Patriot Brief
What Happened: The Chicago Teachers Union promoted protests condemning U.S. action in Venezuela after the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Why It Matters: The protests were organized alongside far-left and openly socialist groups, drawing backlash over the union’s political activism.
Bottom Line: The episode reignited debate over whether public-sector unions are prioritizing activism over education.
This is where the mask comes all the way off. Just hours after the Trump administration pulled off a daring operation to capture a socialist strongman tied to narco-terrorism, one of the nation’s most powerful teachers unions rushed to the streets in protest. Not for American interests. Not for democracy. But shoulder to shoulder with radical activist groups that openly reject capitalism itself. At a time when parents are begging for better schools and basic accountability, the Chicago Teachers Union decided its priority was defending Venezuela from the United States.
Fox News reports:
At 1 p.m. local time, the Chicago Teachers Union posted a flyer on its official X account promoting the protests, and directing activists to gather at Federal Plaza at 5 p.m.
"EMERGENCY PROTEST: NO WAR ON VENEZUELA. STOP THE BOMBINGS," the post said. "Join us in the streets to demand an end to U.S. aggression against Venezuela."
Along with ANSWER and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Students for Justice in Palestine was listed as a cosponsor. So were the Palestinian Feminist Collective, Palestinian Youth Movement and the Illinois Green Party.
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.
It was also discovered that The Chicago Teachers Union literally took a trip to Venezuela to meet with the dictator Nicolas Maduro, as reported by Freedom Foundation. Why would a teacher’s union be meeting with the dictator of a foreign country?
Parents across the country are watching moments like this and drawing their own conclusions. When unions line up with socialist activists instead of students and families, it becomes painfully clear who they are really fighting for, and it is not America’s kids.
Photo credit: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images