Defense Minister commemorates Indigenous Resistance Day

Published at: 12/10/2025 09:17 AM

The Minister of Popular Power for Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, issued a message commemorating the 533rd anniversary of the Day of Indigenous Resistance, highlighting the role of indigenous peoples in the defense of their territory and the continuity of this struggle.

“Today, every Venezuelan patriot, and especially, the soldiers of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces embody the spirit of Guaicaipura, Terepaima, Apacuana, Tiuna, Urimare, Manaure, Paramaconi, Tamanaco and so many other native leaders,” Padrino López said in a statement emphasizing the ongoing struggle for self-determination, sovereignty and respect for diversity.

In his message, he recalled that more than five centuries ago, indigenous peoples faced the arrival of an empire that imposed weapons, subjugation and dispossession. “They couldn't break the will of those who were born to be free,” he said.

He noted that the forms of domination have changed, but the purpose remains the same. He denounced actions of blockades, sanctions, threats and military deployments aimed at imposing conditions on sovereign countries. “The deployment of ships in the Caribbean Sea is a sign of intimidation,” he said.

He affirmed that the Venezuelan people have organized themselves in a Popular-Military-Police Fusion to defend their territory and prevent new forms of intervention. “The battle we are fighting is the same as it was 500 years ago,” he concluded.

Mazo News Team