Competing marches mark anniversary of Venezuela protest movement
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Version 0 of 1. Friends and foes of Venezuela’s socialist government braved pouring rain on Thursday to stage duelling marches on the anniversary of the protest movement that racked the country last year. A small group of students in Caracas rallied against the government near one of the country’s largest universities, but they were outnumbered by lines of riot police. In a different part of town, a larger number of government supporters marched in a demonstration that President Nicolás Maduro was expected to attend. Dozens of government buses could be seen at the start of the route, indicating that some marchers were government workers brought in by officials. Opposition leaders called masses of supporters into the street last February and violence stemming from the months of protests that followed left more than 40 people dead, including both Maduro supporters and opponents. Dozens of protesters remain jailed, while the social issues they railed against last year – a faltering economy, widespread shortages, and pervasive violent crime – have only worsened. |