Atlanta joins worldwide protests about Venezuela’s election

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Atlanta on Saturday to protest how Venezuela’s authoritarian government is handling its July presidential election. 
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Atlanta to protest how Venezuela’s authoritarian government is handling its presidential election. (Emily Wu Pearson/WABE)

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Atlanta on Saturday to protest how Venezuela’s authoritarian government is handling its July presidential election. 

Demonstrators across the world gathered this weekend to show support for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who challenged Nicolas Maduro in the election. The Maduro administration says it won the election, but independent vote counts by opponents show otherwise. 

“We’re here because we hope everyone around the world will join us in our quest for freedom,” said Manuel Rodriguez. He’s from Venezuela and has lived in Atlanta for six years. “The people of Venezuela have spoken, and we don’t want Nicolas Maduro as president anymore. It’s as simple as that.”