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.
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.
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”
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.
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.
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.
REUTERS*
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