“This is like one villain saving you from another villain.”

This is how Gabriel* describes His feelings about what has happened in recent days in his country, Venezuela.

Gabriel is a migrant, Latino, and part of the LGBTQ+ community. As he says, he represents “everything (Donald) Trump is against.” That's why he's critical of the US president's policies. But he's also a staunch opponent of Nicolas Maduro: "Chavismo forced me to emigrate from Venezuela overnight with US$250 in my pocket. I had to start from scratch in another country, and it denied me the possibility of seeing my family for 10 years." Now, he says, he feels in limbo. "It seems people can't understand being against both positions; it's difficult to make people understand this middle ground," he tells me. "In my inner circle, we navigate this internal battle. It certainly gives me a thrill to see Maduro in handcuffs. But on the other hand, do I have to thank Trump for this?" he asks rhetorically. In the current global narrative, where everything seems black and white, Gabriel, like the rest, The people interviewed for this article are part of that wide spectrum of gray areas that is Venezuela. They are those who, while opposed to Nicolas Maduro and Chavismo, are also opposed to Donald Trump and the actions taken by the United States government in recent days. All of them spoke to BBC Mundo on the condition that we do not reveal their identities. “The gringos invaded us.” "I woke up to the bombings. I'm near Fort Tiuna (one of the points attacked) and I thought: 'The gringos invaded us, damn it,'" Ana* tells me from her home in Caracas. "This is tragic, very painful. When I see the photos (of the destruction) I feel bad. The first day of the invasion I ended up crying from anxiety." "It's too much," she tells me.

Because of her upbringing, Ana is left-leaning and against anything that smacks of US interventionism.

“Latin America has a terrible track record whenever the United States fancies something or whenever it believes a president shouldn't govern, like the case of (Salvador) Allende, for example.”

“So, every time I heard the idea that Trump might invade Venezuela surface, I tried to explain that it would be counterproductive for us. For a politician to call for an invasion is the opposite of politics, because it means you're incapable of achieving anything.”

In this sense, she criticizes opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for having said “that we can't (get rid of Chavismo) on our own” and for having invoked the TIAR (Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance) to intervene in the country. What she wanted was for Maduro to be removed so she could start governing.”

Perhaps someone unfamiliar with the gray areas of Venezuela might say that Ana is a Chavista. But she is a staunch opponent.

“I have never supported them (the Chavistas). I was always put off by the fact that (Hugo Chavez) was a military man. And then he became more authoritarian and managed to manipulate the system even more to stay in power. And we used to joke that there was nothing worse than Chavez. And they left us with Maduro: zero charisma and total brutality.

Repression is the hallmark of his government, along with the economic crisis, which exploded under his watch and was terrible.”

With this stance, Ana has been attacked countless times.

These days, these attacks on anyone deviates from what is considered “the proper course of action” within a “Chavista stance” or within an “opposition stance” have intensified.

Gabriel says that the number of comments and attacks has been overwhelming, as well as the exacerbated xenophobia he has seen, especially on social media.

No Celebrations

Today, being Venezuelan means experiencing many emotions at once.

And although images of Venezuelans celebrating a photo of Maduro “with the hooks on” have gone viral, people like Gabriel didn't even think about celebrating.

“It's very complex. What we dreamed of is happening, but you feel a little guilty. And you're also cautious on social media, because the first interpretation is 'here's a Venezuelan celebrating imperialism',” he explains. The same thing happens to Laura*, who, like Gabriel, had to migrate from the country. She also didn't celebrate what happened in the early hours of January 3rd and is dismayed by interventionism, “both Trump's and the clear intervention of Russia and China in my country.” “At the same time, I'm overwhelmed by everything that's happening and I feel a kind of relief, a glimmer of hope to see this man and his wife brought to justice. This is to inhabit a multitude of things at once.”

From every space where Laura works, she tries to “bridge” two seemingly insurmountable positions so that “the narrative of Venezuela is constructed in a complex way” and not just in a black-and-white dichotomy.

“They call me lukewarm. And this comes from the radical left and the radical pro-Trump side. It's not about wanting to please everyone, but about inhabiting complex realities. And this doesn't diminish my moral or ethical integrity, quite the opposite. all.”

Venezuela Through Two Lenses

At the same time, both Gabriel and Laura acknowledge that it has been frustrating to see how, in recent days, there has been an attempt to simplify the Venezuelan issue according to the ideological lens through which it is viewed.

“The migratory exodus, the protests of 2016 and 2017, the stolen lessons of 2014, the problem of political prisoners in recent years, feeling that on numerous occasions we have raised our voices, asked for help in spreading the word, for people to join the cause… In recent days, I have felt that despite everything we have denounced so many times in Venezuela, it seems that no one has heard it, or read it, or taken it seriously.” “Seen,” Gabriel narrates.

Laura emphasizes what she feels most deeply: the loneliness of Venezuelans.

“No one can say we haven't tried everything. We've been abandoned for years by public opinion and the international left. Abandoned by the very state for which we haven't been a priority, nor have we been for the United States. It's devastating."

And Gabriel adds that the attacks and misunderstanding don't just come on social media, but also from acquaintances or coworkers. "It seems that the last few days can be summed up as 'Venezuelans are celebrating the American invasion because they simply hate Chavismo.' And it's more complex than that.”

Ana takes stock of the whole situation: “What did the invasion leave us with? Was it worth it? All the lives that were lost, everything that was destroyed. What good was achieved? They took Maduro and Cilia Flores. I detest them.” But according to international treaties, no country has the right to interfere in another to kidnap a president. And now we're going to be the neocolonial fiefdom of the United States, with Delcy in charge, but in a neoliberal way.”

And Laura concludes that many times,In the debate about the Venezuelan situation,“we lose sight of the fact that in Venezuela the priority is life, that there are people suffering, and that things many take for granted, like having electricity, water, or being able to use the phone on the street, are difficult to obtain.” “We forget that we are talking about people,” she concludes. *The names of all interviewees have been changed to protect their identity. For the same reason, the whereabouts of the two interviewees who left Venezuela were not specified. Click here to read more stories from BBC News Mundo. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and our WhatsApp channel. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.

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