Hundreds of thousands hit streets to
mark 50 days of anti-regime protests
By Deisy Buitrago and Anggy Polanco Reuters
WATCH: Police fired tear gas at protesters in
Venezuela as violence continued Saturday.
A A
http://globalnews.ca/video/3467031/protesters-flee-as-plumes-of-tear-gas-fill-air-in-venezuela-2
CARACAS/SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela, May 20 (Reuters) –
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Saturday to mark 50
days of protests against the unpopular government of President Nicolas Maduro,
with unrest gaining momentum despite a rising death toll and chaotic scenes of
nighttime looting.
At least 46 people have been killed in the worst
turmoil faced by Maduro since he won the presidency in 2013. Venezuelans from
civilians to police have been killed, sometimes during increasingly frequent
spates of looting or street melees.
READ MORE: Funeral held for 15-year-old boy shot dead
amid Venezuela protests
Many Venezuelans are furious with Maduro’s government,
blaming it for soaring inflation, shortages of everything from food to
medicine, and a crackdown on human rights. They are demanding elections, freedom
for jailed activists, foreign aid, and autonomy for the opposition-led
legislature.
Major opposition marches took place across the
oil-rich nation of 30 million on Saturday, with protesters in Caracas
brandishing placards that read “No More dictatorship in Venezuela” while in the
volatile border city of San Cristobal masked youths threw rocks, and a Reuters
witness saw two protesters wielding machetes.
The Andean area near Colombia suffered a week of
mayhem that included looting, prompting the government to send in 2,000 troops.
“We don’t want more deaths. We want salaries that mean
something, and medicines. The government invests more in bullets and weapons
than in food and education for this country,” said Maria Diaz, a 33-year-old
lawyer standing in the torrential rain in front of security forces with some
8,000 other protesters in San Cristobal.
WATCH: Thousands turn out for candlelight vigil in
protest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Opposition protesters say the government is trying to
maintain its grip on power despite the economic crisis. More than 2,600
protesters have been arrested across the country, more than a third of whom
remain detained, according to a local rights group.
“More
resistance”http://globalnews.ca/video/3467031/protesters-flee-as-plumes-of-tear-gas-fill-air-in-venezuela-2
The government, which says protesters are trying to
foment a coup beneath pro-democracy rhetoric, held a counter-march in Caracas,
with thousands of red-clad supporters singing and dancing. Officials frequently
pop up on state television with photos of vandalized stores and blocked roads
that they blame on the opposition.
In recent weeks, protesters have thrown everything
from excrement to petrol bombs at security forces, who have used tear gas and
rubber bullets to block marches. Opposition lawmakers have joined protesters,
often facing tear gas themselves.
WATCH: Police in Venezuela drive toward crowd of
protesters with armoured vehicle
Two-time presidential candidate and de facto
opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, led the Caracas march.
“Fifty days and they’ve assassinated 50 people…
Despite everything, on day 50, amid more repression, there is more resistance
and more fight for Venezuela,” said Capriles, surrounded by supporters.
He was recently barred from holding public office for
15 years and said this week that his passport was confiscated before a flight
to New York, where he was set to visit the United Nations and denounce human
rights violations.
READ MORE: Venezuelan opposition leader Capriles says
party headquarters tear-gassed
On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on
the chief judge and seven other members of Venezuela‘s Supreme Court and
President Donald Trump described Venezuela‘s humanitarian situation as “a
disgrace to humanity.”
Maduro responded by telling Trump to stop meddling in
Venezuela‘s affairs.
http://globalnews.ca/video/3427615/police-in-venezuela-drive-at-crowd-of-protesters-with-armoured-vehicle
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