Video of Maduro banner takedown predates US military operation
- Published on January 6, 2026 at 22:45
- 2 min read
- By Agustin BAGNASCO, AFP Argentina
- Translation and adaptation Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
A video of Venezuelans tearing down a large banner of Nicolás Maduro is spreading online in posts claiming it shows celebrations following the Venezuelan leader's ouster by US special forces during a January 3, 2026 overnight raid. But the clip is unrelated to the American military operation and instead dates to protests in 2024 following the country's disputed elections.
"BREAKING - Citizens of Venezuela are now ripping down posters and statues of former Venezuelan 'president' Nicolás Maduro following his capture by the United States government and indictment on narco-terrorism charges. #venezuela," says a January 3 post viewed more than 2.5 million times on Facebook.
Similar posts spread the video or still images from it across Facebook and other platforms, including X, Instagram and YouTube. The claim also circulated in Spanish.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in a New York courthouse January 5 after they were seized in an operation that saw American forces swoop into Caracas and extract them from the country amid intense bombing.
Thousands of people marched through Caracas on January 5 in support of Maduro as his former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, was sworn in as interim president.
US President Donald Trump said he is willing to work with her, as long as she submits to his demands on providing US companies access to Venezuela's massive oil reserves.
Venezuelans living in countries including Chile and Mexico did gather to celebrate the removal of the authoritarian left-wing leader.
But the video of a Maduro poster being ripped down is unrelated to the US military intervention.
Reverse image searches surfaced the same footage shared on X and Facebook as early as July 29, 2024 (archived here, here and here), with captions indicating the banner's takedown was related to protests over the contested July 28 election in which Maduro claimed victory.
Tumban pancarta de Maduro en Base Aragua, en protesta contra el fraude del 28J. pic.twitter.com/KyM4PcSudH
— Monitoreamos (@monitoreamos) July 29, 2024
AFP reported at the time that Maduro campaign posters were ripped down and burned during protests rejecting the results that swept the country.
The banner in the video includes the acronym "PPT," which stands for Patria Para Todos, a political organization that supported Maduro's candidacy in 2024.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about Maduro's capture here and here.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
