El Ciudadano
Original article: Nobel de la Paz para María Corina Machado desata furia en Noruega: “está lejos de ser campeona de la paz”
The awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan far-right opposition figure María Corina Machado has ignited a strong and furious backlash from the Norwegian Peace Movement, which categorically rejected the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. They accused the committee of betraying foundational principles and diverting funds meant for peace efforts.
During a press conference held in Oslo, representatives of the movement expressed a discontent they labeled as «furious». The primary criticism targets the selection of Machado, whom they view as a candidate detached from the ideals of the award given each year to the individual deemed to have done the most to fulfill the terms established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist whose fortune funds the Nobel Prizes.
“María Corina Machado is far from being the peace champion that Nobel criteria require,” stated representatives of the pacifist group, in a statement reported by various media outlets.
The accusation goes beyond mere disagreement; the movement alleges that the committee has wrongfully appropriated resources intended by the founder.
“The committee is stealing money that belongs to the peace movement,” they pointed out, recalling that Alfred Nobel conceived the prize to honor the person who made the greatest efforts to prevent wars and promote peace processes—a vision they claim has been consistently ignored.
The Three Forgotten Pillars
The Norwegian Peace Movement grounded its rejection in what it describes as the three inseparable pillars of the award, established by Nobel: demilitarization, peace conferences, and cooperation between conflicting nations. These elements, described by the Swedish chemist, engineer, and inventor as “a wheel,” are viewed as fundamental to his legacy.
The spokespeople lamented the «many deviations» in the 100-year history of the award, noting that the committee in Oslo has arrogantly ignored these guidelines.
The criticism intensified when discussing what they termed a conceptual manipulation, asserting that the current director of the committee has adopted a “broad definition of peace” that enables the award to go to “anything that resembles peace” without focusing on specific work for it. This criterion, they claim, was applied “absurdly” in the 2025 selection.
The movement cited a speech by the director justifying the award to Machado for her work in “uniting opponents against the Venezuelan government,” considering it an “international” (or national) activity. For the Norwegian pacifists, this perspective turns political activity into a military instrument, labeling it as being used “as a weapon,” which directly contradicts Nobel’s spirit.
María Corina Machado «Maintains a War-Promoting Agenda»
These current accusations echo historical criticisms regarding the independence of the Norwegian Committee. The movement recalled that as early as 2012, an expert in Sweden pointed out that the committee “is not an independent party, but is based on Swedish law,” and in 2014 it was indicated that the selection of laureates “should not be exempt from the limitations of the state.”
During the conference, analysts delved into the contradiction, arguing that the award to Machado “contradicts the statutes of the Committee” because the far-right figure “maintains an agenda that promotes war, the invasion of her country, and has openly defended the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.” In this way, they interpreted the award not merely as recognition for Machado but as “an award for U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” as reported by TeleSUR.
Participants also highlighted the political positions of the awardee, recalling that Machado has made no secret of her intentions to hand over Venezuela’s natural resources, including the world’s largest oil reserves, to the United States, and has supported all sanctions imposed by Washington against the Venezuelan people.
Mobilization Against the Award to Machado
The strong rejection from the Norwegian Peace Movement has revealed a deep rift within Norwegian society regarding the country’s most iconic award, transforming what should be a celebration of the essence of peace into a political instrumentalization of a historical legacy.
Alongside this condemnation, a coalition of Norwegian organizations dedicated to peace, solidarity, and human rights has called for a protest to be held on Tuesday, December 9, in front of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, in rejection of the Nobel Committee’s decision to award Machado the prize, considering that she publicly supports military intervention against Venezuela, endorses over a thousand unilateral coercive measures imposed on the country, and is linked to violent and destabilizing actions.
They also denounced that the committee’s decision contradicts the spirit of Alfred Nobel’s will, aimed at awarding efforts for disarmament and peaceful conflict resolution, and could legitimize military intervention in Venezuela.
“When the prize is awarded to a politician who supports military interference and actions contrary to international law, it breaks with the very purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize. An award intended to promote dialogue cannot be given to figures who endorse military actions,” denounced Gro Standnes, president of the International Women’s League for Peace and Freedom.
Standnes, who is also a member of the Norwegian Peace Council, stressed that a recognition aimed at promoting dialogue “cannot be given to figures who support military actions,” as reported by Al Mayadeen.
The main warning from the protesters is that this recognition transcends the symbolic and has dangerous geopolitical implications, arguing that “the recognition could legitimize a possible military intervention by the United States in Latin America, in violation of international law.”
Lina Álvarez Reyes, information advisor for the Norwegian Committee of Solidarity with Latin America, contextualized this threat: “U.S. President Donald Trump openly threatened to launch a military offensive against Venezuela, violating Article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter. These threats, along with the illegal attacks Washington is conducting in the Caribbean, endanger civilians, undermine Venezuelan sovereignty, and increase instability throughout the continent,” she stated.
“It is unacceptable for the Peace Prize to be used to legitimize Trump’s illegal use of force in Latin America. U.S. military interventions have never brought peace or prosperity to the region,” she emphasized.
The protest organizers also question Machado’s conduct and rhetoric following the award announcement, expressing concern that the Venezuelan far-right opposition figure dedicated the prize to Trump in a context of U.S. military operations that constitute extrajudicial executions and violations of international law.
Furthermore, they criticize Machado for “spreading warlike rhetoric by reproducing claims that label the Venezuelan government as a ‘narco-trafficking cartel,’ despite such accusations being refuted by U.S. intelligence agencies and figures from the Venezuelan opposition itself.”
During the protest, the streets surrounding the Nobel Institute in Oslo are expected to echo with slogans such as: “No Nobel for War Promoters!” and “United States: Hands Off Latin America!”
La entrada Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to María Corina Machado Sparks Outrage in Norway: «Far from Being a Peace Champion» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
Ver noticias completa
