Greeks in Venezuela: “We fear what comes next, but we expected it,” they tell Neos Kosmos
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
“We knew this could happen at any moment. But it was still sudden when we woke up to the explosions.”
That is how Caracas resident Alexandros Kakalanos described the first hours after Saturday’s bombardments, speaking to Neos Kosmos only hours after the attacks.
“For some time now, we had been reading posts on social media saying ‘get candles, stock up on supplies and prepare food that can last as long as possible’,” he said.
As is now widely known, Venezuela’s capital was plunged into darkness in the early hours of 3 January to facilitate a US military operation that culminated in the arrest of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by US special forces and transferred to the United States to face charges including “narco-terrorism”, according to US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Explosions and casualties
“The explosions lasted from about 1.45am until 4am. Then they hit their target and left,” said Theodoros Marangelis, president of the Greek Orthodox Community of Venezuela, speaking to Neos Kosmos.
The bombardments preceding Maduro’s arrest struck military and air force bases in Caracas, as well as sites outside the capital, including the port of La Guaira on the Caribbean coast, where homes were damaged.
A New York Times report, citing an anonymous Venezuelan official, referred to at least 40 deaths resulting from the US operation, including civilians. US President Donald Trump said only a small number of American soldiers involved in the operation were injured.
(a) Groups of supporters of Nicolás Maduro, including armed individuals, riding in a motorcycle convoy in front of the Gran Muro Petare wall, which borders one of South America’s largest shantytowns.
(b) Outside the Greek community building, cars can be seen waiting in a long queue for a pharmacy. Photos: Supplied
Waiting and uncertainty
In the immediate aftermath, there was a brief period of “absolute silence”, Marangelis said.
“At first we were afraid because we didn’t know what would happen. In the morning there was not a soul on the streets, but later people began to come out.
“This Sunday is certainly not a normal one. It’s quiet outside. For safety reasons, we did not hold the church service.
“Up until last week, everything was available in supermarkets and pharmacies. Now there are queues, because people are panic-buying, taking more than they need since they don’t know how long this situation will last.”
The day after remains uncertain for Venezuela. Following Maduro’s arrest, President Trump said US oil companies would return to Venezuela and warned that the US was “ready to launch a second, larger attack if necessary”.
“Only this way would Maduro leave”
Fifty-six-year-old dentist Alexandros Kakalanos had not yet left his home in Caracas by Saturday afternoon (Sunday morning in Australia).
“I’m following the news on Greek TV channels and social media. I’ve only gone out onto the balcony. I live on a main road and everything here is empty,” he said.
He said he would wait to see how events unfold before resuming his plans or reopening his dental practice.
“We wanted to hold my mother’s memorial service tomorrow, but of course it’s been cancelled.
“Yes, we’re afraid. We’re anxious. But we expected something like this to happen.
“Only this way would Maduro leave.”
Travel plans for his two children, aged 28 and 32, who had booked flights to Greece and Spain for December, are also on hold. Since late November, Washington had issued warnings about military risks in Venezuelan airspace, leading to widespread flight suspensions. A flight ban was also imposed during the 3 January attack, lifted only hours after Maduro’s capture.
“We’re too old for a new beginning,” Kakalanos said. “But we always told our children: go abroad, study, build your lives.”
“The Greek government forgot us”
According to Kakalanos, the Greek population of Venezuela has declined sharply in recent years.
“Many Greeks wanted to leave but couldn’t renew their passports.
“Most didn’t have the money to travel to a neighbouring country, as we were told to do, to issue a passport, because we haven’t had a consulate here for a long time.
“The Greek government forgot us,” he said.
Urgent call to reopen the embassy
Marangelis has issued an urgent appeal to Greek authorities for the reopening of consular services.
Since August 2023, Greece’s embassy in Caracas and its consular office have been, according to the Greek Foreign Ministry website, “in the process of relocation”.
“When the embassy closed, there were around 3,500 Greeks here. Now the number has certainly fallen,” Marangelis said.
At the time, the Greek community offered to provide premises to house consular services. They were told that responsibility would shift to the consulate in Brasília, Brazil—requiring two seven-hour flights with stopovers, a journey many Greeks could not undertake due to cost, age or health.
After Saturday’s operation, the Greek Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring developments in coordination “with the Greek embassy in Caracas, which is in contact with the Greek community and ready to provide assistance”.
“At this moment, we are informed that Greece’s diplomatic presence in Venezuela is beginning to reactivate,” Marangelis said.
“But we, the Greeks living in Venezuela, have an immediate and urgent need for the full reopening of the Embassy and Consulate, so our basic needs can be met.”
The day after
An estimated eight million Venezuelans have been forced to leave their country since 2015.
The Greek Orthodox Community of Venezuela has been based at its current location since 1960. Neos Kosmos contributor Billy Cotsis visited its facilities in 2023.
“I met dozens of Greeks from three different generations, as well as many non-Greeks. Many reminisced about Venezuela’s years of prosperity,” he said.
“I travelled both in the countryside and the capital. I never felt personally unsafe, but the poverty I saw in many areas was heartbreaking.”
Cotsis does not hold a favourable view of Maduro, but believes the US attack is unjustified.
“I’ve spoken with many friends across Latin America, from Cuba to Brazil, and they all condemn the US action.
“I hope democracy returns not through American violence, but through peaceful means, and that the nation does not descend into civil war or the surrender of its wealth to foreign powers.
“Everyone I speak to in Venezuela tells me the same thing: they just want peace, not more violence.”
Marangelis and his wife are among those trying to remain.
“Our two children now live in Greece and have settled there. We also have a third child, 25, who lives here. We’ll see what he decides.
“My personal view is that if the regime changes, this country is the best in the world, the land of opportunity. That’s why we stayed.
“We want all of this to end and to continue our lives.”
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
