"We require the U.S. Department of State to comply with its obligations as signatories to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and to protect the building of the former Venezuelan embassy in Washington, as our government protects its facilities In Caracas," Arreaza wrote on Twitter.
Exigimos al Departamento de Estado de EEUU cumplir con sus obligación como signatarios de la Convención de Viena sobre Relaciones Diplomáticas y proteger el edificio de la antigua embajada de Venezuela en Washington, tal como nuestro Gobierno protege sus instalaciones en Caracas
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) May 2, 2019
However, when Guaido called Venezuelans into the streets on Tuesday in a renewed uprising against democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan opposition figures and their supporters also converged on the Washington, DC, embassy, laying siege to the building as US federal police struggled to keep the two groups of protesters separated.
Secret Service have now arrested @ArielElyseGold for attempting to throw food up to members of the embassy protection collective, who are out of supplies. pic.twitter.com/XvYNmNGCwb
— Anya Parampil (@anyaparampil) May 2, 2019
On Thursday, US Secret Service police arrested Ariel Gold, national co-director of Code Pink, one of the groups that helped form the collective, as she and other activists tried to force their way into the embassy building in order to resupply them with food. However, police have largely let the opposition protesters have free run around the structure, where they've destroyed security cameras and defaced the side of the building, activists at the embassy told Sputnik. Police did eventually allow some food to enter, but Gold remains in custody.