CARACAS – Elderly Venezuelan protesters yesterday threw punches and yelled curses at riot police blocking the latest in six weeks of demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.
Riot police with helmets and shields used pepper gas several times to control the crowd as hundreds of pensioners jostled against security lines to attempt a march from a Caracas square.
Since launching protests against Maduro in early April, Venezuela’s opposition has sought to vary tactics by staging silent and candle-lit marches, for instance, and rallies for women, musicians and medics.
Each time, the ruling Socialist Party has tried to match them. On Friday, it organised its own rival old people’s march next to the Miraflores presidential palace.
At least 39 people have died in the unrest since April, including protesters, government sympathisers, bystanders, and security forces. Hundreds have also been hurt and arrested.
Chanting “Freedom!” and “Down with Maduro!” the elderly protesters made it onto a highway but were blocked from their intended destination, the state ombudsman’s office, by police with armoured vehicles. A representative of the office listened briefly to their grievances on the street instead.
The crowd, including plenty of octogenarians plus a nun and one white-haired man dressed as Santa, sang Venezuela’s national anthem in front of the security cordon. Opposition leaders joined them, hugging and linking arms with the pensioners.
Venezuela’s elderly have been hard hit by four years of brutal recession, leading to shortages of food and medicines, long lines at shops and runaway prices. (Reuters)