Marc Anthony criticized for his message canceling concert in Caracas and other famous voices reacting to the political crisis in Venezuela

Following a strong and deadly wave of protests in several Venezuelan cities, sparked by the presidential election results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) declaring Nicolás Maduro the winner, followed by severe repression activities, artists and influencers have reacted to what the community deems a fraudulent outcome.

Karol G, Ricky Martin, Don Omar, and Arcángel, among many other artists, along with Venezuelan artists like Édgar Ramírez, María Gabriela de Faría, Danny Ocean, Mau y Ricky, Chyno y Nacho, Ricardo Montaner, Franco de Vita, Elena Rose, and others, have been vocal in their support for respecting the electoral will of the people.

Influencers on Instagram, X, and TikTok, led by Lele Pons, have also declared their outrage at the Venezuelan regime's refusal to release officially accepted election results, which favor opposition candidate Edmundo González, from the coalition led by María Corina Machado, disenfranchising millions of voters and using deadly repression techniques to quell protests, as well as jailing political opponents.

Marc Anthony's controversial comments

While most comments and support have been received in a positive way, Marc Anthony's words found severe criticism. El Flaco de la salsa explained that he decided to cancel his concert in Caracas.

"My dear people of Venezuela.
I have been counting the days for our long awaited meeting after so many years without seeing you. But, due to the painful situation your country is going through at the moment, my conscience leads me to cancel my concert on August 27th.

I hope we can be together again very soon. May God bless you today and may peace be with all of Venezuela.

I love you all!"

However, many Venezuelans considered his message "lukewarm," as he didn't mention his support to the people protesting on the streets or ask for the Maduro regime to stop the violence. Other people went further criticism his desition to perform in a country devastated by 25 years of chavismo.

Latino artists supporting Venezuelan protesters

Latin music queen Karol G, who had kept quiet about the situation today posted a heartfelt message on Instagram. "I Love you Venezuela. I feel so much for you. You don't deserve this anymore. You deserve to be free."

Puerto Rican rapper Residente, known for his affinity with Hugo Chávez's ideology, expressed his support for the thousands of Venezuelans who took to the streets to protest the CNE's announcement. "The weariness of the Venezuelan people is palpable and audible in the streets. They are calling for changes to the current system, having peacefully and solidly expressed their will at the polls, and that request must be respected," he wrote on X.

Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, known for his solidarity, also rejected the CNE's announced results, calling them absurd. "No one with a shred of common sense can believe that Maduro won the elections."
Today Sanz wrote: "If we allow that democracies start to die and we look the other way, we will normalize tyranny and there isn't a way back from that."

Other artists, such as Maluma, Olga Tañón and Ricky Martin, showed their support for Venezuelans with religious images featuring the country's flag, like Tañón, or by sharing templates on Instagram Stories to raise awareness of the situation.

Nicaraguan former super model and human rights activist Bianca Jagger took to social media to denounce the electoral fraud.

Reggaeton stars Don Omar and Arcángel, who have openly opposed the Maduro regime for years, called on the international community to support the Venezuelan people. Arcángel also criticized the artists who have performed in Venezuela recently.

"Will you still perform concerts in Venezuela? Oh, my dear music colleagues, and now?" he wrote on Instagram.

Venezuelan singer Lasso shared a video on his Instagram account on Monday to voice his stance on the presidential elections in Venezuela. "Yesterday (Sunday), Venezuela voted for change, and it did so overwhelmingly, clearly, and massively. I call for the respect of the will of a country that wants change. Many of us have lived through similar processes in Venezuela and have seen many innocent people die defending what they democratically voted for. I don't want to see more dead people. I don't want to see my fellow Venezuelans, the people we grew up with, dying for something that was so clear," he said.

Singer Arca shared a video on Instagram expressing her hope that Maduro's regime would step down in the coming days. "More than one friend has told me that this time feels different and that something is going to change," she said.

Jonathan Moly posted two messages on his social media: one calling for the National Armed Forces to cease violence during protests, and another criticizing Venezuelan artists who have remained silent over the past two days. "To all the 'artists' or 'influencers' in Venezuela who have chosen to stay silent because they don't want to lose their income, know that you are cowards," he wrote.

Danny Ocean, who has been advocating for political change in the country, shared a message on Instagram urging people to remain calm, avoid falling into provocations by the regime, and not lose hope. "Let's not fall into their games, let's not fall into psychological warfare. They want that. They want to destabilize, they want to instill fear."

Last night, he posted a video asking the wives, mothers, sisters and other females of the Armed Forces and other security forces to ask them to "not repress the protest."

Rapper Neutro Shorty posted a heartfelt message to Venezuelans protesting in the streets following the CNE's announcement. "I don't want to see my brothers dying in vain. I know what I represent for the streets, and the streets know what they mean to me, so I must be responsible with every word or expression I share. I've learned that hatred and violence won't give us what we want," he wrote.

MicroTDH shared how he lost friends and family members due to the Maduro regime's incompetence.

Among the influencers, Venezuelan Lele Pons has led a movement on Tiktok. The message has been applied by very influential Latino content creators, with millions of followers.