Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday said that about 1 million people joined the biggest anti-government rally in decades, vowing weekly mass protests to demand a referendum on ousting him from power.
Hundreds of police were deployed to keep anti-government protesters angry at food and medicine shortages apart from Maduro’s supporters, who vowed to defend his “socialist revolution.”
The rallies raised fears of violence in the oil-rich South American state, where anti-government protests in 2014 led to clashes with police that left 43 people dead.
Photo: Reuters
The leader of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), Jesus Torrealba, said it was the “biggest rally in recent decades,” with “between 950,000 and 1.1 million people” taking part.
Demonstrators dressed in white marched in the east of the capital, yelling “Venezuela is hungry” and “This government is going to fall.”
“We either come out to march or we will die of hunger. We are no longer afraid of the government,” said one demonstrator, Ana Gonzalez, 53.
The rallies come at a highly volatile time for Venezuela, where a plunge in prices for oil exports has led to shortages, violent crime and outbreaks of looting.
“This is a historic march. Today begins a definitive stage in this struggle,” Torrealba said.
Meanwhile, thousands of the president’s supporters in red T-shirts and caps rallied in the central Plaza Bolivar, yelling to their leader: “The people are with you.”
Maduro estimated his supporters’ turnout at up to 30,000.
“Today we have defeated a coup d’etat,” he told the crowd. “They have failed once again. The victory is ours.”
The opposition blames Maduro for the economic crisis and wants a referendum on removing him from power. He has branded the effort a right-wing “coup.”
“We are here at the call of our president, to defend the revolution,” 37-year-old housewife Carolina Aponte said.
The authorities arrested three opposition leaders in the days ahead of the march. Senior opposition figure Henrique Capriles on Thursday said that two mayors had also been arrested.
Thursday’s marches remained mostly peaceful, finishing in the mid-afternoon, but isolated clashes between protesters and security officers did occur, with some violent incidents reported in other cities.
After the rally, state security agents fired tear gas against protesters who tried to block the main highway of the city after a group of masked men threw stones at some officers.
Opposition leaders and human rights organizations also reported outbreaks of violence in Maracay and San Cristobal.
The MUD said in a statement it would hold another two nationwide demonstrations: at electoral offices on Wednesday and a “national mobilization day” on Sept. 14.
The referendum’s timing lies at the heart of the battle.
If it takes place before Jan. 10 and Maduro loses, new elections must be held. If he loses in a recall after that date, he would simply hand power to his hand-picked vice president.
Maduro said he had prepared a decree to strip lawmakers in the National Assembly of their immunity. He accused the opposition speaker of the legislature, Henry Ramos Allup, of inciting violence.
The opposition “cannot be intimidated,” Ramos said.
“President Maduro, look at all these people who have poured into the streets of Caracas,” he said.
The polling firm Venebarometro says 64 percent of the electorate would vote against Maduro.
A study by another pollster, Datanalisis, indicated eight out of 10 Venezuelans want a change of government.
Maduro blames the crisis on the collapse of oil prices and an “economic war” by businesses backed by US “imperialism.” He faces deep public discontent over shortages of basic goods and an inflation projected to hit 720 percent this year.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese