortage”.

Maduro’s fall is also bringing to light long-standing political tensions.

Luisoriginally from Valencia, reports that had to leave family groups on WhatsApp to avoid political discussions. “Oh, you are the best Donald Trump, thank you very much! Make Venezuela Great Again! It makes me so sad and angry”, he said sarcastically.

The indignation at what many consider blatant imperialism from the USA is shared by Venezuelans from all political backgroundsincluding those that never supported the Bolivarian Revolution initiated by Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor.

“I’m skeptical”, says Jaimeresident in Caracas. “I don’t know if I should be happy, because I don’t like Trump’s tone. He insists on the theory that we stole his oil and that sets a terrible precedent. Losing sovereignty about the resource that sustains Venezuela it would be something terrible.”

Similar concerns are shared by Valentinaretired academic in Valencia. “Imagine, we are being invaded by the USA! It’s horriblebut we can’t do anything, we just have to wait and see what their administration will be like.”

These diverse reactions show how geopolitical ruptures they live within families, friendships and everyday routines, shaping decisions and intimate relationships.

As Venezuela becomes the epicenter of a seismic realignment of the global political order, ordinary Venezuelans see their lives, once again, being reconfigured by forces beyond their control.

Among the transnational population of Venezuela, this moment is marked, simultaneously, by hope, fear and deep uncertainty regarding the future.