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Millions of Venezuelans sign petitition to overturn U.S. decree

Xinhua, March 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

More than 3 million Venezuelans have signed a petition calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to repeal an executive order that labels the South American country as a national security threat.

The mayor of the capital Caracas, Jorge Rodriguez, said Wednesday in a televised press conference that in just six days the petition has collected 3,048,469 signatures.

Rodriguez is heading a social media campaign called "Venezuela is not a threat, we are hope ("Venezuela no es amenaza, somos esperanza"), in response to the presidential decree.

"The reaction of the Venezuelan people has been overwhelming. The show of solidarity, the show of support that Venezuela has received is moving. We have found support in all countries around the world, even in the United States," said Rodriguez.

The signature drive began on March 20 and will conclude on April 9, a day before a much anticipated hemispheric summit that will gather leaders from across the Americas, including Obama, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Cuba's Raul Castro.

"We can be sure that we'll reach the goal of 10 million (signatures) before the Summit of the Americas takes place in Panama next month," said Rodriguez.

Maduro has said he wants to present Obama with the petition and signatures in Panama.

As part of the social media campaign, Rodriguez is also promoting a worldwide demonstration via Twitter on Thursday, which invites supporters to tweet "#ObamaRepealTheExecutiveOrder."

The mayor also suggested supporters attach their favorite songs of protest and send them to Obama, along with the message.

Earlier this month, Obama signed a decree stating, "The situation in Venezuela ...constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat."

The strong-worded message, which many interpreted as paving the way for a military strike, has been widely condemned by Venezuela's Latin American allies and regional blocs. Endi