Danny Ocean is appealing to the relatives of members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela and police forces to try to reason with them and prevent further bloodshed.
The Venezuelan musician posted an emotional message Tuesday night (July 30) amid the massive protests taking place in his home country since the Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner in Sunday’s (July 28) presidential elections, and the opposition denounced irregularities in the counting process.
“To the relatives, wives, mothers, fathers, husbands, daughters, sons who listen to my music and who have family within the National Armed Forces and police forces in Venezuela, I ask you to please talk to them. They are the only ones who can reduce the death, the wounded and the violence that is happening today in Venezuela,” Ocean said in a video.
“I beg you please talk to them so they become aware. What is right feels right, and what is wrong feels wrong,” he added.
Sunday’s elections in Venezuela had generated expectations of change in many people, since after 25 years of the socialist government initiated by the late Hugo Chávez, President Nicolás Maduro faced “the biggest electoral challenge since he came to power 11 years ago,” as reported by The Associated Press. Edmundo González, who represented the united opposition candidacy, campaigned vigorously agains Maduro’s re-election.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado denied Maduro’s triumph and said in a press conference, “We won, and everybody knows it,” pointing out that in the 40% of the tally sheets in her possession, González had won with 70% of the votes.
The protests over suspicion of fraud committed by the government have left several dead and hundreds detained in less than 24 hours, reports El País.
Ocean also expressed his concern that the situation could lead to more Venezuelans going into exile. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 8 million people have left the country since 2014 due to the economic and socio-political crisis. The Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants (R4V) warns that, by the end of this year, there could be about 6.82 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela in Latin America and the Caribbean, 4.71 million of them in need of assistance.
“We are 8 million Venezuelans who are outside, and if this continues like this, there will be a much larger wave of Venezuelans leaving Venezuela,” said Ocean, “and the region is not prepared for that.”
The artist invited those who are helping getting supplies and medicines to hospitals to tag him on social media so that he can share these initiatives with his followers. Watch his full message below.