For the fourth straight night, students in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas battled with police Saturday and early Sunday. Protesters threw stones, while authorities had tear gas and water cannon in their arsenal.
The latest violence flared after supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro demonstrated in Caracas to call for peace following the deaths of three people killed in protests earlier this week, according to Reuters.
Protests against the Maduro government, which include students and hardline opposition leaders, have focused on complaints about crime, shortages of food and consumer goods, as well as alleged repression of political rivals.
Earlier this week, 100 students were arrested in protests, the BBC reported. Images of confrontations between young protesters and armed police and National Guard troops have flooded social media.
Equipos antimotín de la PNB llegaron a Altamira a la 4:50 pm En la foto unos estudiantes trepandose a una ballena 15F pic.twitter.com/MR6SFXwD70— Indira Guerrero (@IndiraGuerreroR) February 16, 2014
Represión #altamira #venezuela 16:42 pic.twitter.com/d7d4DHCBtZ— Edwin Trompiz (@edwin_trompiz) February 15, 2014
Late Saturday, Maduro suspended bus and metro service to areas where students have been demonstrating, but reports Sunday morning suggest that protests and clashes are continuing.
7:35 AM GAS VERDE EN CHACAO ¡ALERTA! pic.twitter.com/muBVaJrXpm— ResistenciaVenezuela (@ResistenciaV58) February 16, 2014
Later Sunday, supporters of the student demonstrations held a large rally near the Parque Cristal building in Caracas, closing down Francisco de Miranda Avenue in both directions.
Parque Miranda, Caracas 16/02 #16FVnzlaEnlaCalleNicolasPaElConoTeVas #SOSVenezuela #venezuelanoestasola pic.twitter.com/ABYyWoONXS— Venezuela Arrecha (@vickymaru22) February 16, 2014
While the protests are aimed squarely at Maduro, who took over after the death of Hugo Chavez last year, they pose little threat to his presidency, as the Venezuelan military appears to be fully supportive of Maduro, Reuters said.
The following video, which has attracted over 600,000 views in the past two days, shows some of the violent confrontations. While it is not an unbiased account, presenting the student protesters' point-of-view, we feel it captures the emotion in the streets of Caracas.
Warning: The video, below, contains graphic and disturbing images.