The Chicago Teachers Union took to social media on Saturday to amplify a protest against the Trump administration’s recent actions in Venezuela. The demonstration, organized by a coalition of far-left groups, included organizations that openly advocate for socialism.

The protest was spearheaded by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, along with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. This mobilization came swiftly in response to news that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had been apprehended by U.S. special forces in a bold overnight operation. By the afternoon, demonstrators had gathered in cities nationwide, armed with customized signs and materials for the event.

At 1 p.m. local time, the Chicago Teachers Union shared a flyer on their official X account, urging participants to convene at Federal Plaza by 5 p.m.

Protesters assembled at the Dirksen Federal Building Plaza, voicing their opposition to the U.S. military’s airstrikes on Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier that day. The demonstration took place in Chicago on January 3, 2026. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“EMERGENCY PROTEST: NO WAR ON VENEZUELA. STOP THE BOMBINGS,” read the post. “Join us in the streets to demand an end to U.S. aggression against Venezuela.”

The flyer was emblazoned with the same message as the post, but also listed cosponsors for the event.

X users ripped the union for promoting the event. 

“How is this helping the education of children in Chicago?” asked one critic. 

“Do you ever actually focus on teaching?” asked another. 

“Are you teachers or activists? Anyway [the bombing is] already done,” said a third. 

Along with ANSWER and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was listed as a cosponsor. So were the Palestinian Feminist Collective, Palestinian Youth Movement and the Illinois Green Party.

ANSWER was founded three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans, to advocate against war and occupation in the Middle East, according to its website.

Protesters gather to protest the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2026. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Party for Socialism and Liberation calls capitalism a “crisis,” and says the only solution to that crisis is a “socialist transformation of society.”

The group blames capitalism for a litany of social problems, including racism, gender and sex-based violence and poverty.

Students for Justice in Palestine has been embroiled in controversy since it organized on college campuses around the country during the two-year war in Gaza, which concluded when a ceasefire between Hamas terrorists and Israel was reached in October.

In an October post claiming that Palestinian journalist Saleh Al-Jafarawi was killed after the ceasefire, SJP called for continued war and “death to Zionism” and “collaborators.”

“Three days after the ceasefire deal announcement, journalist Saleh Al-Jafarawi was martyred by the Zionist-proxy Doghmush clan,” an SJP Instagram post said. “Saleh’s martyrdom is a testament to the fact that the fight against Zionism in all its manifestations — from the IOF to its collaborators — must continue,” it wrote, using the acronym for “Israeli Occupation Forces.”

Protesters rally outside the White House, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

In 2024, a global law firm sued SJP, claiming that it provided “substantial assistance” to Hamas.

The group’s chapter at Yale University, which celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israeli concert-goers as a “historic win for the Palestinian resistance,” was kicked to the curb by the school after what was described as “disturbing anti-semitic conduct.”

The Chicago Teachers Union, ANSWER and the Party for Socialism and Liberation did not return requests for comment.