"Hundreds of Venezuelans gathered Saturday in Bolivar Square to write letters of support for President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured by US forces earlier this month. The mobilisation was organised by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which announced that letter drop-off points will be activated in Bolivar Squares across the country. According to the official schedule, citizens can submit their messages until the end of January. Footage shows participants seated at tables writing letters, then placing them into collection boxes. Speeches and solidarity activities were also held as part of the event. “Venezuela, she is wounded. Wounded. Our homeland is wounded. Because the insolent American boot dared to invade our territory, our sovereign homeland,” said one participant. “I have asked God in this letter for our President to return, for our President to be with us. It cannot be. We are in the streets so that Nicolas returns to First Lady Bolivar,” she added. Another participant defended the Maduro government and rejected US allegations that he is involved in drug trafficking. “We, the children of Bolivar and Chavez, cannot be drug traffickers [...] There isn’t a single shred of proof for that,” Supporters framed the US operation as part of a campaign of sanctions and pressure against Venezuela, and insisted it would not weaken the Bolivarian Revolution. “Since they haven't been able to defeat us with hunger... sanctions, blockades, media warfare [...] and haven't been able to break the Bolivarian Revolution. And now the Bolivarian Revolution is growing even more,” one participant said. The campaign has spread to other states, with letter-writing activities reported in Maturin (Monagas), Valencia (Carabobo) and other regions. Maduro and his wife, accused of 'narco-terrorism' by the United States, were captured on January 3 in an operation which involved attacks in Caracas and three states near the capital. As a result of the operation, 83 people were killed, and more than 100 were injured, according to Venezuela's Defence Minister, Vladimir Padrino."