Venezuela’s Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez led the signature drive among members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces to protest US economic sanctions.

During a speech, Padrino Lopez said, “Our feelings of rage, rejection, condemnation and hatred against despotism” on the signature-collection notepads”.

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“We have plenty of sources of inspiration this year to turn to our history, to fill our lungs with love for our motherland, to reject North American imperialism,” he said.

The US President Donald Trump issued an executive order that freezes all Venezuelan state assets in the United States on August 5.

The minister said that “justice” should be enforced against those who had instigated Washington’s economic sanctions against Venezuela.

“As FANB’s soldiers we are hungry for justice, we want justice, and all this damage towards Venezuela… all of that has to be judged by Venezuelan justice,” he said.

Earlier in the month, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for a drive of “millions of signatures” to back a manifesto it plans to present in September to the 74th session of General Assembly of the United Nations to denounce U.S. “criminal blockade.”